Nutraceutical Potentials of Azanza garckeana (Snot Apple): A Review

Abstract

Nutraceuticals are products derived from natural sources and are used as therapeutic agents for the management of various health disorders. Several nutraceuticals have been produced from fruits, including wild edible fruits. Azanza garckeana is an example of wild edible fruit which belongs to the Malvaceae family. It is a semi-deciduous flowering plant which grows in savanna-wooded grasslands and open forests. It can be found in tropical Eastern Africa, Southern Africa and some countries of Western Africa. All parts of the plant are useful for medical and economic purpose. There are various traditional claims on the application of various parts of the plant in the management and treatment of diabetes, infertility, aches and pains, hemorrhage, liver and cardiac diseases, amongst others. This article presents a review of the plant Azanza garckeana regarding its botanical description, its traditional relevance economically and medically, and its established nutritional as well as pharmacological relevance based on reported in vitro and in vivo experimental investigations. Experimental reports on the nutritional and pharmacological potentials of Azanza garckeana are sparse. Therefore, there is a need for extensive research to further establish the plant as a potential candidate of a pharmacological or nutraceutical agent for the management of oxidative stress related diseases and other human health disorders.