Herbalists and their Mode of Health Care Service Delivery in Debre Markos Town, Northwest Ethiopia

Abstract

The administration of medicinal plants for treating human ailments is an age-old practice. Although several studies have been conducted, most of them focused on documentation of the medicinal plants and herbal knowledge. This study investigated why people use herbal medicine, from what conviction, and explains how the plants are collected, prepared and put to purpose. In order to get deeper information about the issue, both primary and secondary sources are consulted. Observation, semi structured interviews, and key informant interviews were used to collect the primary data.15 herbalists were used as informants to obtain information on knowledge acquisition, plant collection, drug preparation, preservation and administration. The study found that healers got the wisdom of herbal medicine from family; friends or relatives; as gift of God; and religious books. The study also uncovered that people visit herbal healers because of cost, cultural acceptability, easy accessibility, and dissatisfaction with modern medicine. Herbal healers are providing health services for a huge segment of the populations’ in spite of several challenges. Dominance of biomedicine, proliferation of quack healers, inheritance problems, absence of support from government authorities, and deforestation stand out as the major challenges for the progress and the very existence of indigenous medicine in general and herbal healers in particular.

The ethnomedicinal plants used for human ailments at Mojana Wodera District, central Ethiopia

“…Pounding method remedies preparation has a significant advantage in preserving it in powder, essential during the dry season. This finding coincided with the result by Gebre (2018), Demssie (2020), Taha and Woldeyohannes (2020). Regarding on mode of administration, the oral application was dominant, followed by dermal and nasal.…”

Teratogenic Effect of High Dose of Syzygium guineense (Myrtaceae) Leaves on Wistar Albino Rat Embryos and Fetuses

“…Traditionally , S. guineense is used as a febrifuge and anti-abortifacient medication [ 5 ]. It is also used for treating menstrual cycle disorder [ 6 ], malnutrition, nasopharyngeal infections, pain, pulmonary disorders [ 7 ], constipation, diarrhea, dysentery [ 8 ], arthritis, rheumatism, venereal diseases, malaria [ 9 ], asthma, wound [ 10 , 11 ], cancer, infertility [ 12 , 13 ], sleep disorder, and anemia [ 5 ]. Scientifically, the different parts of S. guineense (leaves, root, bark, stem, and twigs) have shown proven efficacy against pathogens (bacteria and fungi) [ 14 – 18 ], hypertension [ 19 ], and diabetes mellitus [ 20 ].…”

Medicinal plants used for management of hemorrhoids in Ethiopia: A systematic review

“…Pers. (Crassulaceae) Herb Root The diseased part is rubbed with pounded root [ 35 ] 32 Shimfa (T) Lepidium sativum L. (Brassiaceae) Herb Seed A slightly heated seed is applied topically while it is hot [ 14 ] 33 Appilii (O) Malus sylvestris (L.) Mill. (Rosaceae) Tree Fruit Its fruit is eaten [ 19 ] 34 Lut (A) Malva parvifton L. (Rosaceae) Herb Leaf The diseased part is bandaged with pounded leaf [ 22 ] 35 Timbaho (A) Nicotiana tabacum L. (Solanaceae) Herb Leaf Oil extracted from fresh leaves is squeezed into the anus [ 23 ] 36 Ejersa (O) Olea europaea L. (Oleaceae) Tree Stem Oil extracted burning fresh stem, mixed with camel dung Concocted, crushed, powdered, mixed with olive oi [ 21 , 23 , 27 ] 37 Muna (Sh) Sauromatum venosum (Ait) Kunth.…”