A Systematic Review of Plants Used for the Treatment of Diarrhea in Mozambique

Diarrhea is one of the leading causes of mortality, particularly among children under 5 years of age in developing countries. The increasing prevalence of antimicrobial resistance has complicated the search for effective treatments, highlighting medicinal plants as a promising source for novel therapeutic agents.

This systematic review is aimed at identifying plant species traditionally used to treat diarrhea in Mozambique and at documenting their ethnomedicinal characteristics.

A comprehensive literature search was conducted to gather information on traditional plants used for diarrhea in Mozambique. Relevant publications up to 10 April 2024 were retrieved from PubMed, ScienceDirect, libraries, and online repositories. The review was performed in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines.

In this study, a total of 174 plants were identified as being used for the treatment of diarrhea in Mozambique, including 12 identified only to the genus level, one variety, and three subspecies. An additional 10 species were reported solely by their vernacular names. Terminalia sericea was the plant most frequently cited species, appearing in 14 of the 38 studies. Roots were the commonly used plant part, accounting for 49.8% of reported uses, with decoction being the predominant method of preparation (45.8%). Oral administration was the most common route, although other methods were reported. Some species identified in this review are at risk of extinction, emphasizing the need for conservation efforts.

The study highlights the diverse range of plant traditionally used to manage diarrhea in Mozambique. These species represent promising candidates for future pharmacological and clinical research, offering potential solutions not only within Mozambique but also for addressing diarrheal diseases on a broader, global scale.