Traditional Drugs Originating from Selected Medicinal Plants: An Intervention for Anaemia

Background Anaemia is the most common disease that affects mostly females and children and is most prevalent in developing countries. Among various causes sickle cell anaemia is one of them, which is a cause of concern. Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) causes problems like blockage of blood flow, causing pain, and fatigue and also leads to death. Objective With the advancement in science, diseases that were once considered unable to cure can be stopped or prevented and, in some cases, also be cured. As current therapies for the treatment of sickle cell anaemia are limited, like blood transfusions, bone marrow transfusions, etc., a non-surgical method where plant extracts or compounds were found effective in stopping, preventing, and in some cases reversal of SCD. In this review, we tried to gather information about those plants and compounds. Methods Numerous surveys in the literature were performed to determine the plants which have shown their potential against SCD. Relevant peer-reviewed publications were searched through various databases such as ScienceDirect, PubMed, Google Scholar, Research Gate, etc. Results A total of more than 50 medicinal plants such as Acacia catechu, Alchornea cordifolia, Anchomanes difformis, Khayase negalensis, Terminalia catappa, etc., have been identified based on their potential against SCD, and 15 compounds such as Butylurea, Glyceraldehyde, Potassium cyanate, urea, etc., have also been identified which could work against SCD. These plants acting on sickle cell anemia on various pathways are also discussed. Conclusion In this review, an approach was made to study those plants which have an effect against SCD, with proper mechanisms and compounds that show potency against this disease. So that better treatment options could be available for future generations.