Anogeissus leiocarpus Bark Extract for skin

Anogeissus leiocarpus is a tree that is native to the West African savannah. The locals would turn the bark into a salve and then apply it to wounds to speed up the healing process and prevent infections. They would also use it as a chewing stick.

• Anthelmintic activity (it can destroy parasitic worms): an in-vitro research showed that the leaf extracts of Anogeissus leiocarpus reduced the number of worms from the gastrointestinal tract of sheep when treated with 400mg/kg of the extract for three days.

• Antimicrobial activity: anogeissus leiocarpus also has antimicrobial and antifungal properties that can help with Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Candida albicans (different types of bacteria).

• Leishmanicidal activity (a parasitic disease): in an in-vitro study anogeissus leiocarpus also showed the best leishmanicidal activity followed by flavogallonic acid.

• Antiplasmodial activity (is effective against Apicomplexan parasites in the genus Plasmodium): the dichloroethane extract of Anogeissus leiocarpus leaves had really high antiplasmodial activity. The methanol extract from the leaves and roots of the plant was effective against malaria in an in-vitro model.

• Antioxidant and hepatoprotective activities: The leaves of Anogeissus leiocarpus are rich in tannin and they contain ellagic, gallic, and gentisic acids, derivatives of gallic and ellagic acids, and other flavonoids that are very useful for dyeing.

• The extracts of Anogeissus leiocarpus showed the presence of alkaloids, glycosides, phenols, steroids, tannins, anthraquinones, saponins, and flavonoids.

• In a similar study, alkaloids, tannins, saponins, flavonoids, and glycosides were found to be present in ethanol and aqueous stem bark extracts of Anogeissus leiocarpus while tannins and flavonoids were not present in the chloroform extract of the plant.

• Trypanocidal activity (effective in killing trypanosomes (a parasite)): anogeissus leiocarps only showed a little trypanocidal activity.

• Toxicological activity: oral intake of anogeissus leiocarpus has shown to be safe and there was no detection of toxicity.

Anogeissus leiocarpus should be suitable for all skin types, including sensitive skin and skin of colour. It is also used in many cosmetics because of its anti-aging properties.