Traditional Guinean Management of Breast Diseases in Low and Middle Guinea

Abstract Ethnopharmacological relevance The objective of the present study was to evaluate traditional Guinean consideration and management of breast diseases. Materials and methods The survey was carried out from January 2011 to December 2012 and targeted traditional medical practitioners in Low and Middle Guinea through questionnaires and oral interviews. Results and discussion A total of 231 people (88 males and 143 females) were interviewed. The age of the participants ranged from 25 to 75 years. The majority of the traditional healers (173/231) were mature adults aged between 30 and 60 years and had practised ethnomedicine for more than 10 years. Based on traditional considerations, the most treated breast diseases were "breast inflammation" (77), "nipple discharge" (74), and "breast hardening" (58). The traditional remedies cited were minerals, animals and mainly plant species. One hundred and three plant species were recorded, of which 82 belonging to 44 families were identified. The most frequently cited plants were Mangifera indica L. (55) and Erythrina senegalensis A.D.C. (35). The most commonly used parts were leaves, accounting for 79.8%. Galenical forms were decoction and paste, administered orally and/or via local application. Conclusion Breast diseases are common in Guinea. The traditional management of these lies mainly on the use of plant species. Of these, M. indica was the most cited and has been previously described with related properties against cancer types. Aiming to rationalise the use of these plants, bioassay-guided fractionations are in progress to determine useful fractions or molecules with antitumour activity for clinical investigations.