Ethnopharmacology in the fight against Plasmodium parasites and brain disorders: In memoriam of Philippe Rasoanaivo

Abstract

Prof. Philippe Rasoanaivo was a highly dedicated and brilliant scientist in the field of ethnopharmacology. He worked for the Institut Malgache de Recherches Appliquées and the University of Antananarivo, Madagascar. His research was mainly focused on the endemic medicinal and aromatic plants used by traditional healers in Madagascar against a range of parasites, with special reference to Plasmodium spp. In this Editorial, we resumed the key findings of his research activity, with special reference to the discovery of alkaloids that markedly enhance the action of chloroquine against malaria parasites.

Keywords: Alkaloids; Brain disorders; Epilepsy; Madagascar; Malaria; Plasmodium.