Nutraceutical and Functional Food Potentials of African Black Elimi (Canarium schweinfurthii): A Review

Medicinal plants have been central to African traditional medicine for centuries, preceding the development of synthetic drugs.  Africa is blessed with large medicinal plants that are either under-explored or yet to be studied.  This study aimed to find relevant research works on Canarium schweinfurthii with the purpose of identifying a new research niche.  One hundred eighteen (118) research journals were collected, and 80 publications were synthesized and used to identify non-repeated experiments on the functional and nutraceutical potentials of Canarium schweinfurthii.  The results of the review revealed that different parts of the plant including leaves, stem bark, roots, fruits, seeds, flowers, gum, and resin were traditionally employed in treating a range of ailments, including diabetes, stomach ulcers, malaria, typhoid, leprosy, reproductive disorders, and fever which are attributed to plant’s richness for nutraceutical and functional properties, driven by the presence of bioactive compounds such as antioxidants, alkaloids, saponins, flavonoids, tannins, glycosides, and phenolic compounds.  Nutraceutical and functional investigations of the plant have corroborated the antimalarial, anti-cancer, anti-diabetic, analgesic, antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-bacterial, growth-promoting, nephroprotective, food preservative, anthelmintic, and termiticidal properties of the fruit pulp, fruit bark, stem bark, fruit oil, seed oil of Canarium schweinfurthii.  This review recommends the plant for proper establishment of a foundation for the plant’s pharmaceutical application and underscores the need for further research.