ABSTRACT
Malaria continues to cause morbidity and mortality on a large scale in tropical countries. It is an endemic disease that affected 229 million people and caused 409,000 deaths in 2019. There are four different species of Plasmodium capable of causing malaria in humans: Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium ovale, and Plasmodium malariae. P. falciparum is responsible for most of the mortality and morbidity associated with malaria disease. Disease control is based on early diagnosis and specific treatment with antimalarial drugs since no vaccines are commercially available to prevent the disease. Malarial vaccine has not yet been developed because the parasite keeps changing the interaction of the metabolic pathways during its life cycle. Traditional knowledge and usage of medicinal plant extracts to treat febrile illnesses offer the advantage of increased rate of success in identifying new antimalarial compounds. Also, it is both convenient and economical to have readily available cures in the vicinity of patients afflicted by a disease.
