BackgroundThe plantsAloe weloensis, Lepidium sativum, andLobelia gibberoahave been used in Ethiopian folklore medicine to treat various diseases including malaria.MethodThe in vitro anti-plasmodial activity of the three crude extracts was evaluated using parasite lactate dehydrogenase assay against the chloroquine (CQ)-sensitive D10 and the chloroquine (CQ)-resistant W2 strains.ResultThe methanolic extract ofL. gibberoaroots showed the highest in vitro anti-plasmodial effect against both D10 and W2Plasmodium falciparumstrains with IC50value of 103.83 ± 26.17 µg/mL and 47.11 ± 12.46 µg/mL, respectively. However, the methanolic extract ofL. sativumseeds and the leaf latex ofA. weloensiswere not active with an IC50value > 200 µg/mL against both D10 and W2 strains.ConclusionThe methanolic extract ofL. gibberoaroots showed a promising in vitro anti-plasmodial activity against the CQ-sensitive (D10) and CQ-resistant (W2) strains ofP. falciparum. Thus, the anti-plasmodial activity of this plant partly justifies and may also support the traditional use against malaria. However, the methanolic extract ofL. sativumseeds and the leaf latex ofA. weloensisdid not exert suppressive activity on the growth ofP. falciparumstrains.