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The Fabaceae family, commonly referred to as the legume, bean, or pea family, is a captivating subject of study, primarily due to its significant ethnopharmacological value. It is recognised as the second‐largest plant family in terms of species richness among flowering plants []. Fabaceae exhibits a wide geographical distribution across various ecological habitats, following the Poaceae family. This family is essential for maintaining ecological balance, supporting agricultural practices, and sustaining the livelihoods of numerous communities []. In Tanzania, medicinal plants (MPs) from the Fabaceae family play a vital role due to their nitrogen‐fixing capabilities, which enhance soil fertility and provide food sources, timber, and medicinal benefits. The country′s unique climatic and geographical conditions nurture a variety of leguminous plants, creating distinct ecological niches that support diverse species []. Recent morphological and molecular studies have further confirmed that this family is monophyletic. Comprising trees, shrubs, herbs, climbers and aquatic species, its diversity contributes to its remarkable nature [, ].

The Fabaceae family includes many species of significant traditional and economic importance worldwide. These plants serve as sources of traditional medicines, timber, food, fodder, ornamental plants, dyes, fibres, fuels, gums and insecticides []. Research reviews from various countries have highlighted the crucial role that Fabaceae species play in providing ecosystem services and resources vital for human well‐being and survival [, ]. Numerous members of this family have been the focus of extensive studies regarding their bioactive chemical constituents, including phenolic acids, flavonoids, lectins, saponins, alkaloids and carotenoids. Pharmacological investigations have shown that certain species display potent anticancer, antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti‐inflammatory, analgesic, antiulcer, antidiabetic, antirheumatic, cytotoxic and antiparasitic properties [, ]. Consequently, comprehensive phytochemical and pharmacological evaluations of these valuable Fabaceae species may pave the way for the discovery and development of novel pharmaceutical products, functional food ingredients, and cosmetic applications []. Despite the identification of various secondary metabolites within the Fabaceae family, it has received relatively little attention in ethnopharmacological research.

This study was conducted to systematically investigate and document the ethnomedicinal knowledge associated with Fabaceae species in Tanzania. The synthesis reveals gaps in understanding the therapeutic potential of these legumes and highlights important areas within ethnopharmacological research that require further exploration. The implications of this research are profound, as it may uncover new medicinal applications and facilitate the development of innovative pharmaceutical products, thus advancing the field and enhancing human health outcomes. This emphasises the study′s critical significance and its contributions to the discipline of ethnopharmacology.

A comprehensive literature search on MPs of the Fabaceae family used as TMs in Tanzania was conducted between August 2023 and October 2024. Data were obtained from online databases, including Google Scholar, Web of Science, BioMed Central, PubMed, SpringerLink, Science Direct, Scielo, Scopus, African Journals Online (AJOL) and JSTOR. Books, book chapters, scientific reports, theses, and dissertations were also retrieved from the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) libraries. Terms and keywords such as Tanzania, MPs, traditional medicine, ethnomedicine, ethnobotany, indigenous, ethnopharmacology, phytomedicine, medicinal Fabaceae and medicinal Leguminosae were used to identify relevant articles, as shown in the PRISMA flowchart (Figure ). This rigorous and systematic approach ensures the reliability and validity of the findings, instilling confidence in the research process and its outcomes while providing a solid foundation for future studies.

The review included both published and unpublished ethnobotanical studies reporting on MPs in Tanzania. Only original research articles written in English were considered. From each study, information was extracted on the scientific names of the MPs, their growth forms, the plant parts used, and ailments treated. Botanical nomenclature was verified, and missing details such as growth habits and life forms were supplemented using the Plant of the World Online database ( https://powo.science.kew.org/ ).

Review studies and those lacking essential ethnobotanical information, such as scientific names, plant parts used, routes of administration or study locations were excluded from the analysis. Likewise, research focusing solely on livestock, publications with restricted access, abstracts without full texts, non–open‐access sources, studies conducted outside Tanzania and articles not published in English were excluded.

Descriptive statistical methods were employed to analyse and summarise the obtained data. The results are presented as percentages and frequencies and are therefore depicted in tables, bar charts and pie charts.

This review Ps from the Fabaceae family that are habitually used for managing and treating various human ailments in Tanzania (see Table ). Among these, 86.5% (84 species) are native, whereas 13.5% (12 species) are exotic, found in the wild or cultivated ecosystems for food, forage, and ornamental purposes. A similar ethnobotanical investigation conducted in Zimbabwe revealed that 101 species from the Fabaceae family are utilised for medicinal purposes []. Likewise, research by Van Wyk et al. [] discovered that 19.3% (338 species) of the 1748 Fabaceae members serve as herbal remedies in Southern Africa. Comparable results have been reported among Thailand′s marginalised Karen ethnic group, where 37.9% (261) of the 688 Fabaceae species are employed for medicinal uses []. The importance of the family in traditional pharmacopoeias worldwide may be attributed to the widespread distribution of its members, which thrive in diverse habitats and climates, ensuring their availability throughout all seasons [, ].

Vachellia has the highest number of MPs (nine species), followed by Albizia (eight species), Senegalia and Indigofera (each with seven species), Senna (six species), Tephrosia (four species), and Dalbergia and Erythrina (each with three species). However, the genus with the most literature records is Senna (18 records), followed by Abrus and Cassia (17 records each), Tamarindus (13 records), Senegalia (11 records), Erythrina and Indigofera (10 records each), and Vachellia (nine records) (Table ). The findings align with those of Arnold et al. [], who recorded 32 species of Vachellia and Indigofera, 32 species of Senna , and 17 species of Albizia , all used for medicinal purposes in Southern Africa. Similarly, a study in Botswana found that Vachellia (six species), followed by Indigofera (five species) and Albizia (three species), are the most utilised genera in the country′s traditional medicines []. Furthermore, several species of Vachellia, Senegalia, Senna, Indigofera, Erythrina, and Albizia are detailed in the monograph MPs of South Africa [] with respect to their botany, medicinal uses, preparation, dosage, active ingredients, and pharmacological effects.

The species with most records in the surveyed literature are Abrus precatorius L. and Cassia abbreviata Oliv. (19 records each), followed by Tamarindus indica L. (13 records), Alantsilodendron pilosum Villiers (11 records), Entada abyssinica Steud. ex A. Rich (nine records), and Erythrina abyssinica Lam. (eight records), Cajanus cajan (L.) (eight records), Albizia anthelmintica (A. Rich) Brongn. (seven records), Vachellia nilotica (L.) P.J.H. Hurter and Mabb (seven records), Piliostigma thonningii (Schumach.) Milne‐Redh. (six records), and Huth, Dalbergia melanoxylon Guill. & Perr, Pterocarpus angolensis DC, Senegalia mellifera (Vahl) Siegler and Ebinger, Senegalia polyacantha (Willd.) Seigler and Ebinger, and Senna singueana (Del.) Lock (five records each). The remaining MPs had, at most, five literature records (Table ).

Trees (46%) are the predominant source of medicinal Fabaceae plants in Tanzania, followed by herbs (30%) and shrubs (24%) (Figure ). The plant parts used to prepare traditional medicines include roots, leaves, stem bark, root bark, bark sap, fruits, seeds, tubers, and twigs (Table ). The most commonly used parts are roots (61 species, 63%), followed by leaves (40 species, 41%), stem bark (27 species, 28%), and twigs and seeds (five species, 5.2% each). Fruits and whole plants each account for four species (54.2%), whereas sap is derived from two species (42.1%) and flowers from just one species (1%) (Figure ). However, exploiting roots from herbaceous MPs for traditional remedies is often unsustainable, posing significant risks to the plants and the surrounding vegetation′s root systems [, ]. Similarly, indiscriminate bark harvesting, especially from slow‐growing species, can lead to their extinction []. Conservationists emphasise that MPs are highly valued for their roots, with those subjected to intensive bark harvesting being particularly at risk of overexploitation []. In contrast, the use of leaves is generally promoted as a more sustainable alternative, as they can regenerate and have a less detrimental impact on the parent plant [].

The majority of MP resources (74%) are sourced from wild environments, followed by a combination of wild and cultivated environments (17%) and cultivated areas (9%) (Figure ). This strong dependence on wild resources stems from their unrestricted availability and the local perception that cultivated plants are less effective. However, such practices are not sustainable in the long run. Therefore, it is crucial to protect and conserve wild environments and their associated resources to ensure a sustainable supply of MPs. Additionally, implementing macropropagation and micropropagation strategies can serve as an effective conservation measure and significantly reduce exploitation pressure on wild resources.

The ailments discussed in this review are categorised into 19 major health disorder categories (see Table ). The majority of recorded Fabaceae species are used to treat fever and malaria (39.6%), followed by gastrointestinal disorders (29.2%), gynaecological conditions (28.1%), antivenin (21.9%), respiratory disorders (16.7%) and dermatological issues (14.6%) (Table ). Likewise, Fabaceae species in Zimbabwe are reported to address these disorders [], which are significant causes of mortality in various developing countries [, , ]. Notably, gastrointestinal disorders had the highest number of use records (31), followed closely by malaria and gynaecological disorders (29 records each), respiratory disorders (21 records), and antivenin (19 records). This aligns with observations in Zimbabwe, where gastrointestinal and respiratory disorders were reported to have the most extensive use records [].

Medicinal Fabaceae species used in traditional remedies in Tanzania are rich in major phytochemical constituents (Table ). The majority are characterised by flavonoids (88.7%), followed by tannins (50.5%), phenolic compounds (38.1%), terpenoids (38.1%), saponins (36.1%), alkaloids (36.1%), and glycosides (16.5%) (Table ). The findings of this review corroborate those of Maroyi [], who reported that flavonoids are the dominant chemical constituents in the Fabaceae of Zimbabwe. Moreover, a study by Wink [] revealed that alkaloids, phenolics, and terpenoids are the key secondary metabolites of the Fabaceae family. Most reported MPs in this review (Table ) exhibit several proven pharmacological activities, including antimicrobial, antioxidant, antidiabetic, antifungal, anticancer, anti‐inflammatory, antiplasmodial, hepatoprotective, immunostimulatory and immunomodulatory properties. Despite the discovery of numerous secondary metabolites in the family, its MPs have attracted unduly little attention in ethnopharmacological exploration over the years. The therapeutic value of Fabaceae species is supported, as over 38.5% of the species reported in this review are commercially important, traded in both informal and formal markets locally in the country [] and in other parts of Africa [, ]. This highlights the economic importance of our work, as some of these species are widely used in traditional medicine in Zimbabwe [, ], South Africa [, ], Zambia [], Mozambique [], and Namibia []. Moreover, other ethnobotanical studies have revealed that some medicinal Fabaceae plants are commercially exploited in local, regional and international markets as remedies for various ailments. Such MPs with the potential to be developed into pharmaceutical products are E. abyssinica , E . abysinica , P. thonningii , S. mellifera , S. occidentalis , S. siamea , V. seyal , K. africana , C. cajan , A. precatorius , A. pilosum and T. indica [, , , ].

Regarding toxicity profiles, 37.0% of the surveyed MPs were associated with insufficient or limited toxicological data, thereby restricting comprehensive risk evaluation. In contrast, 33.0% were consistently documented as nontoxic across available studies. The remaining 30.0% exhibited variable toxicity outcomes, with adverse effects shown to be dose‐dependent, underscoring the critical importance of dosage considerations in both pharmacological practice and ethnomedicinal applications [, ]. Therefore, these findings highlight a pressing need for evidence‐based regulatory frameworks and standardized toxicological assessments to guide safe integration of MPs into public health systems and policy development.

The Fabaceae family contributes significantly to Tanzania′s traditional healthcare, with 97 medicinal taxa offering notable therapeutic potential. To ensure safe integration into public health systems, urgent action is required to establish evidence‐based regulatory frameworks and standardized toxicological protocols. Moreover, aligning ethnomedicine with modern research will strengthen cultural continuity, improve health outcomes, and create pathways for pharmaceutical innovation.