No abstract

Piles are inflammation of blood vessels which are generally found close to the anal canal. Piles are produce when the anal cushions are disrupted during defecation. The importance of the knowledge of indigenous remedial medicinal plants in curing piles has not been fully acknowledged from rural, folkloric background of Nigerian society. The present study attempt to document indigenous knowledge and curative plants used in the treatment of pile in Akinyele Local Government Area, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. Eight villages were purposively selected and respondents stratified into four strata in each of the villages. Semi – structured and open-ended questionnaires was used to obtained information from local herb sellers, hunters, herbalists and aged. The data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics. The result showed that a total number of 25 plant species belonging to 19 families, were recorded and enumerated along with their botanical, family and local names. Fabaceae sub family of Caesalpinioidea, Mimisoideae and Palpilinoideae contributed the highest number of 4 plant species used in the treatment of pile. The plant part used includes leave, bark, seeds roots, vines, rhizome, bulbs, cobs, and bunch with high frequency of leaves been used. The method of preparation of recipe, mode of administration, dosage and shelf life of the recipe used for the treatment of piles were discussed. Many of the medicinal plants used in the treatment of piles are rare and found in the wild, the study concludes that there is need for domestication and sustainable conservative efforts from the researchers, government and community to safeguard the loss of these important medicinal plants. There is need for further studies on the phytochemical and pharmacological properties of these plants.

Majority of people in developing countries rely on Traditional Medical Practitioners (TMPs) or herbalist, hunters and community elders for the treatments of various diseases and illness due to their vast knowledge of medicinal plant usage. There is need to protect the flora and fauna and also the knowledge database often stored in the memories of elders, ancestral and traditional healers. Ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants used in the treatment of cough was carried out in Akinyele Local Government with the aim to document plants and indigenous knowledge of local people in the treatment of cough. Eight villages were selected purposively due to the relics of forest in those villages. The villages are Ijaye, Onidundu, Otunagbakin, Moniya, Idi- ose, Apapa, Aroro and Olanla. Respondents were stratified into 2 strata in each of the villages, namely Traditional Medical Practitioners (TMPs) or herbalist and hunters. Within each stratum, a random selection of 10 respondents were carried out thereby making 20 respondents in each village and total number of  160 respondents as sample size. Semi structured questionnaire was used to obtain information from the respondents. The interview was conducted one-on-one using the local language (Yoruba). The data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics. The result showed that a total number of 16 plants belonging to 13 families were recorded and enumerated along with their botanical name, family and local name. Information on methods of preparation of the recipes, plant part used, form in which plant part is used, mode of administration, dosage and shelf life were also documented. There is need for domestication and conservation of these plants to prevent their extinction. The bioactive compound in some of these plants can be synthesized together to produce conventional drugs for cough. Further studies should also be carried out on these plant species to obtain more information on their bioactive properties.

No abstract

Woody plants species composition, richness, dominance and diversity in west bank forest of International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) was undertaken to understand the status of the forest. The analysis of tree species composition, richness and diversity in the forest was carried out with the aim of developing efficient management plan that will ensure biodiversity conservation. Vegetation survey using transects and plot sampling techniques were used to collect data for the study. Three transects of 500 m long each {A (270°W), B (90°E) and C (180°S)} were constructed with the aid of prismatic compass in the forest. 10 sampling plots of 10 m by 10 m each were demarcated along each transect making a total number of 30 sampling plots. In each plot, all woody plant species (trees and shrubs) with girth at breast height (gbh) greater than or equal to 10 cm (gbh ≥ 10 cm) were identified, enumerated and measured. The results showed that 581 woody plants belonging to 65 species and 28 families were encountered in the forest. The most abundant family in the forest was Fabaceae sub families of Caesalpinioidea, Mimosoideae and Palpilinoideae. The forest had Simpson diversity index (D), Shannon-Wiener (H) and Evenness index of 0.012, 0.354 and 0.195 respectively. The total density and basal area of woody plants species in the forest was 1,936.67 individuals’ ha-1 and 98.23 m2 ha−1. Newbouldia laevis had the highest density of 190 ha-1 and relative frequency of 9.811% while Milicia excelsa had the highest basal area of 40.34 m2 ha−1, relative dominance of 41.07% and Importance value index of 14.04%. The study concludes that the forest has a reasonably good tree and shrub species composition and richness, dominated by trees and a repository of many indigenous tropical woody plant species. The study recommends in-depth forest inventory, preparation of management plan and promotion of good governance in management of the forest. Also, further studies on regeneration, structure, soil seed bank, seed physiology and herbaceous plant should be carried out in the forest.