The World Health Organization estimates 800,000 people die of malaria each year, most of them young children in Africa.
A new book by scientists at the World Agroforestry Centre, "Common Antimalarial Trees and Shrubs of East Africa," identifies 22 tree and shrub species that traditional healers in East Africa use to fight the disease.
But, the researchers say, they are being cut down for cooking fuel and other uses and could disappear before scientists have a chance to study them.
Herbal medicine
A new book by scientists at the World Agroforestry Centre, "Common Antimalarial Trees and Shrubs of East Africa," identifies 22 tree and shrub species that traditional healers in East Africa use to fight the disease.
But, the researchers say, they are being cut down for cooking fuel and other uses and could disappear before scientists have a chance to study them.
Herbal medicine
A person suffering from malaria in East Africa is likely to visit a local herbalist for treatment. Lead author Najma Dharani at the World Agroforestry Center in Kenya says the traditional healer may recommend the patient take a few grams of a plant known locally as knobwood.
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