ADVANCES IN HERBAL TREATMENT FOR MALARIA

Abstract

Malaria remains one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality. It is a major global health problem, with an estimated 300 to 500 million clinical cases occurring annually. The natural history of malaria involves cyclical infection of humans and female Anopheles mosquitoes. In humans, the parasites grow and multiply first in the liver cells and then in the red cells of the blood. In the blood, successive broods of parasites grow inside the red cells and destroy them, releasing daughter parasites (“merozoites”) that continue the cycle by invading other red cells. Here we have reviewed various herbal treatment of the disease with potential of developing novel therapeutics.