Sclerocarya birrea(Marula), An African Tree of Nutritional and Medicinal Uses: A Review
- 21 February 2012
- journal article
- review article
- Published by Taylor & Francis Ltd in Food Reviews International
- Vol. 28 (4), 375-388
- https://doi.org/10.1080/87559129.2012.660716
Abstract
Sclerocarya birrea (Anacardiaceae) is a popular African wild tree distributed in many African countries where the leaves, stem bark, root, and fruits are used in food and traditional medicine; the fruit is rich in ascorbic acid. The fruit juice contains sesquiterpene hydrocarbon, which are terpenes found in plants that are reported to have bacteriostatic properties. The fruit contains a hard brown seed. The seed encloses a soft white kernel rich in oil and protein. The oil contains oleic, palmitic, myristic, and stearic acids; the kernel protein contains amino acids, with a predominance of glutamic acid and arginine. The extracts from different parts showed high total phenolic compounds and radical-scavenging capacities and antioxidant activities. Sclerocarya birrea is widely studied with regard to its antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antiparasitic, antimicrobial, and antihypertenisve activities.Keywords
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