The 4th edition of the African Research Workshop was held in Thessaloniki, Greece on 28th August 2022 as a hybrid pre-congress of the 70th International Congress and Annual Meeting of the Society for Medicinal Plant and Natural Product Research (GA).
The symposium was chaired by Dr. Cica vissiennon (Leipzig University), Prof. Namrita Lall (University of Pretoria) and Dr. Emelia Oppong Bekoe (University of Ghana). The pre-conference kicked off with an impulse lecture on the development of Apivirine, an antiviral phytomedicine used in clinical trials for the treatment of COVID-19 in patients without signs of severity. Findings provide scientific evidence that apivirine can contribute to remission in patients with covid without severe symptoms. This impulse lecture was followed by a series of six shorts lectures which provided the audience with a wide range of scientific studies on African medicinal plants (South African, Guinean, Ghanaian, Angolan etc.), which enriched the session. During this session, awareness was raised on the importance of properly documenting popular medicinal plants, through their botanical description, their use, quality control and especially the provision of scientific evidence of their effect. Then, a series of five virtual “flash talks” revealed the research outcomes of young African scientists. The session was concluded after future perspectives for the African Research Network were discussed.
