Mourice Mbunde

Mr. Mbunde's master's research focused on the quantification of phenolics, flavanoids and antioxidant activity of Tamarindus indica L. from selected areas in Tanzania.

An excerpt from his current research (PhD), post-RISE:

Plants that are traditionally used in the treatment of fungal infections or related ailments could be a good source for new, safe, biodegradable and renewable antifungal drugs. [...] A number of plants used in traditional medicines are currently being investigated for the treatment of opportunistic fungal infections in HIV patients.

However, traditional medicine is not well documented in most African societies and the practice and source of information has been orally transferred, [...which] limits its reliability. Documenting the indigenous knowledge through ethnobotanical studies is important for the conservation and utilization of biological resources. Ethnobotanical surveys have been found to be one of the reliable approaches to drug discovery (Fabricant and Farnsworth, 2001). Several active compounds have been discovered from plants on the basis of ethnobotanical information and used directly as therapeutic drugs (Carney et al., 1999). The main focus of [this] study was to ascertain detailed information on the use of plants and their therapeutic practices among Hehe and Kinga tribes in southern Tanzania for further scientific applications.