Medicinal Plants as a Source of Antimalarial Agents: A Review of Current Research                                                                         

Nyambura Achieng M.

School of Natural and Applied Sciences Kampala International University Uganda

ABSTRACT

Malaria remains a significant public health challenge, with millions affected annually and the rapid emergence of drug-resistant Plasmodium species exacerbating the issue. This review examines the historical, ethnobotanical, and contemporary scientific knowledge on the role of medicinal plants in antimalarial therapy. Many plants, such as Artemisia annua and Cinchona species, have yielded potent antimalarial compounds like artemisinin and quinine, respectively. Traditional knowledge continues to inspire modern drug discovery efforts, although much remains unexplored. Advances in in vitro and in vivo screening, bioactivity-guided fractionation, and molecular docking approaches have highlighted promising phytochemicals such as flavonoids, alkaloids, and terpenoids. Challenges in translating traditional remedies into scalable treatments include drug resistance, sustainability concerns, and gaps in interdisciplinary research. By leveraging traditional knowledge and modern science, medicinal plants offer a sustainable and innovative pathway to address the global malaria burden.

Keywords: Medicinal plants, Antimalarial agents, Drug resistance, Traditional medicine, Phytochemicals, Artemisinin.

CITE AS: Nyambura Achieng M. (2025). Medicinal Plants as a Source of Antimalarial Agents: A Review of Current Research. RESEARCH INVENTION JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL AND APPLIED SCIENCES 5(1):38-42. https://doi.org/10.59298/RIJBAS/2025/513842