Natural products Bioactivity Analysis of the Tanzanian Herbal Extracts Derived from the Shrub Myrica salicifolia

Traditional medicines, derived from indigenous plants, play importance roles in many developing nations, providing affordable, accessible and culturally acceptable medicinal approaches. In Tanzania, extracts of Myrica salicifolia are widely used for the treatment of infection relating to multiple conditions, yet our understanding of the molecular activities of these extracts are limited. The project will provide cross disciplinary research, with Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, providing natural products chemistry analysis of M. salcifolia extracts, and Royal Holloway providing cell and molecular biology analysis to define bioactive component mechanism. The project will thus provide the first insight to molecular effects of this extract.