BackgroundThe use of medicinal plants in the treatment of diseases has generated renewed interest in recent times, as herbal preparations are increasingly being used in both human and animal healthcare systems. Diarrhoea is one of the common clinical signs of gastrointestinal disorders caused by both infectious and non-infectious agents and an important livestock debilitating condition. Plateau State is rich in savannah and forest vegetations and home to a vast collection of plants upheld in folklore as having useful medicinal applications. There is however scarcity of documented information on the medicinal plants used in the treatment of animal diarrhoea in the state, thus the need for this survey. Ten (10) out of 17 Local Government Areas (LGAs), spread across the three senatorial zones were selected. Farmers were interviewed using well structured, open-ended questionnaire and guided dialogue techniques between October and December 2010. Medicinal plants reported to be effective in diarrhoea management were collected using the guided field-walk method for identification and authentication.ResultsA total of 248 questionnaires were completed, out of which 207 respondents (83.47%) acknowledged the use of herbs in diarrhoea management, while 41 (16.53%) do not use herbs or apply other traditional methods in the treatment of diarrhoea in their animals. Medicinal plants cited as beneficial in the treatment of animal diarrhoea numbered 132, from which 57(43.18%) were scientifically identified and classified into 25 plant families with the families Fabaceae (21%) and Combretaceae (14.04%) having the highest occurrence. The plant parts mostly used in antidiarrhoeal herbal preparations are the leaves (43.86%) followed by the stem bark (29.82%). The herbal preparations are usually administered orally.ConclusionRural communities in Plateau State are a rich source of information on medicinal plants as revealed in this survey. There is need to scientifically ascertain the authenticity of the claimed antidiarrhoeal properties of these plants and perhaps develop more readily available alternatives in the treatment of diarrhoea.

Context: Herbal preparations of the various parts of Vitellaria paradoxa, Neorautanenia mitis, Senna surattensis, and Hydnora abyssinica have been used in the Nigerian traditional medical practice to treat the symptoms of diarrhea in humans and animals. Aims: This study aims to validate claims of the traditional use of these plants in the treatment of diarrhea and provide a scientific basis for further studies. Materials and Methods: The median lethal dose (LD50) values of the extracts were obtained using the Limit test. Castor oil induced diarrhea and intestinal transit (motility) models in albino rats were used to determine the antidiarrheal activity. Graded doses of the extracts were administered to 3 test groups, while the positive control groups were given standard drugs (atropine and loperamide) and the negative control groups received distilled water per os. Results: The LD50 was considered higher than 2000 mg/Kg for all the extracts. In the castor oil-induced diarrhea model, the highest percentage inhibition of defecation was observed in the test groups treated with the extracts of H. abyssinica (82%) followed by S. surattensis (81%), N. mitis (66%), and V. paradoxa (32%). H. abyssinica extract significantly decreased the intestinal transit of charcoal meal compared to the other extracts. Conclusion: The antidiarrheal activities of all the extracts give credence to their traditional use. H. abyssinica comparatively had the best antidiarrheal activity and has the potential as an antidiarrheal agent. Thus, the need for further studies of this extract to investigate active fractions, isolate and characterize active compounds, and determine their activities and safety.

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