Medicinal plants used for snakebite and scorpion sting management in Sudan, North Africa: a systematic review, quantitative ethnobotanical analysis, and pharmacological synthesis

This protocol describes a mixed-methods systematic review and ethnobotanical synthesis investigating medicinal plants traditionally used in Sudan for the management of snakebite envenomation (SBE) and scorpion sting envenomation (SSE). The study integrates a PRISMA-guided systematic review of published and grey literature with complementary primary ethnobotanical questionnaire data collected across all 18 states of Sudan. The objectives are to: 1. Identify medicinal plant species and families traditionally used for SBE and SSE treatment in Sudan. 2. Evaluate patterns of plant-part use, preparation methods, and routes of administration. 3. Assess regional distribution and consistency of ethnomedicinal knowledge. 4. Quantitatively analyse ethnobotanical importance using Frequency of Citation (FC), Relative Frequency of Citation (RFC), and Family Importance Value (FIV). 5. Review phytochemical constituents and experimentally reported venom-inhibitory activities associated with highly cited plant species. Data sources include peer-reviewed literature, books, theses, reports, institutional documents, and unpublished questionnaire datasets. Searches are conducted in databases including PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, ResearchGate, and Sudan Open Archives using combinations of keywords related to snakebite, scorpion sting, ethnobotany, medicinal plants, traditional medicine, and Sudan. Plant taxonomy is validated using Plants of the World Online (POWO). The study emphasizes integration of ethnobotanical knowledge with phytochemical and pharmacological evidence to support future research into antivenom discovery, toxinology, ethnopharmacology, and natural product biotechnology. This review does not include meta-analysis of clinical outcomes but provides a descriptive and quantitative synthesis of ethnobotanical and pharmacological evidence.