Abstract

Our world harbors a rich source of medicinal plants which are used in the treatment of a wide range of diseases. Kigelia africana popularly known as the Sausage tree, cucumber plant, Kigelia pinnata, is a multipurpose medicinal plant with many attributes and considerable potentials. Some of these include its use for treatment of gynaecological disorders, renal ailments, skin complaint, tumors and reproductive disorders in developing countries where western orthodox medicine are expensive and or inaccessible, and there is high poverty rate. Anectdoctal reports of its use in treatment of many ailments of reproductive background abound, and scientific validation of this in the last decades remains promising. Against the background of increasing male-factor related infertility and the continued search for phytomedical source for treatment, the present review highlights the reports of researchers on the potential fertility-enhancing properties of K. africana(Lam.) Benth with a view to its future development as a male sperm booster to alleviate the oligo/azoospermia associated with male infertility and also its diverse applications even in improving yield in aquaculture.

Key words: Kigelia africana, fertility-enhancing properties, reproduction.