EVALUATION OF THE IRON CONTENT OF PLANTS PROPOSED AGAINST ANEMIA BY TRADITIONAL PRACTITIONERS OF BIANKOUMA, COTE D’IVOIRE

Anemia is a public health problem in Cte d'Ivoire and especially in Biankouma, a city in the west of the country.To contribute to the search for a cure for the disease, this study was undertaken in the city.It makes an inventory of the plants proposed by traditional practitioners and evaluates the iron content in the organs of plants to seek the scientific bases of the traditional use of these plants.The study made it possible to inventory 15 plants belonging to 17 botanical families with a dominance of Fabaceae.The parts of the plants used as phytomedicines are: leaves, leafy stems and leafy branches.These plant organs are prepared by two techniques: decoction and paste.The decoction is administered as a drink and the paste is to be consumed.Concerning the mineralogical analysis, it revealed that five plants are rich in iron as Piper guineense, an anti-anemic plant known in the south of Cte d'Ivoire.These plants are: Corchorus olitorius, Khaya senegalensis, Piper longum, Piper umbellatum and solanum torvum.The other 10 plants, although less rich in this mineral than Piper guineense, cover a person's daily iron needs.All the plants proposed by the