The flesh and seeds of African mango trees are the main components that people consume. Gastrointestinal distress and dysentery are two common ailments for which traditional medicine practitioners use the bark of this tree. The African mango tree's bark also has a long history of use as a pain reliever, most often in a poultice applied externally. In some areas of Africa, people also use the bark as a toothache remedy. Consult your physician before you use this alternative remedy for arthritis pain.
African Mango Tree Facts
The African Mango Tree species, Irvingia gabonensis, grows throughout Central and West Africa. The tree's name varies by region. Bush mango is a common name for the tree and the edible fruit that it produces. Dika is a name that refers to the edible seed of the fruit and the tree.
Traditional Medicine Uses
With little scientific documentation, anecdotal evidence is the foundation of African folk medicine uses for African mango bark to relieve pain. A 2004 literature review and study of the economic potential of the African mango tree conducted for the U.S. Agency for International Development contains data about traditional medicine uses for the bark. This study notes that ethnobotanists have reported that the Mende tribe in Sierre Leone mixed the ground bark of the tree's stems with water to make a topical pain relief paste. Beyond a brief mention of this practice, no written information is available about the proportion of water to bark or the procedure for applying the paste.
Research
A single research study on mice produced evidence that the bark of the Africa mango tree appears to have analgesic properties. The 1995 research, published in the "Journal of Ethnopharmacology," compared the effect of African mango bark extracts to morphine and metamizole sodium for relieving pain from heat and pressure. This study used ethanol and water extracts from the bark of tree stems. The water extract was comparable to morphine for pain relief in the heat test, and the ethanol extract was less effective. Both extracts provided pain relief similar to morphine and metamizole sodium in the pressure test. As of 2012, no additional research has replicated these findings. No human studies on the pain relief potential of African mango tree bark have appeared in peer-reviewed scientific journals.
African Mango for Arthritis Treatment
The use of analgesics to relieve arthritis pain is a common strategy. Treatments range from topical creams and ointments to oral analgesics, such as ibuprofen, acetaminophen and prescription medications. Each of these options has the disadvantage of requiring repeated application because they provide temporary pain relief only. The limited research on the pain-relieving characteristics of African mango bark has not produced any reliable scientific support for this use of African mango or any information about possible side effects of topical application.
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