Akuammine

Akuammine, an indole alkaloid also known as vincamajoridine, is the most abundant active alkaloid found in the seeds from the tree Picralima nitida, commonly known as Akuamma.

The dried seeds from this plant are used in traditional medicine throughout West Africa, particularly in Ghana as well as in the Ivory Coast and Nigeria. The seeds are crushed or powdered and taken orally, and are mainly used for the treatment of malaria and diarrhoea, and as a painkiller. An enterprising Ghanaian hospital started manufacturing standardised 250 mg capsules of the powdered P. nitida seed, and sold them around the country where they became widely accepted as a safe and effective pain relief product. This then led researchers to try to discover the active component of the seeds.