A Taste for Medicinal Plants of Madagascar

There is a saying in Malagasy: “Ny sary vitan'anamalaho tsy amonoana vatotr'akoho” = One should try use natural means such as medicinal plants before resorting to Western chemical medicines.

Indigenous Saldinia leaves are chewed to relieve toothache

Roots of Crotalaria are used for medicine to treat fatigue

Fanja sells medicinal plants to city dwellers

Traditional knowledge on medicinal and useful plants is still prominent in Madagascar. In the cities where locals have limited access to nature, healers offer dried plants materials from their pavement stalls.

Afiafy (Malagasy) if used to treat stomach and liver problems

Andrarezina (Malagasy) is chewed to relieve sore throat and gums

Katrafay (Malagasy) is boiled and drank to help with muscle cramp

Ofika (Malagasy) is used as an ointment to treat boils

Leaves from the olive tree are boiled to make a herbal tea for general health benefits

Rambriazina (Malagasy) is used to relieve a sore throat, coughing and chest ailments

Eucalyptus leaves (Ravinkininimpotsy in Malagasy) are boiled to steam the face - this is inhaled to relieve headaches and congestion

Vatolalaka (Malagasy) seeds are used to treat arthritis as well as constipation

Veromanitra (Malagasy) is boiled to make a herbal tea for general health benefits
 

The hairs from maize plants, Volokatsaka (Malagasy), are used to treat hypertension

While there is a wealth of knowledge about the indigenous plants, many introduced plants are also used for their medicinal properties. Lantana leaves, for example, are boiled to make tea which lowers blood pressure if it is too high. While Cledimia is used to treat stomach ache as well as to flavour rum. 

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