Prunus africana: The anti-cancer tree

Prunus africana (African cherry) is native to 22 African countries including Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Cameroon and Nigeria.

Its other common English name is Red stinkwood because its wood has an unpleasant odour.

In Kenya, its local names include Mumbaume (Kamba), Tenduet (Keiyo), Muiri (Kikuyu), Kumutura (Bukusu) and Olkojuk (Maasai). In Kiswahili, it is called Kiburabura.

According to the Guide to Tree Planting in Kenya by Kenya Forestry Research Institute (Kefri), it grows in ecological zones whose altitude ranges from 1,600 to 2,500 metres above sea level. Annual rains in these zones are more than 1,400mm.

Medicine

This tree has wide applications in African traditional medicine. All its parts – leaves, roots, flowers and stems – are medicinal.

They have been used by Africans to treat various diseases since ancient times and scientific studies have confirmed their medicinal properties.

The bark is used to treat the enlargement of the prostate, which affects men of over 50 years. This condition can cause prostate cancer.

It also treats erectile dysfunction, urinary tract infections, kidney disease, stomach upset, chest pain, inflammation and male baldness.

Interestingly, in women, its leaves are used to treat a condition known as hirsutism, unwanted hair growth either on the face, chest or back, according to the World Agroforestry Centre.

An infusion of the leaves is also used to improve appetite and treat genital infection. The bark is also sought as an aphrodisiac in males.

Scientific studies have shown that it has various bioactive substances with anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, anti-viral, and anti-microbial effects.

Research has also shown that Prunus africana removes symptoms indicative of kidney stones such as pain, inflammation and frequent urination. Africans also use the bark to treat high fever caused by malaria.

Away from medicine, the tree is important in charcoal and timber production as well. Its timber is popular in the mining industry as pit props, railway sleepers in the railway industry, and in bridge and other heavy duty construction work industries. Its flowers are also important in honey production as they have sufficient pollen.

Threats

Because of its demand for medicinal purposes especially in Europe, this tree is being over exploited in Africa.

More than 5,000 tonnes of Prunus Africana bark are exported from Africa to countries like France and Spain annually.

This is the largest amount of any African medicinal plant to be traded internationally, according to one documentary by DW, Germany’s international broadcaster. Nearly 10 per cent of these exports are from Kenya.

The tree has been classified as a vulnerable species facing a high risk of extinction by the Convention on International Trade in the Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora’s (CITES).

The threat mainly comes from the fact that it is unsustainably harvested in the wild with the entire bark being removed leading to death of the tree.

Propagation

It is propagated through freshly harvested seeds and seedlings collected in the wild also known as wildings.

The seeds can take 50 to 90 days to germinate after planting.

Most seedlings are obtained from the wild mainly by traditional healers who use it to treat and manage various health conditions.

Kenya’s GreenBelt Movement works with women in the Aberdares to establish nurseries from forest-collected wildings, which are used to reforest surrounding landscapes and for domestication.

Seeds, which cost Sh2,500 a kilo at Kefri, do not store well. As a result, they can only be supplied on demand.

“Orders should be made a month prior to the expected seed ripening/collection period of April and June,” according to Michael Meso, the research agency’s assistant Seed Centre manager.

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