Contribution au traitement des cancers les plus fréquents à base des plantes médicinales dans la ville de Yaoundé.

Abstract

This study was done in the town of Yaoundé, with the aim of identifying plants that have a virtue against cancer and censor formulae used in traditional medicine in cases of cancer. Twenty traditional healers were interviewed without any emphasis on sex, age or tribe. Each of them furnished information on the use in traditional pharmacopeia of plants with virtue against cancer. The list of plants with anti- tumorous properties was established. An ethno botanical study was done with the twenty traditional healers which permitted to register seventy species with anti-cancerous properties, divided to sixty nine genres, forty two families, of which the majority was Asteraceae. These plants are woody or herbaceous and the leaves are the parts most used in the preparation of recipes. Plants that are widely used are: Guibourtia tessmannii, Aloe barteri, Citrus paradise. They are used in the treatment of several types of cancer diseases amongst which are: cancer of the breast, cancer of the cervix of uterus, of the prostate and of Kaposi sarcoma. The method of preparation most used was decoction with 37%, on the basis of their family, the frequency of utilization in recipes and their presence in the market and the street of town, 14 species were registered. A total of 23 recipes were registered from traditional healers. Thus 8/23 representing 35% of recipes were registered for the treatment of breast cancer, 6/23 representing 26% of recipes for the treatment of cancer of prostate, 5/23 representing 17% for the treatment of cancer cervix of uterus. Plants with anti-tumorale properties appear as being powerful antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-cicatrizing. The properties due to the present of several flavonoid, give these plants a better place in traditional medicine.