ABSTRACT
With more than 68% of the total number of people living with HIV/AIDS globally, sub-Saharan Africa is disproportionally affected by the commonest immuno-deficiency condition in the world. Some herbal medicines can potentiate the activity of the immune system by regulating various molecules such as cytokines. Such herbs are of great interest in treating the various l immune-related disorders affecting us today. For this chapter , databases such as PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Science Direct, and Google Scholar were reviewed, and literature on African medicinal plant species with immunomodulatory properties was explored. This chapter collates and synthesizes the most up-to date scientific evidence supporting the use of eighteen widely used medicinal plant species with proven immunomodulatory activity. The phytochemistry, mode of action, and toxicity in relation to traditional uses of these plant species is also discussed. The plant species exert their immunomodulatory effects through various mechanisms, including triggering the alternating complement pathway, raising the number and distribution of white blood cells, stimulating phagocytosis, T cell production, or lymphocytic activity, or increasing anti-inflammatory cytokines. Medicinal plants exhibit great potential for treating people who are immunocompromised, especially in poor countries, without having to resort to expensive and often toxic Western medicines.
