← The ApothecaryRubiaceaeleaves, stem bark, rootsFact-checked 24 October 2026

False abura

Mitragyna inermis

Also calledAglal (Hassaniya, Mauritania) · Koyli (Pulaar) · Hos (Wolof) · Khilé (Soninke) · Yeblig (Talensi, Ghana)

A small, bushy West African tree that grows near water, used by healers from Mauritania to Ghana for liver complaints, malaria, epilepsy, diabetes and childbirth. All evidence so far comes from lab and animal studies; no human trials or human safety data were found.

What it is used for

Malaria
Limited
Used for malaria in Mauritania. Methanol and ethanol–water extracts of stem bark and twigs were highly active against drug-sensitive and multidrug-resistant Plasmodium falciparum in the lab; ellagic acid was the active compound isolated (IC50 0.84–1.62 µg/ml). No animal or human efficacy data were found.^2,3
Epilepsy and seizures
Limited
Leaf and seed decoctions are used for epilepsy in Mauritania. Stem-bark and leaf extracts delayed tonic seizures induced by pentylenetetrazol in mice; oxindole alkaloids (pteropodine, isopteropodine, mitraphylline, corynoxeine) were isolated.^3,5
Blood sugar and diabetes
Limited
Herbalists in Burkina Faso use it for diabetes and hypertension. Leaf, stem and root fractions inhibited formation of advanced glycation end-products in a test-tube model; earlier in vivo antidiabetic effects are reported in the literature but no human trials were found.⁶
Intestinal worms
Limited
Leaves are widely used in West African veterinary medicine against stomach worms of sheep and goats; the authors of a lab study measured anthelmintic activity of leaf extracts. No human data.⁸
Liver health
Traditional
One of the plants most often included in multi-plant recipes by traditional healers in Burkina Faso for liver disease, chiefly the leaves and roots.⁴
Childbirth and labour
Traditional
Talensi healers in northern Ghana boil the root, stem or leaves to aid delivery and give strength to pregnant women; in Mauritania leaf decoctions are used for complications after childbirth.^3,7

How it is prepared

decoction

Leaves, roots or stems boiled in water and drunk; in Burkina Faso usually combined with other plants. No attributed doses were found.

Liver health · Childbirth and labour

Amounts are as recorded by the named source, not a recommendation.

Safety

Pregnancy: Insufficient data
Breastfeeding: Insufficient data

Toxicity

No human safety studies were found. Extract fractions showed no toxicity to mouse fibroblast cells up to 500 µg/ml in the lab. Its traditional use around childbirth has not been studied for safety.

In the healing traditions

African traditional medicine
Aglal / Koyli / Hos (Mauritania)
Leaves for complications of the puerperium, constipation and rheumatism; leaves and seeds for malaria and epilepsy; leaf decoction for syphilis.
African traditional medicine
Yeblig (Talensi, Ghana)
Root, stem and leaves boiled and drunk for swollen legs, waist pain, to improve appetite and aid delivery, and as an additive in fracture treatment; ground root as a paste applied to the skin.
African traditional medicine
Mitragyna inermis (Burkina Faso)
Leaves and roots in healers' multi-plant recipes for liver disease; used by herbalists for diabetes and hypertension.

Active compounds

pteropodine, isopteropodine, mitraphylline, corynoxeine: oxindole alkaloids isolated from the plant; proposed contributors to anticonvulsant activity in mice
ellagic acid: the compound most active against P. falciparum in the lab
quinovic acid glycosides, sweroside: isolated from roots; did not themselves inhibit glycation

History

Ethnobotanical surveys from Senegal to Cameroon record M. inermis, which often grows in pure stands near water. A 2020 countrywide survey of traditional healers in Burkina Faso listed it among the plants most often used in liver-disease recipes.

Sources

Reference, not prescription. Nothing here is medical advice. Herbs can interact with medicines and be dangerous in pregnancy; tell your doctor or pharmacist about anything you take.