This paper reports an ethnobotanical study that focused on the traditional medicinal plants used by local communities to treat human diseases. Ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants was carried out from June 25 to September 5, 2015, in Berbere district of Oromia region, Ethiopia. The study focused on documentation of medicinal plants used to treat various human diseases in the study area. Ethnobotanical data were collected using semistructured interviews, group discussion, guided field walks, and observations with participants. Preference ranking, paired comparison, direct matrix ranking, and informant consensus factors (ICF) were used to analyze the importance of some plant species. A total of 70 medicinal plants, distributed in 56 genera and 46 families, were collected and identified. Plant family with the highest medicinal plants in the study area used for various diseases treatment was Euphorbiaceae (11.4%). The result of growth form analysis showed that shrubs constituted the highest proportion of medicinal plants (48.6%). Roots, 43 (44.8%), were the most frequently utilized plant parts for preparation of traditional herbal medicines. Crushing was a widely used mode of preparation of traditional remedies where oral administration (37.5%) was the dominant route. The highest informants consensus factor (ICF) values were linked to gonorrhea and syphilis disease (0.95); the lowest was linked with external parasites and wound (0.69). Local people in the study area possess traditional knowledge of medicinal plants to treat various human ailments; however, agricultural expansion and disinterest of young generation became the major threat to medicinal plants. It is, therefore, necessary to preserve this indigenous knowledge on traditional medicines by proper documentation, identification of plant species used, and herbal preparation. To save medicinal plants from further loss, involving local communities in cultivation of the most utilized medicinal plants is recommended.
This paper presents a review of relevant medicinal plants used for toothache treatment in Ethiopia. This finding is based on a review of the literature published in scientific journals. A total of 130 medicinal plants, distributed in 117 genera and 62 families, are reported in the reviewed literature. Of the 130 species of medicinal plants reported in the literature, ninety-two (70.7%) were obtained from the wild whereas twelve (9.2%) were from home gardens. Shrubs (34.6%) were the primary source of medicinal plants, followed by herbs (30%). The Asteraceae came out as a leading family with 12 medicinal species while the Fabaceae followed with nine. Some findings include the predominance of root material used (31%), followed by leaves (29%). This study demonstrates the importance of traditional medicines in the treatment of toothache in Ethiopia. It is essential for the health of users to phytochemically demonstrate the effects of medicinal plants for their possible therapeutic applications. Hence, future phytochemical and pharmaceutical studies should give due consideration on frequently reported medicinal plants in order to produce natural drugs that could be effective in toothache treatment and without side effects.
Abstract. Assefa B, Megersa M, Jima TT. 2021. Ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants used to treat human diseases in Gura Damole District, Bale Zone, Southeast Ethiopia. Asian J Ethnobiol 4: 42-52. Many countries, including Ethiopia, use medicinal plants for their primary health care system. Plants have been used as a source of medicine to treat human diseases in Ethiopia. This study aimed to document medicinal plants to treat various human diseases in southeast Ethiopia's, the Gura Damole District of Oromia Regional State. Ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants was carried out from August 05 to November 06, 2019. A total of 90 informants were selected to collect ethnobotanical information from 6 kebeles. Ethnobotanical data were collected using semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions with informants, and field observation. Various ethnobotanical ranking indices were used to analyze the importance of some plant species. A total of 30 medicinal plants belonging to 21 families were identified. These medicinal plants comprised shrubs (36.6%), trees (26.6%), herbs (23.3%), and lianas (13.3%). The plant families with the highest medicinal plants in the study area used for various diseases treatment were Asteraceae and Solanaceae (3 species each). Leaves (46.7%) were the dominant plant part used to prepare remedies, followed by roots (36.7%). Powdering (50%) and oral route of administration (59%) were commonly mentioned methods of preparation and administration, respectively. Carissa spinarum was the most preferred medicinal plant to treat evil eyes and is also ranked highest as the preferable medicinal plant for various purposes. Although the current study revealed the existence of indigenous knowledge of medicinal plants to treat human diseases, agricultural expansion became the primary threat to medicinal plants. Hence, different conservation methods should be applied to conserve those mostly preferred and frequently used medicinal plants for various purposes.
An ethnoveterinary study of medicinal plants used by local people of Berbere district was carried out from June 25 to September 5, 2015. The study was focused on utilization of medicinal plants to treat various livestock health problems by people of the study area. The data were gathered using semistructured interview, participant observation and personal interviews. A total of 69 informants (55 male and 14 female) in the age between 30 and 89 years were purposively selected from eight kebeles. Twenty four medicinal plants, which are distributed in 18 genera and 17 families have been collected and identified. These medicinal plants were collected from natural habitat [23 (94.6%)], whereas 1 (5.6%) from home gardens. The most frequently harvested medicinal plants parts was shrub accounting for 11 species (45.8%) for livestock. Leaves [13 (52%)] were frequently used plant parts for preparation of livestock remedies. Agricultural expansion was the major threat to medicinal plants. Creating awareness of young generation on the usage of traditional medicine and conservation is recommended.
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