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The use of plants for therapeutic purposes is an ancestral practice that dates back to the earliest times in the history of mankind. Even today the exploitation of plants for medicinal purposes plays a big role for the communities, especially in Africa, despite advances in modern medicine. According to the World Health Organization, about 80% of the population in developing countries use plants for their primary health care. In Niger, the use of medicinal plants is a foundation of traditional medicine across all ages. It remains a very common practice, especially in rural areas. This practice concerns all ages of life, including mother–child care. In infants and young children, mothers use plants as fortifiers for their prophylactic or curative powers, or to facilitate growth and weight gain, and also to fight major causes of infant morbidity and mortality. Mothers also use medicinal plants for their galactogenic power to stimulate lactation. This is even more important in rural areas where breastfeeding is the main source of infant nutrition. Over the years, these medicinal plants have been the subject of chemical and biological investigations to back up their therapeutic potential and virtues. This study aims to summarize current knowledge on the most commonly used medicinal plants in Niger in mother–child care. This helps emphasize the validation of ancestral medicinal plants through the scientific evaluation of the bioactive components and mechanisms. Elements of sustainability are discussed in future developments. Full article

The decontamination of polluted soils is a major socioeconomic issue in many industrialized countries. In situ remediation approaches are nowadays preferred to ex situ techniques, but they require among others the use of bioindicators, which are sensitive to the progressive depollution on health effects. Animal species have been mainly used so far to monitor aquatic and air pollution. Current research focuses on the development of living indicators of soil pollution. In this study, the garden snail Helix aspersa maxima was acutely exposed to cadmium, one major soil contaminant causing severe health effects, including nephrotoxicity. Kidney and hemolymph were sampled and analyzed by a ¹H-NMR-based metabonomic approach. Shortly after Cd exposure, numerous metabolic changes occurred in the hemolymph and kidney extracts. Altogether, they were indicative of a switch in energy sources from the Krebs cycle towards b-oxidation and the utilization of stored galactogen polysaccharides. Then, the activation of antioxidant defenses in the renal cells was suggested by the alteration in some precursors of glutathione synthesis, such as glutamate, and by the release of the antioxidant anserin. Cell membrane damage was evidenced by the increased levels of some osmolytes, betaine and putrescine, as well as by a membrane repair mechanism involving choline. Finally, the development of metabolic acidosis was suggested by the elevation in 3-HMG in the hemolymph, and the more pronounced lysine levels were consistent with acute excretion troubles. Cd-induced renal damage was objectified by the increased level of riboflavin, a recognized biomarker of nephrotoxicity. Full article