Historical and ethnopharmacological perspectives on African medicinal plants: From traditional remedies to computational drug discovery

African medicinal plants have played a significant role in traditional healthcare systems for centuries. Specifically, they served as primary therapeutic agents for a wide range of ailments. Ethnopharmacological knowledge, passed down through generations, has provided invaluable insights into the bioactive properties of African indigenous flora. However, the transition of these traditional medicines into scientifically validated therapeutics has been slow. This could be due to historical marginalization, inadequate documentation, and limited research funding. Recent advancements in computer-aided drug design (CADD) and computational drug discovery have opened new frontiers for validating and optimizing bioactive compounds derived from African medicinal plants. This narrative review discussed the historical evolution of African ethnomedicine, its potential contributions to global pharmacology, and the emerging role of computational techniques, such as molecular docking, network pharmacology, and artificial intelligence (AI), in accelerating drug discovery. By integrating historical and ethnopharmacological perspectives with modern computational strategies, this review highlighted examplary studies where African medicinal plants have shown promise for treating infectious diseases, metabolic disorders, and cancer. Furthermore, it highlights potential solutions to challenges such as biopiracy, intellectual property rights, and the necessity of collaborative frameworks between traditional healers and scientists. Therefore, this review piqued the potential of African medicinal plants in pharmaceutical applications and advocates for interdisciplinary approaches to harnessing their full therapeutic potential in the modern era.