Ethnopharmacological characteristics of Piper umbellatum L. (Piperaceae), a plant used in the traditional treatment of three neglected tropical diseases in Côte d'Ivoire

A recent ethnomedicinal survey, conducted in ten Health Districts of Côte d'Ivoire, revealed Piper umbellatum L. (Piperaceae) as a plant used in the traditional treatment of lymphatic filariasis, onchocerciasis and schistosomiasis. The present study aims to highlight the distinctive ethnopharmacological characteristics of Piper umbellatum. The aim was to identify some groups of chemical compounds by thin layer chromatography, to assay some minerals and finally to characterise the specific anatomical and micrographic features of the plant. Terpenes and sterols, saponosides, flavonoids and tannins are the main phytocompounds revealed. Magnesium with 748.3 mg/100 g dry matter is the most abundant mineral. Anatomical sections and plant powder revealed starch grains, secretory pockets and tectorial hairs that are responsible for the formation of various biological substances in the plant. These results add to the data on Piper umbellatum, a taxon much used in traditional Ivorian medicine for the treatment of three filarial NTDs (lymphatic filariasis, onchocerciasis and schistosomiasis).