Indigenous Utilization and Management of Useful Plants in and around Awash National Park, Ethiopia (original) (raw)
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Medicinal plants use and conservation practices in Jimma Zone, South West Ethiopia
International Journal of Biodiversity and Conservation, 2015
Traditional medicine has continued to be the most affordable and easily accessible source of treatment in the primary healthcare system of Ethiopia. However, the medicinal plants used for such treatments are becoming increasingly rare and vulnerable to extinction because of improper utilization and conservation practices. Hence, this reseach was initiated with the aim to assess the use, management and conservation practices of medicinal plants in some selected districts of Jimma Zone, south west Ethiopia. Ethnobotanical methods such as focus group discussions, key informant interview, semistructured interview and field walks were used to collect ethnobotanical data on use and management practices of medicinal plants in the study area. Data collected were classified into the use of the plants and management practice. Data of the semistructured interview was analyzed using SPSS version 16 software. The result revealed that a total of 67 plant species were identified in the study area, of which 30 are nutraceuticals, 30 are collected at wild habitat and 37 are cultivated. Source of medicinal plants include: cultivation in home gardens, live fences, crop fields and wild collection from the nearby environment. The cultivation practice include home gardens, mixed in field crops, live fences and agroforestry. About 87% of respondents explained that they get medicinal plants easily in the study area and 10% explained that it is difficult. About 76% of respondents explained that medicinal plants are not sold in the market and 23% responded marketability of medicinal plants. About 33% of informants explained that medicinal plants are under threat and 67% explained that they are not threatened. Focus group discussion and key informant interview revealed that people conserve medicinal plant in live fences, home gardens, and they cultivate some species because of their nutraceutical value. They interpreted that there is no specific conservation activities targeted to medicinal planted by extension program. This indicates the necessary strategy and conservation of medicinal plants in the study area. Postharvest handling is not commonly known for many medicinal plants because they are collected and used immediately. Therefore, local people use their knowledge nowadays in this region. The resources require an urgent attention in research and policy which should include training on knowledge of medicinal plants use and management in cultivating, production, postharvest handling, promoting their use and sustainable utilization.
Journal of Medicinal Plants Research
This study aimed to document information on the use, conservation and threats to medicinal plants in Cheha district, Guraghe Zone, Southern Ethiopia. Thirty informants were randomly selected from four kebeles. Of which, 10 key informants were selected purposively by criteria of age, gender and indigenous knowledge. Ethnobotanical data was collected through semi-structured interview, guided field observation and group discussion. Data was analyzed with descriptive statistics and expressed with frequency distribution, percentage and flow charts. A total of 58 medicinal plant species (17 wild, 38 home garden and 3 species from both) were recorded and a total of 37, 3 and 18 species were reported as being used to treat human, livestock and both ailments, respectively. The major habit of the medicinal plants were herbs (58.62%) followed by trees (24.13%), shrubs (10.34%), and climbers (6.89%). The most frequently harvested plant parts were leaves (36.20%) followed by seed (13.79%), fruit (12.06%) and others. Most of the remedies are prepared from single plant with various preparation methods and administered via oral, dermal, topical and nasal method. The major threats to medicinal plants in the study area are agricultural expansion, deforestation, firewood and charcoal production and over utilization, respectively. The data analysis result reveals that the community is better experiencing ex-situ conservation indigenously, but to ensure sustainability of medicinal plants; more emphasis should be given to the traditional medicine and indigenous knowledge and skill of herbalists must be encouraged, documented and supported with scientific approaches.
2022
Background: The study was undertaken with the general objective of providing documentation of traditional medicinal plants (MPs), and associated indigenous knowledge of the people inhabiting in and around Aba-Asrat Monastery, East Gojjam Zone, North western Ethiopia. Methods: Ethnobotanical data were collected using semi-structured interviews, observation and focus group discussions in the eld. A total of 160 (100 males and 60 females) informants were interviewed. The collected data were assessed quantitatively using various measures like delity level (FL), paired comparison, preference and direct matrix rankings. Results: Results of ethnobotanical study revealed a total of 81 medicinal plant species belonging to 77 genera and 48 families were recorded which are used to treat human and livestock ailments. Asteraceae with nine (9.68%) species and Solanaceae with seven (7.53%) species were families represented by more species in the study areas. Herbs were found to be the most widely used life forms which account for 42 (45.16%) followed by shrubs 29 (31.18%). The most frequently used plant parts were the leaves followed by the roots. The highest FL values were recorded for Plumbago zeylanica and Prunus africana having highest scores (100%) that treat diseases like wounds, eczema and bril illness. Nicotiana tabacum was the most preferred plant species against leech for livestock. Conclusions: The major threats to plants in the study area were overgrazing, re wood collection, agricultural expansion and charcoal. It is therefore, recommended that the declining plants species in the study area call for encouragement of sustainable use, conserve and manage it together with the MPs sheltered in it.
This ethnobotanical study was carried out to identify and document medicinal plant practice in the Abeshige district, Gurage Zone of SNNP Region. Ethnobotanical information of medicinal plants was gathered through a semi-structured interview, field observation, group discussion and market survey. A total of 89 medicinal plants belonging to 47 families were reported and documented. Out of these medicinal plants, 75 species (84.26%) were reported to treat human aliments, 9 species (10.11%) livestock ailments and 5 species (5.67%) both human and livestock ailments. About 70 species (78.65%) of the plant taxa were collected from the wild and 17 species (19.1%) from home gardens and the remaining 2 species (2.25%) were collected from both wild and home garden. Herbs were found to be the most widely used life forms and this accounts for 33 species (37.1%) followed by 26species (29.2%) shrub and 20 species (22.5%) tree. The most frequently used plant parts were reported to be the leaves which was 40 taxa (44.94%) and then the roots 24 taxa (26.96%). Crushing and pounding a single plant part or a mixture of plant parts of different taxa widely used method of preparation. The different use categories of medicinal plant in the area included food, firewood, charcoal, construction and furniture. Religious teachings, Agricultural expansion, overgrazing, fire wood collection, charcoal production, cutting down trees for construction and furniture were major conservation threats which leads to the loss of indigenous knowledge. But some people were found to protect medicinal plants in home garden and agricultural fields. Therefore, in addition to the aforementioned positive attitude of the local communities supplementary environmental education with regard to sustainable uses of medicinal plants could be useful.
Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, 2010
Mwingi District lies within the Kenyan Arid and Semiarid lands (ASALs) in Eastern Province. Although some ethnobotanical surveys have been undertaken in some arid and semiarid areas of Kenya, limited studies have documented priority medicinal plants as well as local people's awareness of conservation needs of these plants. This study sought to establish the priority traditional medicinal plants used for human, livestock healthcare, and those used for protecting stored grains against pest infestation in Mwingi district. Further, the status of knowledge among the local people on the threat and conservation status of important medicinal species was documented. This study identified 18 species which were regarded as priority traditional medicinal plants for human health. In terms of priority, 8 were classified as moderate, 6 high, while 4 were ranked highest priority species. These four species are Albizia amara (Roxb.) Boiv. (Mimosacaeae), Aloe secundiflora (Engl. (Aloaceae), Acalypha fruticosa Forssk. (Euphorbiaceae) and Salvadora persica L. (Salvadoraceae). In regard to medicinal plants used for ethnoveterinary purposes, eleven species were identified while seven species were reported as being important for obtaining natural products or concoctions used for stored grain preservation especially against weevils. The data obtained revealed that there were new records of priority medicinal plants which had not been documented as priority species in the past. Results on conservation status of these plants showed that more than 80% of the respondents were unaware that wild medicinal plants were declining, and, consequently, few of them have any domesticated species. Some of the species that have been conserved on farm or deliberately allowed to persist when wild habitats are converted into agricultural lands include: Croton megalocarpus Hutch., Aloe secundiflora, Azadirachta indica A. Juss., Warburgia ugandensis Sprague, Ricinus communis L. and Terminalia brownie Fresen. A small proportion of the respondents however, were aware of the threats facing medicnal plants. Some of the plants reported as declining include, Solanum renschii Vatke (Solanaceae), Populus ilicifolia (Engl.) Rouleau (Salicaceae), Strychnos henningsii Gilg (Loganiaceae) and Rumex usambarensis (Dammer) Dammer (Polygonaceae). Considering the low level of understanding of conservation concerns for these species, there is need therefore, to build capacity among the local communities in this area particularly in regard to sustainable use of natural resources, conservation methods as well as domestication processes.
Scholars International Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine
An ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants used by the communities in Wombera District, Benishangual Gumuz Regional State, and Western Ethiopia was carried out from 0ctober, 2019 to October, 2020. The purpose of the study was to document information of medicinal plants and indigenous knowledge on use and conservation of medicinal plants by the communities of Wombera District. A purposive sampling was designed and employed for selection of the study areas (6 sampling sites) and 200 informants (52 males and 18 females) aged between 18-85 years were randomly selected from 6 kebeles. Ethnobotanical data were collected using semi-structured questionnaires, interview and, group discussion s. A total of 91 medicinal plants were documented from the study area. Of these 60 were human, 7 veterinary and 24 both human and veterinary medicines. Data were analyzed quantitativelly. The highest number of medicinal plants was collected from wild habitat (64 %), while 33% was collected from home garden, 3% occurred both in wild habitat and home garden. The most plant parts used in treatment of human disease were leaves (34.6%) followed by roots (20.9%). The most frequently mentioned mode of administration was oral (54%) followed by dermal (27.5%) and the least was found to be application through eyes and ears (3%) each. The most common form of medicine preparation was crushing, pounding and homogenizing in water (43.07%) followed by boiling and Fumigating (16%), squeezing(15.45%), chewing(10.7) and the leasts were burning and cooking (5%) each. Deforestation for agriculture, over exploitation, firewood collection, and overgrazing were the main threats of medicinal plants in the study area. The biggest problem of traditional medicinal remedies is the accurate dosage, which sometimes may even kill. Moreover lack of awareness of cultivation in home garden resulted as threats of medicinal patient.
Advances in Life Science and Technology, 2020
An ethonobotanical study is important from the standpoint of conservation and sustainable use of community based knowledge plant biodiversity. A survey to identify and document local community knowledge and a conservation status of the plant biodiversity was conducted in welkait wereda, western Tigray, Ethiopia. A reconnaissance survey, plant interview and different ranking methods were applied to gather primary ethnobotanical data collection. Respondents from the age of 15-80 years old were selected with the help of Wereda and Tabia agricultural experts and local elders. Data was analyzed using ranks, percentages and SPSS version 20. Nearly 97 plant species serve for different ethnobotanical use that belongs to 52 families and 86 genera were identified from welkait wereda. The growth patern of the plant species were 39% tree, 31% herb, 28% shrub and 2% climbers. 41% of the remedy prepared from the leaves, 16% from root, 19 % stem, 15% fruit, and the remaining is another part of the plant species. The habitat of the identified medicinal plant was 90% wild and 10 % domesticated. Agricultural expansion, firewood collection and free grazing were the three most threats to medicinal plants as described by the informants. Anogeissus leiocarpa, Terminalia brownie and Securidaca longipedunculata were the most threatened medicinal plants based on the score given by the key informants. Education and age of the informants positively correlate (p<0.001, p<0.005 respecively) with number of medicinal plants mentioned. Community based awareness creation and insitu and exsitu conservation method need to be implemented for sustainable utilization of plant biodiversity.
Use of traditional medicinal plants by people of 'Boosat' sub district, central Eastern Ethiopia
Ethiopian journal of health sciences, 2006
Background: Indigenous knowledge develops by indigenous people in the processes of their interaction with their environment and the science Ethinomedicine developed gradually having its origin in the indigenous medicinal practices. The main purpose of the study was to make survey of plants that have ethnomedicinal value and investigate the uses and management practices employed by local people of 'Boosat', Welinchiti area. Methods: Five study sites were systematically established to include areas inhabited by settled farmers and transhumance pastoralists. Eighty informants were randomly selected. Ethnobotanical information of medicinal plants was obtained from informants by semi-structured interview, observations, group discussions, and guided field walks. RESULTS: Fifty-two medicinal plant species were documented, which are used to treat 43 human diseases. The category of medicinal plant species includes shrubs (46%), herbs (25%), trees (19%), climbers (8%) and hemi parasites (2%). Roots (38%) and leaves (23%) are the most frequently used plant parts. The method of preparation is by crushing, pounding and mixing with cold water to serve as a drink and chewing to swallow the juice, which accounted for (17%) each. Conclusions: People of 'Boosat' are knowledgeable about the plants, their distribution, medicinal use and management. Indigenous practices somehow contributed to the sustained use, management and conservation of medicinal plants. Knowledge of medicinal plants is wider among elderly women and men while the young are comparatively less knowledgeable. The results of this study indicated significant contribution in efforts directed towards conservation of the remaining medicinal plant resources, provided that the necessary mechanisms are put in place before it is too late.
Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, 2013
Background: Ankober District has long been inhabited by people who have a long tradition of using medicinal plants to treat human ailments. Overexploitation of medicinal plants coupled with an ever-increasing population growth, deforestation and agricultural land expansion threatens plants in the area. Hence, this study aimed at documenting and analyzing the plant-based ethnomedicinal knowledge of the people in order to preserve the dwindling indigenous knowledge. Methods: Ethnobotanical data were collected using semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, participant observation and walk-in-the-woods. Quantitative approaches were used to determine Informant Consensus Factor (ICF) and Fidelity level (FL) values. Statistical tests were used to compare the indigenous knowledge on medicinal plants among different informant categories.
An ethno-ecological study on medicinal and wild edible plants was conducted in Sheka Zone, Southwestern Ethiopia. The objective was to document and analyze the floristic composition and the associated ethnobotanical knowledge of medicinal and wild edible plants. The study applied a combination of standard plant taxonomic, plant ecological and ethnobotanical methods. Ninety five plots of 30 m by 30 m for trees, 10 m by 10 m for shrubs and 5 m by 5 m for herbs were used to collect vegetation data. Four hundred fourteen informants were involved in the ethnobotanical data collection using semi-structured interviews and discussion with informants. Data were analyzed using R Statistical Software version 3.2.3 and analytical methods of ethnobotany. A total of 555 plant species of which 266 (48%) those used as medicinal; 35 (6.31%) wild plants consumed by people were recorded. The plant species recorded indicated high taxonomic diversity as they belong to 341 genera and 115 families. Eight plant community types were identified. In addition to climatic variability, five environmental factors including altitude, slope, aspect grazing, and disturbance had significant contributions in determining plant community types where altitude is the most influential. Fourteen major plant use categories were identified including the medicinal and the wild edibles. The medicinal plants are distributed within the eight plant communities constituting 46% to 72% of their species composition. Of the 35 wild edible plants, 85.71% were also said to be medicinal. Increasing population, commercial agriculture and firewood collection were among the major threats to the vegetation. Plant communities: Ficus-sur-Croton macrostachyus, Schefflera abyssinica-Syzygium guineense, Ilex mitis-Macaranga capensis and Arundinaria alpina-Lepidotrichillia volkensii plant community types constituted more than 65% of their species composition as medicinal, hence, need priority attention for conservation.