The root bark of the pincushion tree, Nauclealatifolia, has been shown by a team of researchers led by Michel De Waard, Inserm Research Director at the Grenoble Institute of Neurosciences (Inserm, University Joseph Fourier, CNRS) to have antipyretic and analgesic properties.
The root of the pincushion tree has been used in West Africa as a medicinal plant for fever, pain, diarrhoea and even for treatment of malaria.
This recent research has identified that the plant “produces large quantities of molecules with analgesic properties. Analysis shows that the molecule is identical to Tramadol, a wholly synthetic medication that is used world-wide as a painkiller. According to the research team, this is the first time ever that a synthetic medication produced by the pharmaceutical industry has been discovered in strong concentrations in a natural source”.
The WHO warned against the overoptimistic acceptance of these results, saying: “No medication is without risks and they all have potentially harmful side effects. It is impossible to predict with any certainty the effects of treatment by any medication. All medication products have both beneficial effects, but also a risk of being harmful. We can reduce this risk as far as possible by ensuring that the prescribed medication is of the correct quality, is safe, efficient, administered to the people who need it, at the right doses and at the right times.”
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