Aims and Scope
African Journal of Sciences and Traditional Medicine publishes peer-reviewed research on the scientific study, validation, documentation, and responsible application of traditional medicine within broader health and life science contexts. The journal welcomes rigorous laboratory, clinical, ethnobotanical, pharmacological, public health, and interdisciplinary studies that examine traditional medical knowledge, medicinal resources, therapeutic potential, safety, quality, and policy relevance with appropriate ethical and cultural sensitivity.
Science Traditional Medicine Ethnobotany Safety & Quality Ethics & Heritage
Aims
Advance Scientific Understanding of Traditional Medicine
Publish robust studies that examine traditional medical knowledge, medicinal plants, natural products, and therapeutic practices through appropriate scientific methods.
Promote Safety, Quality, and Evidence-Based Use
Support research on efficacy, dosage, toxicity, standardization, quality control, and responsible integration into health practice and policy.
Preserve and Critically Document Indigenous Knowledge
Encourage ethically conducted scholarship that documents, contextualizes, and critically engages traditional healing systems and community-based knowledge.
Strengthen Interdisciplinary Health Research
Welcome studies linking pharmacology, botany, biochemistry, public health, anthropology, and clinical science in relation to traditional medicine.
Authors are encouraged to report source identification, preparation procedures, study design, analytical methods, safety considerations, ethical approval, and community or cultural permissions where relevant.
Scope
The journal considers original research, laboratory and field studies, ethnobotanical documentation, phytochemical and pharmacological investigations, formulation and standardization studies, public health analyses, methodological papers, and systematic or scoping reviews related to sciences and traditional medicine. Submissions should demonstrate scientific rigor, culturally respectful scholarship, transparent methods, and appropriate ethical compliance.
1) Ethnobotany and Indigenous Medical Knowledge
Documentation and analysis of medicinal plants, healing traditions, ethnomedical practices, and knowledge systems within their cultural and ecological contexts.
2) Pharmacognosy, Phytochemistry, and Natural Products
Isolation, characterization, profiling, and standardization of bioactive compounds from medicinal plants and other natural sources.
3) Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Safety Evaluation
In vitro, in vivo, and other scientifically appropriate studies on efficacy, mechanism of action, toxicity, dosage, and safety assessment.
4) Traditional Medicine Formulation and Quality Control
Extraction methods, formulation studies, preservation, quality assurance, authentication, and stability analyses.
5) Clinical, Community, and Public Health Dimensions
Community use, health-seeking behavior, integration into primary care, epidemiological relevance, and policy issues surrounding traditional medicine.
6) Biodiversity, Conservation, and Sustainable Use
Medicinal plant conservation, sustainable harvesting, ecological assessment, and resource management related to traditional medicine.
7) Regulation, Ethics, and Knowledge Governance
Intellectual property, benefit sharing, cultural heritage, ethical research practice, and governance of traditional medical knowledge.
8) Reviews and Integrative Scientific Assessments
Evidence syntheses, methodological reviews, and interdisciplinary analyses that critically evaluate traditional medicine research.
Types of Manuscripts Considered
The journal considers, among others: original research articles, laboratory investigations, ethnobotanical field studies, phytochemical and pharmacological papers, formulation and quality-control studies, public health and policy analyses, technical notes, conceptual papers, and systematic or scoping reviews with transparent procedures. Submissions must demonstrate scientific rigor, appropriate ethics, and careful interpretation of traditional knowledge and health claims.
African Journal of Sciences and Traditional Medicine supports scientifically rigorous, culturally respectful, and internationally relevant scholarship that advances traditional medicine research, safety, and evidence-informed health understanding.