2013 IESS - DNA Barcoding as a Tool for Sustainable Harvesting of Medicinal Plants Used in the Treatment of Diarrhoea and Male Sexual Weakness in Ghana.
As the safety of herbal medicine depends on the ability to correctly identify the plants used in their preparation, this study sought to use DNA barcoding as (i) an identification tool in the authentication of herbal medicines and (ii) their sustainable management in southern Ghana. Silica-dried leaves samples from thirty seven different medicinal tree species covering 24 families, used in the treatment of diarrhoea and male sexual weakness from three different conservation areas: Ankasa, Bia and Kakum, were sequenced at the rbcL gene region.