Pare Dramane, Hilou Adama, Ouedraogo Noufou, Guenne Samson
Laboratory of Biochemistry and Applied Chemistry (LABIOCA), UFR/SVT, 09 BP 848 Ouagadougou 09, University of Ouagadougou, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
Research Institute for Health Sciences (IRSS) 03 BP 7192 Ouagadougou 03, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
Medicines (Basel). 2016 Apr 26;3(2):9. doi: 10.3390/medicines3020009.
Obesity is a global epidemic that affects both developed and developing countries. According to World Health Organization (WHO), in 2014, over 1.9 billion adults were overweight. Burkina Faso, like other countries, faces the problem of obesity, with a prevalence of 7.3%. The main cause is excessive intake of caloric foods combined with low physical activity, although genetic, endocrine and environmental influences (pollution) can sometimes be predisposing factors. This metabolic imbalance often leads to multiple pathologies (heart failure, Type II diabetes, cancers, ). Drugs have been developed for the treatment of these diseases; but in addition to having many side effects, locally these products are not economically accessible to the majority of the population. Burkina Faso, like the other countries bordering the Sahara, has often been confronted in the past with periods of famine during which populations have generally used anorectic plants to regulate their food needs. This traditional ethnobotanical knowledge has not been previously investigated. An ethnobotanical survey was conducted in Burkina Faso in the provinces of Seno (North) and Nayala (Northwest) to list the plants used by local people as an anorectic and/or fort weight loss.
The survey, conducted in the two provinces concerned traditional healers, herbalists, hunters, nomads and resourceful people with knowledge of plants. It was conducted over a period of two months and data were collected following a structured interview with the respondents. The approach was based on dialogue in the language of choice of the respondent and the use of a questionnaire. The data have been structured and then statistically analyzed.
The fifty-five (55) respondents of the survey were aged between 40 and 80 years. Sixty-one (61) plant species, belonging to thirty-one (31) families were listed as appetite suppressants and/or for their anti-obesity properties. The main families of plants are Mimosaceae, Rubiaceae, Asclepiadaceae and Cesalpiniaceae. Fruits are the most used part of the plant organs. Consumption in the raw state or as a decoction are the two main forms of preparation.
The great diversity of plants cited by informants demonstrates the existence of rich local knowledge to address obesity in Burkina Faso. Evaluation of the biochemical activity of the extracts of the most cited species could allow the development of a phytomedicine economically accessible to the majority of the population. This could allow for the preservation of biodiversity in this region which is weakened by climate change because some of the species cited are in fragile state or are threatened with extinction.
肥胖是一种影响发达国家和发展中国家的全球性流行病。根据世界卫生组织（WHO）的数据，2014年，超过19亿成年人超重。布基纳法索与其他国家一样，面临肥胖问题，患病率为7.3%。主要原因是高热量食物摄入过多以及身体活动不足，尽管遗传、内分泌和环境影响（污染）有时也可能是诱发因素。这种代谢失衡往往会导致多种疾病（心力衰竭、II型糖尿病、癌症等）。已经研发出治疗这些疾病的药物；但这些产品除了有许多副作用外，在当地大多数人在经济上也难以获得。布基纳法索与撒哈拉沙漠周边的其他国家一样，过去经常面临饥荒时期，在此期间人们通常使用厌食植物来调节食物需求。这种传统的民族植物学知识此前尚未得到研究。在布基纳法索的塞诺省（北部）和纳亚拉省（西北部）进行了一项民族植物学调查，以列出当地人用作厌食剂和/或有助于减肥的植物。
该调查在两个省份进行，涉及传统治疗师、草药师、猎人、游牧民以及了解植物知识的机智人士。调查持续了两个月，通过与受访者进行结构化访谈收集数据。该方法基于用受访者选择的语言进行对话并使用问卷。数据经过整理后进行统计分析。
调查的55名受访者年龄在40至80岁之间。列出了属于31个科的61种植物，它们被用作食欲抑制剂和/或具有抗肥胖特性。植物的主要科为含羞草科、茜草科、萝摩科和云实科。果实是植物器官中使用最多的部分。生食或制成汤剂是两种主要的制备形式。
受访者提到的植物种类繁多，表明布基纳法索存在丰富的当地知识来应对肥胖问题。对最常被提及的物种提取物的生化活性进行评估，可能有助于开发出大多数人在经济上能够获得的植物药。这有助于保护该地区因气候变化而受到削弱的生物多样性，因为一些被提及的物种处于脆弱状态或面临灭绝威胁。
