Traditional uses of medicinal plants practiced by the indigenous communities in Gurage Zone, south central Ethiopia (original) (raw)
Related papers
An ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants
Background: This paper reports an ethnobotanical study that focused on the traditional medicinal plants used by local communities to treat human and livestock ailments. A cross-sectional study was undertaken from September 2009 to June 2010 in Wayu Tuka District of Oromia Region, Ethiopia. The aim of the study is to document medicinal plants used by local people of the study area and the threats currently affecting medicinal plants.
Journal of Medicinal Plants Studies, 2015
The main objective of the study was to document plants species of medicinal value to the community in Minjar-Shenkora District and the associated knowledge on use, management, preparation and other aspects of the indigenous knowledge of the people in Minjar-Shenkora District. Methods: A total of 80 informants (60 males and 20 females) were selected to collect information on medicinal plant use from twenty sampled kebeles. Out of these, 40 key informants were purposively selected based on recommendation from elders and local authorities. Other40 informants were selected randomly. Ethnobotanical data were collected using semi structured interview, guided field walk, group discussion, preference ranking, use diversity ranking and market survey. Results: A total of 118 plant species distributed in 105 genera and 53 families were identified for their medicinal value. Out of the collected medicinal plants, about 48 (40.67%) plant species were shrubs, 46 (38.98%) were herbs and 16 (13.55%) were trees. Among the total traditional medicinal plants, 75 species were used against human ailments and 18 species were used for treatment of cattle diseases and 25 species for the treatment of both human and veterinary diseases. Ninety (76.27%) species of the medicinal plants were collected from the wild whereas 25 (21.18%) were from cultivated areas. Oral administration (54.21%) was found to be the dominant route of remedy administration. The medicinal plant species documented from the study area have also other uses including as firewood, construction and production of charcoal. Conclusion: Thus, most of these plants are found under threats in the study area, which is one of the main reasons for the decline of the associated knowledge. Therefore, documentation of the indigenous knowledge associated with the medicinal plants and their uses before losing them forever. Verification of the medicinal values of the frequently reported species through phytochemical and pharmacological studies are urgently needed actions.
Journal of Medicinal Plants Research, 2018
This study was conducted in four districts of Amhara Region, Ethiopia. The aim of the study was to assess medicinal plants found in Menz gera, Siyadebirna Wayu, Antsokiya gemza and Bugna districts, Amhara region, Ethiopia. The ethnobotanical surveys were carried out from September 2017 to June 2018 using a semi-structured checklist consisting of questions or issues prepared in advance. Two separate questionnaires were prepared, one for the local healers and the other for the local community. A total of 376 (94 per district) informants were selected using purposive sampling technique and asked both open and close-ended questions. The interviews and observations were based on and around this checklist and some issues were raised promptly depending on responses of an informant. All plant species found in each district were recorded, collected, pressed and identified following Flora of Ethiopia and Eritrea. From the total 376 informants 238 were males and the rest 138 were females. A total of 77 medicinal plants were reported and distributed in 28 families. Family Lamiaceae was distributed in all four districts followed by 5 families which were distributed in three districts. Leaf 47 (56.63%) was the plant part widely used followed by stem 12 (14.46%), root 8 (9.64%) and seed 7 (8.43%), while the rest include fruit 3 (3.61%), bulb 3 (3.61%), flower 1 (1.20%). Ocimum lamiifolium Hochst. and Citrus durantifolia were the plants with the highest fidelity level values, each scoring 100%, followed by Moringa stenopetala (Bak.f.) Cuf. (96%). From the present study, the highest number of medicinal plants was observed in Antsokiya Gemza District followed by Siyaderina wayu, Bugna and Menz Gera, with 29, 24, 15 and 9 number, respectively. In these four districts the highest number of plants was used to treat wound followed by abdominal disease/pain. Pounding and grinding of the plant parts to make a powder were the most frequently used methods of traditional medicine preparation. Traditional medicine is the base for the modern medicine, but nowadays, the work is not respected by most people so it needs further attention especially in changing the attitude of the community towards traditional medicine.
Ethnobotanical Study of Medicinal Plant and Traditional Knowledge Used
Journal of Traditional Medicine & Clinical Naturopathy, 2022
As the review conducting ethnobotany deals with the link amongst people, livestock, and the environment with plants and gives details how people of a particular culture and religious knowledge formulate use of medicinal plants. Indigenous knowledge is the accumulation of procedural knowledge, cultural practice and traditional knowledge as a result of many years. The term Ethnobotany was declared orally by John Hershberger in 1895. Medicinal Plants have been used as a vital source of preventive and healing to human and livestock ailment. Thus traditional medicine is the knowledge and practices of a particular community which used plants to diagnose and heal health problems of livestock and humans. Medicinal plants used in Ethiopia constituted 887 of plant species and 26 species are indigenous. The most effective plant species are identified and recorded to treat different humans and animal ailments. In Ethiopia 90% of the livestock population depends on medicinal plants for primary health care. Ethnoveterinary medicine is a traditional knowledge and practice to prevent and treat diseases encountered by livestock. In Ethiopia medicinal plant species are not equivalently distributed in each part of the country. In-situ conservation is a method of conserving and protecting medicinal plant species in their natural habitat. Whereas Ex-situ conservation is a method of conserving and protecting medicinal plant species without their natural habitats. However medicinal plants and traditional knowledge are declining at an alarming rate due to ecological shifts, deforestation, urbanization, loss of forests and woodlands, urbanization and agricultural expansion.
Background Ethnoveterinary medicinal plants have been used by the people of Dugda District in the primary health care system to treat various livestock ailments for generations, particularly, in underserved rural areas. However, these ethnoveterinary practices and medicinal plants are dwindling without proper documentation, due to undergoing socio-cultural and environmental changes. Hence, this study aimed at inventory and analysis of ethnoveterinary medicinal plants and the associated indigenous and local knowledge used in the treatment of livestock health problems in Dugda District. Methods Data were collected from 378 local inhabitants through semi-structured interviews, 18 focus group discussions with 6 to 8 participants in each couple with participant field observations. Informant consensus factor (ICF), fidelity-level (FL) and relative importance value (RI) were used to evaluate the agreement of informants on ethnoveterinary practices, healing potential of medicinal plants and the most multipurpose species. Using standard taxonomic procedures, voucher specimens were collected, identified and deposited at the National Herbarium of Addis Ababa University. differ (P < 0.05) between general and key informants, young and matured age groups and informants' educational level. This infers the impact of mode of ethnoveterinary knowledge transfer, literacy, modern education and globalization on ethnoveterinary uses of medicinal plant species. And also most of the medicinal plants are found in wild habitats with nearly no conservation attention. Therefore, it is imperative to implement participatory conservation actions for medicinal plants in collaboration with traditional institutions (Gada system). The disparity of ethnoveterinary knowledge could be also minimized through awareness creation among local communities about the knowledge and its revitalization. Furthermore, medicinal plants, which are widely utilized and multipurpose, should be screened for their phytochemicals, pharmacological and toxicological activities to confirm ethnoveterinary uses and for future development of veterinary pharmaceuticals.
Nusantara bioscience, 2022
This study recorded medicinal plants used by ethnic people of Gechi District, Buno Bedele zone of South West Oromia region, Ethiopia. Data were collected from 386 informants through semistructured interviews, guided field observations, and focus group discussions. Descriptive statistics and quantitative ethnobotanical indices were used to analyze the data. Moreover, an independent t-test and one-way ANOVA were employed to investigate the effect of Sociodemographic traits on traditional medicinal knowledge. The study documented 70 medicinal plant species belonging to 61 genera and 36 families. Most plants (83.7%) were used to treat human ailments. Asteraceae (7 species) mainly represented the family. Most of the plants collected were shrubs (32.9 %), followed by herbs (25.7%). Leaves (42.3%) represented the highest part for remedy preparation. The dominant route of administration of remedies was oral (56%). Jaccard's similarity index (JI) showed a high degree of similarities (JI = 0.75-0.91) among three kebeles namely, Imboro, Koba, and Dike. The highest Informant consensus factor (ICF) value (0.73) was detected for the sensory organs category illnesses. Juniperus procera Hochst. Ex. Endl. was observed with the highest fidelity level (FL) index value (0.97) for the wound. The highest preference ranking (PR) was adjudged to be Ruta chalepensis L. for stomach ache. Syzygium guineense (Willd.) DC. was top-ranked as a multipurpose plant in direct matrix ranking (DR). It was observed that the Traditional Knowledge (TK) of medicinal plants was significantly (P<0.05) influenced by the gender, age, and educational level of the people. Therefore, our documentation of TK on medicinal plants possessed by the people of the studied area could help preserve their knowledge for extensive use.
Kassa et al., 2020
Background: People's classification, management, and use of plants represent attempt to attracting people from different academic disciplines. Many countries use traditional medicine for their primary healthcare system. Medicinal plants have been important components of healthcare systems since the time immemorial. The objective of this research was to document and analyze traditional medicinal plants used by the Sheka people and associated ethnobotanical knowledge. Methods: Data was collected by administering pre-prepared semi-structured interview items to 414 informants. Market surveys, group discussion, and guided field walk were used. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics; determination of informant consensus factor, fidelity level, as well as ranking and scoring. Results: A total of 266 plant species belonging to 192 genera and 74 families were identified. About 204 (77%) of the medicinal plants were used to treat human health problems. Only ten (4%) were used to treat livestock health problems and 52 (19%) of them were used to treat both human and livestock health problems. Croton macrostachyus, Prunus africana, Peperomia retusa, Lobelia giberroa, and Celosia schweinfurthiana were found to be high ranking medicinal plants against gastrointestinal problems based on simple preference ranking. Conclusion: Very high number of medicinal plant species recorded from the study area indicates that vegetation of Sheka is reservoir of medicinal plants. Hence, the area needs attention for medicinal plant conservation priorities. Plant parts used as medicines also play vital role in the entire medicinal plant life cycle. Therefore, it is useful to consider harvesting impacts. Except well-experienced traditional healers, people of the study area use the medicinal plants haphazardly. There may be high risk of being victims of dosage and improper usage. High ranking medicinal plants are candidates for further phytochemical profiling, drug research, and development.
2010
Background: This paper reports an ethnobotanical study that focused on the traditional medicinal plants used by local communities to treat human and livestock ailments. A cross-sectional study was undertaken from September 2009 to June 2010 in Wayu Tuka District of Oromia Region, Ethiopia. The aim of the study is to document medicinal plants used by local people of the study area and the threats currently affecting medicinal plants. Methods: Ethnobotanical data were collected using semi-structured interviews, field observations and group discussion in which 63 (41 men & 22 women) randomly selected informants participated. Of which, 11 (10 male and 1 female) were local healers. Paired comparison method, direct matrix ranking and Informant consensus factors (ICF) were used to analyze the importance of some plant species. Results: A total of 126 medicinal plant species, distributed in 108 genera and 56 families, were collected together with their medicinal uses. Of the 126 species of medicinal plants collected from the study area, eighty six (68%) were obtained from the wild whereas thirty three (26%) were from homegardens. The Fabaceae came out as a leading family with 15 medicinal species while the Solanaceae followed with eight species. Seventy eight (62%) of the medicinal plants were reported as being used for treating human ailments, 23 (18.2%) for the treatment of livestock ailments and 25 (20%) for both. The most frequently used plant parts were leaves (43%), followed by roots (18.5%) while crushing, which accounted for (29%) and powdering (28%) were the widely used methods of preparation of traditional herbal medicines. Conclusion: The number of reported medicinal plants and their uses by the local people of the District indicate the depth of the local indigenous knowledge on medicinal plants and their application. The documented medicinal plants can serve as a basis for future investigation of modern drug.
Plants , 2020
The current study on the traditional use of medicinal plants was carried out from February 2018 to March 2020, in Gokand Valley, District Buner, Pakistan. The goal was to collect, interpret, and evaluate data on the application of medicinal plants. Along with comprehensive notes on individual plants species, we calculated Use Value (UV), Relative Frequency of Citation (RFC), Use Report (UR), Fidelity Level (FL), Informant Consensus Factor (FCI), as well as Family Importance Value (FIV). During the current study, a total of 109 species belonging to 64 families were reported to be used in the treatment of various ailments. It included three families (four species) of Pteridophytes, 58 families (99 species) of angiosperm, one family (three species) of Gymnosperms, and two families (three species) of fungi. The article highlights the significance of domestic consumption of plant resources to treat human ailments. The UV varied from 0.2 (Acorus calamus L.) to 0.89 (Acacia modesta Wall.). The RFC ranged from 0.059 (Acorus calamus L. and Convolvulus arvensis L.) to 0.285 (Acacia modesta Wall.). The species with 100% FL were Acacia modesta Wall. and the fungus Morchella esculenta Fr., while the FCI was documented from 0 to 0.45 for gastro-intestinal disorders. The conservation ranks of the medicinal plant species revealed that 28 plant species were vulnerable, followed by rare (25 spp.), infrequent (17 spp.), dominant (16 spp.), and 10 species endangered. The traditional use of plants needs conservation strategies and further investigation for better utilization of natural resources.