An overview on Ethnopharmacologicals studies carried out on Lannea microcarpa Engl. & K. Krause (Anacardiaceae): a medicinal plant used in Burkina Faso for the treatment of hypertension

Lannea microcarpa, is one of the species of medicinal plants used in medicine and traditional pharmacopoeia for the treatment of human pathologies in Africa. This review focuses on the ethnobotanical and ethnopharmacological previous studies of Lannea microcarpa. Some information on phytochemical makeup and its effects on human health are already documented. However, information concerning its ethnopharmaceutical and phytopharmaceutical potential is scarce and poorly documented. These data were obtained by documentary researches using different scientific sites such as Google Scholar, Science Direct, Scopus, ResearchGate, PubMed, and SCIENCEDOMAIN, from theses, dissertations and scientific articles. Additional information was obtained from classic books about herbal medicine and others scientific databases. Ethnobotanical surveys carried out have indicated their uses in the management of arterial hypertension. It appears from bibliographic research that Lannea microcarpa has vasorelaxant, hypotensive and antihypertensive effects, etc. Other studies have shown the presence of phytochemicals of interest for the management of high blood pressure. However, their use in traditional forms does not make it possible to guarantee the stability of medicinal preparations. Quality control and standardization studies were carried out in order to define the optimal conditions for guaranteeing effectiveness. This article gives an overview of previous studies carried out on the plant in order to have data for the improvement of its use.