Throughout human history, plant resources have been used as food, construction materials, traditional medicines, fodder, and various cultural applications. Artabotrys brachypetalus is widely used as a source of fibre and timber, and is suitable for a wide range of purposes where durability, strength, stability, and a good appearance are desired. In Zimbabwe, the wood of A. brachypetalus is used to make music instruments and household utensils (Grundy et al. 1993; Tan & Wiart 2014). In the Limpopo province in South Africa, A. brachypetalus is regarded as a source of strong fibre used for construction (Mabogo 1990). In Mozambique and South Africa, A. brachypetalus is harvested from the wild as a source of firewood (Kityo 2004; Leshabana & Tshisikhawe 2019; Mokganya 2019). Although A. brachypetalus is considered as a species of conservation concern in rural Mozambique (Bruschi et al. 2014), the taxon does not seem to be in immediate danger in other countries where it is widespread, recorded in a wide range of habitats, and characterised by a large population size (Raimondo et al. 2009). But from a sustainability perspective, there is a need to preserve the genetic diversity of A. brachypetalus and monitor its population given the continuing habitat decline and fragmented species population in Mozambique.

In traditional medicine, the different parts of A. brachypetalus have medicinal value and are also used for ritual and magical purposes (Table 1 and Table 2). The medicinal use categories include the use of the species against human and animal ailments and diseases (Tables 1). The medicinal uses of A. brachypetalus have been recorded in five countries (Figure 2), representing 55.6% of the countries where A. brachypetalus is indigenous. Most of the ethnobotanical data on medicinal applications of A. brachypetalus have been reported in Mozambique and South Africa (Figure 2). The rural, peri-urban, and marginalised areas of Mozambique heavily rely on medicinal plants for their primary healthcare needs (Barbosa et al. 2020; Bruschi et al. 2011; Sitoe & Van Wyk 2024), using about 10.0% of the total country flora, that is, 550 species as a source of traditional medicines (Bandeira, Gaspar & Pagula 2001). Similarly, at least 4000 species of southern Africa’s total flora of about 30 000 species are used as sources of traditional medicines (Van Wyk & Gericke 2018). In South Africa, traditional medicines are an important aspect of the daily lives of several people in the country and an important part of their cultural heritage (Van Wyk, Oudshoorn & Gericke 2013).

In southern Africa, the indigenous people and rural households consume the fruits of A. brachypetalus as a source of daily calorie intake in Mozambique (Palmer & Pitman 1972; Schmidt et al. 2017), South Africa (Bruschi et al. 2014; Mabogo 1990; Magwede, VanWyk & Van Wyk 2019; Mokganya 2019; Mokganya et al. 2018; Nemapare, Gadaga & Mugadza 2023; Welcome & Van Wyk 2019) and Zimbabwe (Peters, O’Brien & Drummond 1992). The fruits of A. brachypetalus are regarded as pleasant-tasting and widely used as a fruit snack in Mozambique, and as part of the local recipe used to make an intoxicating drink (Palmer & Pitman 1972; Schmidt et al. 2017). In the Limpopo province in South Africa, the roots of A. brachypetalus are used as infant food (Mabogo 1990). Similarly, in Mozambique, roots of A. brachypetalus are mixed with those of Celosia spp., F. platyphylla, M. africana, and S. petersiana and are believed to improve the health of babies (Krog et al. 2006). Utilisation of the leaves and twigs among local communities has not been explicitly highlighted in the literature, but A. brachypetalus is reported to be used as fodder for goats in Mozambique (Marble 2012; Tan & Wiart 2014).

The roots of A. brachypetalus are used in different combinations with other medicinal plants in Mozambique and South Africa to treat diabetes (Amoo, Mudau & Olowoyo 2022; Mudau et al. 2022), impotence (Arnold & Gulumian 1984; Mabogo 1990; Tan & Wiart 2014; Tajuddeen et al. 2021), infertility (Arnold & Gulumian 1984; Mabogo 1990; Maroyi 2020; Tan & Wiart 2014), postnatal (Krog et al. 2006), and as panacea (Sitoe & Van Wyk 2024; Tajuddeen et al. 2021). The use of medicinal plant combinations to treat various ailments or diseases has been practiced for centuries (Ramulondi, De Wet & Van Vuuren 2019) in the belief that the efficacy of such herbal concoctions may be enhanced (Van Vuuren & Viljoen 2011). Artabotrys brachypetalus is widely used in combination with other medicinal species such as Antidesma venosum E.Mey. ex Tul., Capparis tomentosa Lam., Cassytha filiformis L., Cissampelos hirta Klotzsch, Dichrostachys cinerea (L.) Wight & Arn. subsp. africana Brenan & Brummitt, Erythrina lysistemon Hutch., F. platyphylla Delile, F. virosa (Roxb. ex Willd.) Royle, Garcinia livingstonei T. Anderson, M. africana (Bureau) Corner, Maerua cafra (DC.) Pax, Osyris lanceolata Hochst. & Steud., Ozoroa obovata (Oliv.) R. & A. Fern. var. obovata, Phyllogeiton discolor (Klotzsch) Herzog, Securidaca longipedunculata Fresen., S. petersiana (Bolle) Lock, Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench, Sphedamnocarpus pruriens (A.Juss.) Szyszył subsp. galphimiifolius (A.Juss.) P.D.De Villiers & D.J.Botha, Tabernaemontana elegans Stapf, Ximenia caffra Sond., Zantedeschia aethiopica (L.) Spreng., and Zanthoxylum humile (E.A.Bruce) P.G.Waterman (Table 2).

Analyses of the nutritional value of A. brachypetalus (Table 3) show that the fruits are a better source of energy, minerals such as copper, calcium, iron, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, sodium, zinc, and some classic nutrients such as fats, carbohydrates, fibre, and protein as compared to a commercial fruit crop, mango, Mangifera indica L. Furthermore, A. brachypetalus has been reported to contain alkaloids, cyclohexane carboxylic acid, dicarboxylic acid, fatty acids, flavonoids, phenolics, sesquiterpenes, and sugars (Table 4). Some of these bioactive compounds or ingredients have been shown to be effective in some various mixtures or on their own. Perhaps more research is required as some of these bioactive compounds may be responsible for the pharmacological activities demonstrated by the species, which include antifungal, antidiabetic, antiplasmodial, and larvicidal activities.

Odebode et al. (2006) assessed the antifungal activities of the phytochemical compound schefflone, a mixture of acetogenin and 3,5-dimethoxy carvacrol isolated from the roots and stem bark of A. brachypetalus against Fusarium solani, Botryodiplodia theobromae, Aspergillus flavus, and Aspergillus niger using an in vitro bioassay. The compound showed activities against all tested pathogens with the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of 200.0 ppm and 250.0 ppm in mycelia dry weight and radial growth measurements, respectively. Recently, Siqueira (2022) assessed the antifungal activities of hexane, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, n-butanol and hydromethanol of A. brachypetalus leaves, roots, and twigs against Candida albicans, Candida krusei, Candida glabrata, Candida parapsilosis, and Candida tropicalis using microdilution assay with amphotericin B as positive control. The dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, n-butanol, and hydromethanol of the roots exhibited activities against C. albicans, C. tropicalis, and C. glabrata with MIC and minimum fungicide concentrations (MFC) ranging from 23.43 µg/mL to 1500.00 µg/mL.

Clarkson et al. (2004) assessed the antiplasmodial activities of dichloromethane and methanol (1:1) and aqueous extracts of A. brachypetalus twigs and leaves against Plasmodium falciparum using parasite lactate dehydrogenase (pLDH) assay. Both aqueous and dichloromethane and methanol (1:1) extracts exhibited weak activities with half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) values >100.0 µg/mL (Clarkson et al. 2004). Similarly, Maharaj et al. (2006) evaluated the larvicidal activities of aqueous, methanol, dichloromethane, dichloromethane, and methanol (1:1) extracts of A. brachypetalus leaves against the third instar larvae of Anopheles arabiensis using Temephos (Mostop; Agrivo) as a positive control. The extract showed weak activities against Anopheles arabiensis showing mortality between 20.0% and 39.0%, demonstrating limited toxicity (Maharaj et al. 2006). Amoo et al. (2022) assessed the antidiabetic activities of acetone and petroleum ether extracts of A. brachypetalus roots and leaves using an α-glucosidase assay with acarbose as the positive control. The petroleum ether extracts of both the leaves and roots exhibited α-glucosidase inhibitory activities with IC₅₀ values of 14.0 µg/mL and 30.0 µg/mL, respectively, which were much lower than IC₅₀ value of 980.0 µg/mL exhibited by the positive control (Amoo et al. 2022), suggesting some antidiabetic potential. These reported biological activities are considered preliminary as rationale for using A. brachypetalus against abdominal pains, antenatal and postnatal, antidote, aphrodisiac, bilharzia, convulsions, headache, helminthiasis, impotence and infertility therefore remains unknown. Thus, the phytochemical compounds isolated from A. brachypetalus and the crude extracts should be subjected to detailed ethnopharmacological and toxicological studies aimed at correlating the medicinal uses of the species with its pharmacological and phytochemical properties.