Prevalence of Traditional Medicine Use during Pregnancy, at Labour and for Postpartum Care in a Rural Area in Zimbabwe.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and types of traditional medicine used during pregnancy, at labour and for postpartum care by women in rural Zimbabwe.

Research Design: A cross-sectional survey was conducted on 398 women from two rural districts in Zimbabwe. Data on socio-demography, pregnancy related information as well as traditional medicine use patterns was collected using a structured interviewer administered questionnaire.

Spasmogenic effects of Sclerocarya birrea stem bark aqueous extract on rat isolated uterine horns.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Sclerocarya birrea (Anacardiaceae), popularly known as "marula", is used as a traditional remedy for allegedly treating dysmenorrhoea and a host of other ailments such as malaria, fever, diarrhoea, dysentery, stomach disorders, headaches and to facilitate childbirth. This study investigated the pharmacological effects of S. birrea extract (SBE) on isolated, spontaneously-contracting uterine horns of healthy, young adult, female Wistar rats.

Contractile effect of Sclerocarya birrea (A Rich) Hochst (Anacardiaceae) (Marula) leaf aqueous extract on rat and rabbit isolated vascular smooth muscles.

Background: Sclerocarya birrea (Anacardiaceae) is traditionally used for treating hypertension. The pharmacological effects of S birrea leaf aqueous extract (SBE) on rabbit and rat vascular smooth muscles were investigated in this study.

Methods: Fresh S birrea leaves (1 kg) were air dried at 26 ± 1°C, milled, macerated in 2.

Sclerocarya birrea (A. Rich) Hochst. ['Marula'] (Anacardiaceae): a review of its phytochemistry, pharmacology and toxicology and its ethnomedicinal uses.

A plethora of ethnotherapeutic properties and pharmacological actions have been attributed to Sclerocarya birrea (family: Anacardiaceae). It is one of the most highly valued indigenous trees of southern Africa. Reports in biomedical literature have indicated the presence of medicinally-important chemical constituents in the plant, notably: polyphenols, tannins, coumarins, flavonoids, triterpenoids, phytosterols, and so forth.