In malarial endemic countries especially in the tropics, conventional
antimalarial drugs are used with herbal remedies either concurrently or
successively. Khaya grandifoliola is one of such popular herbs used in
the treatment of malaria. Various doses of ethanol extract of K.
grandifoliola stem bark (50-400 mg/kg/day) were administered orally to
Swiss albino mice infected with Plasmodium yoelii nigerense. A dose of
100 mg/kg/day of the extract was also combined with 2.5 mg/kg/day of
chloroquine or 6.25 mg/kg/day of halofantrine in both early and
established malaria infection test models. The results showed that in
the early malaria infection test, K. grandifoliola in combination with
chloroquine or halofantrine elicited enhanced antiplasmodial effect in
the established infection, there was significantly greater parasite
clearance following administration of the combination when compared to
the effects of K. grandifoliola or the conventional drugs alone. The
mean survival period of parasitized animals was also enhanced by the
extract/halofantrine combination. Lower therapeutic doses of
halofantrine may be required to potentiate parasite clearance when used
in combination with K. grandifoliola. This may constitute great
advantage to halofantrine which is associated with cardiotoxicity at
high doses