Among 12 medicinal plants used by the Venda people against venereal and related diseases, Adansonia digitata bark showed the best anti-inflammatory activity in both COX-1 and -2 assays at 250 μg/ml and non-mutagenic towards Salmonella typhimurium strain TA98.
Mulaudzi 2013
Scientific Name:
Adansonia digitata
Family Name:
Malvaceae
Common Name:
baobab
Evidence for Efficacy (Human Data)
Evidence of Activity
Other Information
Safety Data
Formulas/Blends
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Evidence of Activity
Pharmacodynamics
A polar extract of Adansonia digitata fibers, but not the non-polar extract or either extracts of the fruit powder, suppressed the proliferation of colon and breast cancer cells, but not that of two ovarian cancer cell lines, in vitro.
El-Masry 2021
Investigated the mechanisms of action associated with the metabolic benefits of extracts from baobab (Adansonia digitata), including fruit pulp, leaves, raw and toasted seeds. Fruit pulp and leaf extracts did not affect triglyceride accumulation in maturing SW-872 human liposarcoma cells.
Cicolari 2020
Secondary metabolites from Adansonia digitata stem bark extract, quercitin and apigenin, inhibited the formation of ß-hematin, a malaria-associated protein, during in silico docking studies. Other compounds in the A. digitata extract showed significant binding energy.
Adeoye 2019
Adansonia digitata seed extract demonstrated in vitro depigmenting activity in reconstructed human pigmented epidermis, a co-culture of keratinocytes and melanocytes, comparable to kojic acid. No cytotoxicity was observed.
Zeitoun 2019
Real-time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis showed that arabinogalactan proteins (AGP) derived from Adansonia digitata seeds induced a substantial overexpression of hBD-2, TLR-5, and IL1-α genes, in vitro.
Zahid 2017
Extracted and purified arabinogalactan proteins from baobab and Acacia seeds influenced innate immunity of human keratinocytes (HaCaT cell line) in vitro.
Zahid 2016
Adansonia digitata (fruit) had highest antioxidant capacity (IC₅₀ of 8.15 μg/mL & 9.16 μg/mL in DPPH & ABTS assays respectively) among 14 ethnomedicinally used African spices & culinary herbs studied for 15-lipoxygenase inhibitory, antioxidant, antimycobacterial activity & cytotoxicity.
Dzoyem 2015
Baobab (A. digitata) fruit extract (BFE) added to white bread samples at 1.88 % significantly reduced rapidly digestible starch. BFE consumed in solution at both low & high doses reduced glycemic response to white bread, but had no significant effect on satiety or on energy expenditure in humans.
Coe 2013
Methanol extract of Adansonia digitata L. leaf inhibits anti-inflammatory iNOS expression, which might be related to the elimination of peroxyl radicals and thus the inhibition of IκBα-mediated NF-κB signal transduction.
Ayele 2013
The in vitro antibacterial activities of methanol extracts of 7 Cameroonian dietary plants including Adansonia digitata, showed that the studied extracts displayed antibacterial activities with MIC values ranged from 64 to 1024 μg/mL on the majority of the 27 tested microbial strains.
Seukep 2013
A study revealed the presence of triterpenoids and saponins in A. digitata and preliminary study indicated that A. digitata showed larvicidal and repellent activities against An. stephensi and could be used for controlling mosquitoes.
Krishnappa 2012
Among 12 medicinal plants used by the Venda people to treat venereal diseases, almost all plant species investigated contained phenolic compounds, which were greater than 5mg/g with exception of Adansonia digitata bark & Aloe chabaudii roots which exhibited low levels of antimicrobial activities.
Mulaudzi 2011
Among 126 extracts from 17 Ayurvedic medicinal plants with known hypoglycemic properties including Adansonia digitata, 17 extracts exhibited porcine pancreatic α-amylase inhibitory potential to varying degrees. Four extracts showed low inhibition; 3 isopropanol extracts showed strong inhibition.
P 2011
Among 19 medicinal plants of Togo, analysed for antiviral & antibiotic activity, methanol extracts of A. digitata (the most potent), Conyza aegyptiaca & Palisota hirsuta, were active against all three test viruses (herpes simplex, Sindbis & poliovirus). Another seven species were more selective.
Anani 2000
Studies of antiviral activities of 10 species of Togolese plants, shows the dominant activity in all cases was virucidal, although Adansonia digitata extracts also had intracellular antiviral activities. These extracts contained antiviral photosensitizers & the root-bark & leaf extracts were potent.
Hudson2000
Psychotria hawaiiensis & Solanum niger inhibited growth of the fungi Microsporum canis, Trichophyton rubrum and Epidermophyton floccosum, while 7 extracts including Adansonia digitata showed anti-fungal activity to a lesser extent.
Locher 1995
A review of phytochemical substances & the antimicrobial activity of 43 species used by the Diola against infectious disease indicated that the use of 10 plants, including A. digitata, could be explained by pharmacologically active principles. [Article in French]
Le Grand 1989
Antisickling activity of Adansonia digitata. [No abstract]
Adesanya 1988
History of Record
ORIGINAL RESEARCH BY: Dr J Mohanasundaram, MD, PhD
March 2016
MAJOR REVISION BY: Eli Scheinman, MES
January 2018
LATEST UPDATES BY: Antonia Kaz
February 2023