Abstract

Drug resistance, inaccessibility, unaffordability and side effects of conventional medicines
used for malaria treatment require that new drugs be developed. Plants like Maesa
lanceolata are a potential source of new drugs. Maesa lanceolata which is one of the most
commonly used in the traditional management of malaria in Uganda was evaluated for
curative antimalarial activity using Reley and Peters method and levels of copper and zinc
ions by using the atomic spectroscopy method. Maesa lanceolata aqueous leaf extract
showed no antimalarial activity on Plasmodium berghei infected mice with all the three
tested doses exhibiting less than 50% parasitemia suppression. Copper ions in the dried
leaf of Maesa lanceolata were 9.33 parts per million. Level of zinc were 8.53 parts per
million. The amount of copper consumed by patients surpasses the recommended daily
allowance which warrants further research on posology of this plant using a greater sample
size as well as further investigations on possible effects of excess copper consumption.
The lack of antimalarial activity in mice calls for more research on other factors such as
possible fever and pain reducing effect and appetite increase that could be contributing to
the relief experienced by malaria patients being managed using this herb