ABSTRACT
Phytochemical evaluation proves the presence of secondary metabolites in the various extracts of wild plants which exhibit properties like antiprotozoal, anthelmintic, insecticidal, larvicidal, antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, anticarcinogenic, sedative and many more. For centuries, in many countries quacks have been using hundreds of species of wild plants and their extracts to treat malaria, from which several are proven, pharmacologically and experimentally, to be effective against Plasmodium spp. Pertinent studies of medicinal wild plants show no side effects in mammalian cells and even show more effective results than recommended drugs, as Pentalinon andricuxii extract gave less half-maximal inhibitory concentration as compared to referred drug against Leishmania spp. Leishmania spp. and Trypanosoma spp. are hemoflagellates of Trypanosomatidae family and cause the three most dreadful human diseases, which are Chagas disease, sleeping sickness and leishmaniasis. Trypanosoma cruzi infection has an acute and chronic phase, which lasts for a few weeks to months.
