Background and objective. Griffonia simplicifolia is a woody vine found in the secondary forests of West and Central Africa. Its seeds are an important source of 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP), a precursor of serotonin, and contain an oil rich in linoleic acid. Traditional knowledge and uses of this oil remain poorly documented. This study aims to document the ethnobotanical knowledge relating to the species in Togo, with a particular focus on the seed oil. Methods. A snowball sampling survey was conducted using a KoBoToolbox questionnaire. Of the 262 respondents, 186 knowledgeable informants (71 per cent) were selected. Negative responses were also analysed to assess the geographical distribution of knowledge. Results. A marked regional contrast was observed: 66.4 per cent of positive responses in the Maritime region compared with 4.6 per cent in the Kara region, consistent with the coastal distribution of the species described in the literature. Leaves were the most frequently cited part (76.3 per cent), ahead of seeds (29.6 per cent), pods (17.7 per cent), flowers (11.8 per cent) and bark or stem (5.9 per cent). The leaves are mainly used as livestock feed. Only 17.7 per cent of informants described oil extraction, by pressing, solvent extraction or maceration, with yields ranging from 30 to 80 per cent. The main therapeutic uses relate to nervous disorders, wounds and skin conditions. Conclusion. This study provides the first overview of ethnobotanical knowledge of Griffonia simplicifolia in Togo and highlights the limited understanding of its seed oil, justifying further research into its utilisation.
| Published in | American Journal of Life Sciences (Volume 14, Issue 5) |
| DOI | 10.11648/j.ajls.20261405.11 |
| Page(s) | 118-127 |
| Creative Commons |
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited. |
| Copyright |
Copyright © The Author(s), 2026. Published by Science Publishing Group |
Griffonia simplicifolia, 5-hydroxytryptophan, Ethnobotany, Seed Oil, Traditional Knowledge
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APA Style
Koffi, D., Koami, A., Tiatou, S., Mawabena, K., Magnoudewa, K. P., et al. (2026). Ethnobotanical Knowledge and Traditional Uses of Griffonia simplicifolia (DC.) Baill. (Fabaceae) in Togo: Focus on Seed Oil. American Journal of Life Sciences, 14(5), 118-127. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajls.20261405.11
ACS Style
Koffi, D.; Koami, A.; Tiatou, S.; Mawabena, K.; Magnoudewa, K. P., et al. Ethnobotanical Knowledge and Traditional Uses of Griffonia simplicifolia (DC.) Baill. (Fabaceae) in Togo: Focus on Seed Oil. Am. J. Life Sci. 2026, 14(5), 118-127. doi: 10.11648/j.ajls.20261405.11
AMA Style
Koffi D, Koami A, Tiatou S, Mawabena K, Magnoudewa KP, et al. Ethnobotanical Knowledge and Traditional Uses of Griffonia simplicifolia (DC.) Baill. (Fabaceae) in Togo: Focus on Seed Oil. Am J Life Sci. 2026;14(5):118-127. doi: 10.11648/j.ajls.20261405.11
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Download@article{10.11648/j.ajls.20261405.11,
author = {Dandonougbo Koffi and Ameyran Koami and Souho Tiatou and Kadanga Mawabena and Kilimou Pyalo Magnoudewa and Dandonougbo Novignon and Dandonougbo Tossavi and Melila Mamatchi},
title = {Ethnobotanical Knowledge and Traditional Uses of Griffonia simplicifolia (DC.) Baill. (Fabaceae) in Togo: Focus on Seed Oil},
journal = {American Journal of Life Sciences},
volume = {14},
number = {5},
pages = {118-127},
doi = {10.11648/j.ajls.20261405.11},
url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajls.20261405.11},
eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajls.20261405.11},
abstract = {Background and objective. Griffonia simplicifolia is a woody vine found in the secondary forests of West and Central Africa. Its seeds are an important source of 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP), a precursor of serotonin, and contain an oil rich in linoleic acid. Traditional knowledge and uses of this oil remain poorly documented. This study aims to document the ethnobotanical knowledge relating to the species in Togo, with a particular focus on the seed oil. Methods. A snowball sampling survey was conducted using a KoBoToolbox questionnaire. Of the 262 respondents, 186 knowledgeable informants (71 per cent) were selected. Negative responses were also analysed to assess the geographical distribution of knowledge. Results. A marked regional contrast was observed: 66.4 per cent of positive responses in the Maritime region compared with 4.6 per cent in the Kara region, consistent with the coastal distribution of the species described in the literature. Leaves were the most frequently cited part (76.3 per cent), ahead of seeds (29.6 per cent), pods (17.7 per cent), flowers (11.8 per cent) and bark or stem (5.9 per cent). The leaves are mainly used as livestock feed. Only 17.7 per cent of informants described oil extraction, by pressing, solvent extraction or maceration, with yields ranging from 30 to 80 per cent. The main therapeutic uses relate to nervous disorders, wounds and skin conditions. Conclusion. This study provides the first overview of ethnobotanical knowledge of Griffonia simplicifolia in Togo and highlights the limited understanding of its seed oil, justifying further research into its utilisation.},
year = {2026}
}
TY - JOUR T1 - Ethnobotanical Knowledge and Traditional Uses of Griffonia simplicifolia (DC.) Baill. (Fabaceae) in Togo: Focus on Seed Oil AU - Dandonougbo Koffi AU - Ameyran Koami AU - Souho Tiatou AU - Kadanga Mawabena AU - Kilimou Pyalo Magnoudewa AU - Dandonougbo Novignon AU - Dandonougbo Tossavi AU - Melila Mamatchi Y1 - 2026/09/20 PY - 2026 N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajls.20261405.11 DO - 10.11648/j.ajls.20261405.11 T2 - American Journal of Life Sciences JF - American Journal of Life Sciences JO - American Journal of Life Sciences SP - 118 EP - 127 PB - Science Publishing Group SN - 2328-5737 UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajls.20261405.11 AB - Background and objective. Griffonia simplicifolia is a woody vine found in the secondary forests of West and Central Africa. Its seeds are an important source of 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP), a precursor of serotonin, and contain an oil rich in linoleic acid. Traditional knowledge and uses of this oil remain poorly documented. This study aims to document the ethnobotanical knowledge relating to the species in Togo, with a particular focus on the seed oil. Methods. A snowball sampling survey was conducted using a KoBoToolbox questionnaire. Of the 262 respondents, 186 knowledgeable informants (71 per cent) were selected. Negative responses were also analysed to assess the geographical distribution of knowledge. Results. A marked regional contrast was observed: 66.4 per cent of positive responses in the Maritime region compared with 4.6 per cent in the Kara region, consistent with the coastal distribution of the species described in the literature. Leaves were the most frequently cited part (76.3 per cent), ahead of seeds (29.6 per cent), pods (17.7 per cent), flowers (11.8 per cent) and bark or stem (5.9 per cent). The leaves are mainly used as livestock feed. Only 17.7 per cent of informants described oil extraction, by pressing, solvent extraction or maceration, with yields ranging from 30 to 80 per cent. The main therapeutic uses relate to nervous disorders, wounds and skin conditions. Conclusion. This study provides the first overview of ethnobotanical knowledge of Griffonia simplicifolia in Togo and highlights the limited understanding of its seed oil, justifying further research into its utilisation. VL - 14 IS - 5 ER -
Department of Life and Earth Sciences, University of Kara, Kara, Togo
Department of Biochemistry, University of Lomé, Lomé, Togo
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