| dc.description.abstract | Ethnobotanical and ethnopharmacological investigations led to identification of Ajuga remota Benth (Lamiaceae) as being fre¬quently used in herbal medicine treatment of malaria in Kenya. The antimalarial activity of the plant has been confirmed by in vitro te¬sting against Plasmodium falciparum. In order to ensure a continuous production of plant material we started local cultures in Leuven (Belgium),
Micropropagation of Ajuga remota starting from seeds on a general culture medium was not successful, Sowing the seeds in full soil in the greenhouse resulted in a germination rate of more than 75 %. Intensive watering was necessary to initiate germination, Within 4months the plant could be harvested and decoctions were prepa¬red from the dried material. The antimalarial activity of Belgian Ajuga remota decoctions in vitro expressed as ICso (mean :t SO) was 998 :t 168 j.lglml, This was comparable with the ICso of Kenyan grown Ajuga remota: 974 :t 772 j.lg/ml. Greenhouse cultivation seems to provide satisfying conditions to grow enough plants and enabling further research into validating Kenyan herbal medicine practice | en |
