Ethnobotanical survey of food and medicinal plants of the Ilkisonko Maasai community in Kenya

Kimondo, Julia; Miaron, J. O. O.; Mutai, Peggoty; Njogu, Peter Mbugua

doi:10.1016/j.jep.2015.10.013

Cited by 51 publications

(40 citation statements)

References 42 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The present study revealed increased use of roots, similarly, a high prevalence in harvesting of roots and bark was reported among the Ilkisonko Maasai community (Kimondo et al, 2015). But in a study carried out in India by Kumar and Bharati (2014), it was observed that, leaves (33 instances) were the most frequently used plant part.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 78%

Ethnobotanical survey and threats to medicinal plants traditionally used for the management of human diseases in Nyeri County, Kenya

Kamau¹,

Mbaabu²,

Mbaria³

et al. 2016

TANG [HUMANITAS MEDICINE]

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In Kenya, traditional knowledge on herbal medicine has remained a mainstream source of maintaining wellbeing for generations in many communities. However, the knowledge has been eroded in the course of time due to sociocultural dynamics virtually advanced by Christianity and formal education especially in the Kikuyu community. The study documented current ethnobotanical knowledge and threat to the traditional knowledge on medicinal plants among the Kikuyu community. A survey was carried out in Mathira, Tetu, Kieni, Othaya, Mukurweini, and Nyeri Town constituencies. Thirty practicing herbalists were purposively sampled; 5 per constituency. Data was obtained through semi -structured questionnaires and analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively. A total of 80 ailments treated using 111 medicinal plant species distributed within 98 genera and 56 families were documented. Prevalent communicable diseases treated using herbal medicine included; gonorrhea (17.5%), malaria (15%), respiratory infections (12%), colds (10%) and amoebiasis (10%). Non-communicable diseases were; joint pains (11.1%), ulcers/hyperacidity (8.7%), high blood pressure (8.7%), intestinal worms (11.1%) and arthritis/gout (10%). Frequently harvested plant materials were; roots, barks and leaves. The study concluded that, traditional medicine practitioners in Nyeri County possessed wide knowledge of herbal medicine but this knowledge was on the verge of disappearing as it was largely a preserve of the aged generation. The study recommended massive campaign about the benefits of using herbal medicine in the study area. Further pharmacological studies are recommended on the mentioned plant species aimed at establishing their efficacy and safety as well as standardization as potential drugs.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 78%

Ethnobotanical survey and threats to medicinal plants traditionally used for the management of human diseases in Nyeri County, Kenya

Kamau¹,

Mbaabu²,

Mbaria³

et al. 2016

TANG [HUMANITAS MEDICINE]

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In total we identified 15 articles, two theses (M.Sc. and Ph.D.) and two books, all published between 1994 and 2018 [9,13,14,[16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31].…”

Section: Data Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Supplementary Materials: The following is available online at http://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/9/1/44/s1, Supplementary material: A listing of 289 medicinal plants used by the Maasai as documented in 19 references reviewed [9,13,14,[16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31]. The species are sorted by the number of use reports for each of them.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Medicinal Plants of the Maasai of Kenya: A Review

Nankaya

Gichuki

Lukhoba

et al. 2019

Plants

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The use of medicinal plants for treatment of humans and animals is entrenched in the Maasai culture and traditional knowledge related to it is passed on from one generation to the next. A handful of researchers have in the past decades documented this knowledge. No single study has documented medicinal plant uses of the Maasai community as a whole. This review provides a consolidated database of the diversity and uses of medicinal plants among the Maasai in Kenya. The study will help conserve traditional medicinal plant knowledge that is valuable for the development of modern medicine. Relevant information on medicinal plants used by the Maasai of Kenya was extracted from journals, books, M.Sc., and Ph.D. dissertations. We found evidence of 289 plant species used by the Maasai of Kenya in traditional medicine. Most species were used to treat health conditions in the categories gastrointestinal and respiratory system disorders. The most used families were Leguminosae, Asteraceae, Malvaceae, Euphorbiaceae, and Lamiaceae. Medicines were commonly prepared as a decoction and administered through oral ingestion, with roots reported to be the preferred plant part for medication. The Maasai preference for roots compared to other plant parts may be unsustainable and could threaten species availability in the future.

show abstract

“…Most emphasis on the respect and perpetuation of knowledge about the medicinal plants is espoused by traditional medicinal knowledge (TMK). Although there are numerous reports, published work, thesis, dissertations, books, inventories, media reports, and monographs of the diversity of medicinal plants within the tropical environment [25][26][27][28][29][30], most of these knowledge are still based purely on scientific work that totally excludes the contribution of the local community members and does not reflect TMK. Of interest is that the majority of the works so far carried out in developing countries largely focus on the inventories, utilization, and conservation of medicinal plants [21,[30][31][32][33][34][35].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Ethnobotanical Study of Traditional Knowledge and Uses of Medicinal Wild Plants among the Marakwet Community in Kenya

Wanjohi

Sudoi

Njenga

et al. 2020

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Traditional plant knowledge and uses of medicinal wild plants were investigated among the Marakwet community in Kenya. Data were collected through interviews with seven traditional healers and 157 questionnaires for local community members. Traditional names of the plants by traditional healers and local community members were prepared as a checklist. Loss of traditional medicinal names of plants was ascertained with up to 60% overlapping in their nomenclature. The traditional medicinal plants treated 41 diseases within the region, of which local community members understood common ones for treating stomachache (94.8%), diarrhea (70.7%), chest problems (65.5%), and typhoid (63.8%). It was also clear that there was low knowledge index of medicinal plants by the local community members (23.6%) based on knowledge of traditional healers. Clearly, medicinal plants for treatment of malaria, diabetes, tetanus, and pneumonia were recognized by over 40% of the local community members, while plants treating arteriosclerosis, meningitis, arthritis, trachoma, smallpox, rheumatic fever, and gout were known by less than 10% of the respondents. Among plants, the use of roots for treatment was known by over 67% of the local community members compared to fruits, bark, bulb, and flowers (<10%). This low traditional medicinal knowledge in a community relies on the traditional medicinal plants, calling for an urgent need to document the information and perpetuate this knowledge from one generation to another. This can be achieved by collecting the information and developing a database of medicinal plants for future research and potential development of new drugs.

show abstract

Ethnobotanical survey of food and medicinal plants of the Ilkisonko Maasai community in Kenya

Cited by 51 publications

References 42 publications

Ethnobotanical survey and threats to medicinal plants traditionally used for the management of human diseases in Nyeri County, Kenya

Ethnobotanical survey and threats to medicinal plants traditionally used for the management of human diseases in Nyeri County, Kenya

Medicinal Plants of the Maasai of Kenya: A Review

An Ethnobotanical Study of Traditional Knowledge and Uses of Medicinal Wild Plants among the Marakwet Community in Kenya

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About