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This sheet was compiled from PubMed (NIH) abstracts using AI assistance. Every factual claim is cited to a real PubMed article (see the source list). It has not yet been human-reviewed — confirm with a healthcare provider before use.
Compiled from 23 PubMed articles · model: gemma4:31b
Summary
Daniellia oliveri is a tropical tree of the Fabaceae family used in traditional medicine across Africa for treating inflammatory, infectious, and neurological conditions [PMID:37810056, 32774429].
Background
Daniellia oliveri (also known as the African Copaiba Balsam Tree) is a member of the Detarioideae subfamily of the legume family (Fabaceae) found in savannahs [PMID:37810056, 32028029].
Traditional uses
Indigenous uses include the management of diabetes mellitus, tuberculosis, fever, ulcers, pain, pneumonia, skin ailments, infectious diseases, sickle cell anaemia [PMID:37810056], inflammatory diseases, rheumatism, chest pain, toothache, and lumbago [PMID:36868442]. It is also used in the treatment of schizophrenia, epilepsy [PMID:32774429], infectious diarrhea [PMID:34007296], intertrigo and candidiasis [PMID:36551356], and as a mosquito repellent via the smoke of its bark [PMID:9924960, 10083750].
Active compounds
Secondary metabolites identified include polyphenols, flavonoids, saponins, alkaloids [PMID:37810056], tannins, and cardiac and cyanogenetic glycosides [PMID:10441783, 10441782]. Specific compounds identified via in silico or chemical analysis include beta-carotene, beta-amyrin, cis-Calamenene [PMID:40056709], and carotenoid K, cadala-1(10),3,8-triene, valencene, and beta-sesquiphellandrene [PMID:40524946].
Mechanism of action
The leaf extract may inhibit the influx of extracellular Ca(2+) by inhibiting K(+) channels [PMID:10441783]. The bark extract may interfere with transmitter release and act on multiple sites in skeletal muscle [PMID:10441783] and acts as a noncompetitive antagonist for muscarinic receptors in bladder smooth muscle [PMID:10441782]. In silico studies suggest compounds may act as quorum sensing inhibitors for Acinetobacter baumannii (BfmR/RstA) [PMID:40056709] and Escherichia coli (SdiA) [PMID:40524946].
Clinical evidence
Evidence DInflammation and Pain
Stem bark extract demonstrated anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive activities in animal models (xylene-induced paw oedema and acetic acid-induced writhing) [PMID:36868442]
Evidence DAmnesia (Diazepam-induced)
Aqueous root bark extract decreased diazepam-induced amnesia and provided neuroprotection in mice [PMID:32774429]
Evidence DDiarrhea
Leaf n-butanol extracts provided 60-80% protection against castor oil-induced diarrhea in mice and caused dose-dependent relaxation of isolated rabbit jejunum [PMID:20161921]
Evidence DBacterial Infections
Raw extracts and fractions showed antibacterial activity with MICs ranging from 16 to 256 μg/mL, though no antifungal activity was observed at 25 μg/mL [PMID:36551356]
Safety & adverse effects
Acute toxicity tests in mice using the limit test for stem bark extract [PMID:36868442] and a single dose of 2000 mg/kg for aqueous/hydroethanolic extracts [PMID:34007296] were conducted; leaf extracts showed an i.p LD(50) > 4000 mg/kg in mice [PMID:20161921].
Evidence summary
The current evidence is primarily based on in vitro studies, in silico modeling, and animal models (Level D). There are no human clinical trials provided in the abstracts.
PubMed sources
1.PMID: 37810056 (2023) — A review of indigenous knowledge and ethnopharmacological significance of African Copaiba Balsam Tree, Daniellia oliveri (Fabaceae). · Heliyon
2.PMID: 36868442 (2023) — Anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive activities of Daniellia oliveri (Fabaceace) stem bark extract. · Journal of ethnopharmacology
3.PMID: 34099047 (2021) — Filaricidal activity of Daniellia oliveri and Psorospermum febrifugum extracts. · Parasites & vectors
4.PMID: 36551356 (2022) — Daniellia oliveri (Rolfe) Hutch and Dalziel: Antimicrobial Activities, Cytotoxicity Evaluation, and Phytochemical Identification by GC-MS. · Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland)
No direct government monograph is available for this herb. The content below is AI-generated and has not been verified against an authoritative government source. Use the search links to check official sources before relying on this information.
— Aqueous Root Bark Extract of Daniellia oliveri (Hutch. & Dalz.) (Fabaceae) Protects Neurons against Diazepam-Induced Amnesia in Mice.
· Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM
6.PMID: 32028029 (2020) — Phylogeny and biogeography of the Daniellia clade (Leguminosae: Detarioideae), a tropical tree lineage largely threatened in Africa and Madagascar. · Molecular phylogenetics and evolution
7.PMID: 31297686 (2020) — Concentrate replacement with Daniellia oliveri foliage in goat diets. · Tropical animal health and production
8.PMID: 40056709 (2025) — Modulating Acinetobacter baumannii BfmR (RstA) drug target: Daniellia oliveri compounds as RstA quorum sensing inhibitors. · Computational biology and chemistry
9.PMID: 10441783 (1999) — Effects of Daniellia oliveri stem bark and leaf extracts on rat skeletal muscle. · Phytotherapy research : PTR
10.PMID: 40524946 (2025) — In Silico Bioprospection of Daniellia oliveri-Based Products as Quorum Sensing Modulators of Escherichia coli SdiA. · Biochemistry research international
11.PMID: 34007296 (2021) — Toxicological Characterization of Ten Medicinal Plants of the Beninese Flora Used in the Traditional Treatment of Diarrheal Diseases. · Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM
12.PMID: 9924960 (1999) — Plant products used as mosquito repellents in Guinea Bissau, West Africa. · Acta tropica
13.PMID: 10441782 (1999) — Effects of Daniellia oliveri bark on isolated rat bladder. · Phytotherapy research : PTR
14.PMID: 20161921 (2007) — Anti-diarrheal activity of the leaf extracts of Daniellia oliveri Hutch and Dalz (Fabaceae) and Ficus sycomorus Miq (Moraceae). · African journal of traditional, complementary, and alternative medicines : AJTCAM
15.PMID: 15567251 (2004) — Phytochemical and antimicrobial activities of the Daniellia oliveri leaves. · Fitoterapia
16.PMID: 34540993 (2021) — Percentage Destabilization Effect of Some West African Medicinal Plants on the Outer Membrane of Various Bacteria Involved in Infectious Diarrhea. · BioMed research international
17.PMID: 10083750 (1999) — Comparison of plant products and pyrethroid-treated bed nets for protection against mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) in Guinea Bissau, West Africa. · Journal of medical entomology
18.PMID: 25863959 (2015) — Effect of browse plant foliage supplementation on the performance of buckling goats fed threshed sorghum top basal diet. · Tropical animal health and production
19.PMID: 27010715 (2016) — Effects of supplementation of threshed sorghum top with selected browse plant foliage on haematology and serum biochemical parameters of Red Sokoto goats. · Tropical animal health and production
20.PMID: 31350736 (2019) — In Vitro Modulation of Glibenclamide Transport by P-glycoprotein Inhibitory Antidiabetic African Plant Extracts. · Planta medica
21.PMID: 12881406 (2003) — Structure of pollen apertures in the Detarieae sensu stricto (Leguminosae: Caesalpinioideae), with particular reference to underlying structures (Zwischenkörper). · Annals of botany