Traditional uses, ethnopharmacology, antibacterial and antiparasitic activities of Symphonia spp

Introduction: Genus Symphonia has evident medicinal importance reported in different literature but with no contextualized review of the ethnopharmacology, antibacterial and antiparasitic activity. This study reviewed and contextualized the ethnomedical uses, antibacterial and antiparasitic activities of medicinal Symphonia species.Methods: A literature search was performed using search terms; Symphonia and ethnobotanical surveys, Sym-phonia and ethnomedicine, Symphonia and antimicrobial activity, Symphonia and antiparasitic activity. Studies (36) on the ethnomedical value, antimicrobial and antiparasitic activities of either isolated compounds or solvent extracts of the genus Symphonia were obtained and relevant data extracted and summarized in tables. Results: The genus Symphonia has five medicinally useful species; S. globulifera, S. clusioides, S. pauciflora, S. fasciculata and S. tanalensis with S. globulifera as the most utilized in ethnomedicine. These species treat over 30 ailments including diseases of the digestive system, skin and subcutaneous tissue infections, musculoskeletal system and connective tissue. Symphonia spp are largely prepared as a decoction from the stem bark. Symphonia globulifera stem bark, root bark, seeds and leaf extracts, isolated compounds showed good antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus. They also had good in-vitro anti-leishmanial, antiplasmodial and anti-trypanosomal activities.Conclusion: Symphonia globulifera was the most commonly used Symphonia spp in herbal medicine because of its ability to grow in different soil types, climates and environments unlike other Symphonia species. The bioactivity of the genus Symphonia is mainly linked to the abundance of xanthones and benzophenones, within this genus. The genus Symphonia has novel compounds for example manniflavanone, biflavonoid GB2, symphonins with potential antiparasitic and antibacterial activity.