Assessment of the Diversity of Medico-Magic Knowledge on Four Herbaceous Species in Benin

Abstract

Background. Ethnobotanical knowledge on four herbaceous species, Acmella uliginosa (Sw.) Cass., Momordica charantia L., Phyllanthus amarus Schumach. & Thonn., and Scoparia dulcis L., in Benin was investigated. Methods. Herbal medicine traders in six different markets were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire. The linear regression test was performed to check for the influence of respondent’s age on ethnobotanical uses they hold. Relative frequency citation, fidelity level, use value, and Rahman similarity index were calculated to assess the diversity of medico-magic knowledge. The Informant Consensus Factor is not applicable in this study since we are dealing neither with the diversity of medicinal plants used by a community of people nor with a great number of plant species used for medicinal purposes, nor the diversity of plant species used in the treatment of a specific or group of ailments. Results. The respondent's age did not influence the ethnobotanical uses they hold on the species. All thirty-six informants surveyed traded Phyllanthus amarus Schumach. & Thonn., Momordica charantia L., and Scoparia dulcis L., and the majority traded Acmella uliginosa (Sw.) Cass. The respondent's age does not influence the diversity of ethnobotanical uses they hold on the study species. Purchase in traders’ own markets was the predominant source of Phyllanthus amarus Schumach. & Thonn., Momordica charantia L., and Scoparia dulcis L. while Acmella uliginosa (Sw.) Cass. was mostly purchased in other more distant markets. A noticeable proportion of traders also collect Phyllanthus amarus Schumach. & Thonn. and Momordica charantia L. from wild populations. Phyllanthus amarus Schumach. & Thonn. was the species most demanded by customers followed by Momordica charantia L. Traders confirmed the scarcity of all species in recent years and climate change and destruction of natural habitats for logging were the most cited causes. The entire plant of Phyllanthus amarus Schumach. & Thonn. was used mainly to treat malaria, diabetes, and constipation, and decoction with oral administration was the most frequent preparation for malaria treatment. To treat diabetes, informants mixed Phyllanthus amarus Schumach. & Thonn. with Momordica charantia L. used as a decoction with oral administration. Momordica charantia L. was also used to treat measles and chicken pox. Acmella uliginosa (Sw.) Cass. and Scoparia dulcis L. were mostly used for their spiritual use for luck, predominantly by chewing fresh leaves or flowers, and by bathing with the ground plant mixed with soap, respectively. Overall, Momordica charantia L. had the greatest use value followed by Phyllanthus amarus Schumach. & Thonn. The majority of traders do not plant the species. Conclusions. The harvesting and trade of the species threaten their natural populations and urgent tools, including in situ and ex situ conservation, are needed to ensure their long-term sustainable exploitation.

Application of Ethnobotanical Indices in the Utilization of Five Medicinal Herbaceous Plant Species in Benin, West Africa

“…The proposal to conduct ethnobotanical investigations on herbaceous species through market surveys was submitted to and approved by the Scientific Council of the University of Abomey-Calavi, and by the Laboratory of Applied Ecology, Faculty of Agronomic Sciences, University of Abomey-Calavi, Benin, using the framework of our previous research [12]. The aim of the research was explained to the official responsible of each market from whom the approval to conduct the surveys was sought.…”

“…A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data on the trade, sources and importance of each species. Traders were asked to rank the five species according to consumer demand regardless of their uses [12,37], and the availability versus scarcity of each species in recent years. The various causes of scarcity were also recorded.…”

“…In the Republic of Benin, researchers investigated many medicinal species but the gap persists on many other plants [10,11]. Furthermore, Dossou-Yovo et al [12], stating the medico-magic knowledge on four herbaceous species highly used in ethnomedicine throughout Benin, highlighted that much research attention should be focused on herbaceous medicinal plants in Benin. However, to the best our knowledge, in general, A. mexicana, one of the five medicinal plants constituting the herbal material of our research, is a plant whose homeland is tropical America, and which spreads in tropical and subtropical regions of the world.…”

“…For this reason, we conducted this study, which offers a new perspective in terms of recognition, better management, and the protection of these herbaceous plants, which are always sold in herbal medicine markets in Benin. To do this, in order to assess the diversity of medico-magic knowledge related to these species, four ethnobotanical indices recently used by Dossou-Yovo et al [12], Relative Frequency Citation (RFC), Fidelity Level (FL), UV and Rahman Similarity Index (RSI), were applied. Ethnobotanical indices are recognized as relevant for quantitative and qualitative ethnobotany [33,34].…”

Investigation of Some Bioactivities and Odor Components of Jasminum officinale Linn. (Oleaceae): A Valuable Tool for Cosmetic Product Design

“…Nature, the source of life, offers us everything necessary to lead a healthy and long life and indigenous people are collecting herbaceous and ligneous species from the wild and other commercial and home gardens to treat a wide range of diseases and satisfy other social conditions. As a result, it is important to be aware of plant availability and use them accordingly (Aşık, 2017;Dossou-Yovo et al, 2021;Dossou-Yovo et al, 2022a;Dossou-Yovo et al, 2022b).…”