Medicinal plants utilized for hepatic disorders in Ethiopian traditional medical practices: a review

Abstract

Background: Ethiopia is among the top floral biodiversity rich countries in the world. More than 7000 species of plants, 15% of they are endemic, are reported in the country. Accessibility, cultural enrichment, and cheapness make 80% of the Ethiopian people used indigenous plants for various health ailments and diseases in their traditional medical practices. Therefore, the current review examined the use patterns of medicinal plants utilized for hepatic disorders in Ethiopian traditional medical practices for further scientific investigations. Methods: Ethnobotanical and related studies on medicinal plants utilized for hepatic disorders in Ethiopia were reviewed. Ethiopian university websites, Google, Google Scholar, PubMed, Medline, and other online internet search engines were used to access literature articles. The number of plant species and families, used parts, used conditions, modes of preparation, and routes of administration were tabulated and summarized using Excel spreadsheet and descriptive statistics, respectively. Results: The current review showed that 276 plant species belonging to 89 families were used for hepatic disorders in Ethiopian traditional medical practices. The commonly utilized plant families were Asteraceae (10.14%), Fabaceae (9.08%), Euphorbiaceae (7.61%), Laminaceae (4.35%), Solanaceae (3.99%), and Aloaceae (2.90%). Justicia schimperiana (34.34%), Croton macrostachyus, and Phytolacca dodecandra (each 20.20%), Cordia africana, Cucumis ficifolius, and Rumex abyssinica (each 10.10%) were among the most utilized plant species. They were mainly distributed in Oromo (58%), southern (36%), and Amhara (35.5%) regions. Herbs (47.10%), shrubs (26.09%) and trees (20.65%) were their primary growth forms, while leaves (34.30%) and roots (33.06%) were their commonly utilized parts. Pounding (24.59%), decoction (19.67%), powdering (9.84%), and concoction (9.13%) were their major modes of preparations. Water was the most utilized solvent (48.26%) for the remedy preparations, which were mainly administered orally (76.35%). Conclusions: This review showed that many claimed medicinal plants were utilized for the treatment of hepatic disorders in Ethiopian traditional medical practices. Hence, further experimental investigation is recommended to standardize their quality and phytochemistry and validate their safety and efficacy. Documentation and conservation of indigenous herbal knowledge have also been strengthened.

Preference and Practice of Traditional Medicine and Associated Factors in Jimma Town, Southwest Ethiopia

“…Contrary to its wide usage, traditional medicine in Ethiopia is not uniformly practiced. The users are considerably diverse and significantly vary between regions [ 13 ]. The standard policies and regulations governing traditional medicine are too weak.…”

Practice of Traditional Medicine and Associated Factors Among Residents in Eastern Ethiopia: A Community-Based Cross-Sectional Study

“…Around 35.3% of participants had information about the use of traditional medicine for different disease from traditional medicine healer which was differ from source of information for Communities of Debre Tabor Town ( 26 ) and the most common disease for which the participants used those traditional medicines were common cold and tonsilitis. The users of traditional medicine are somewhat diverse and significantly differ between regions ( 13 ).…”

“…Although traditional medicine is widespread, it is not practiced consistently or similarly in Ethiopia. Utilizers of traditional medicine are quite diverse and differ significantly between regions ( 13 ). The standard guidelines and regulations for traditional medicine are not as strict ( 14 , 15 ).…”

Chemical Constituents of Rumex abyssinicus Roots and Evaluation of Its Antimicrobial Activities

“…The use of biological resources for various therapies has been known in many different parts of the world, especially in remote regions where traditional medicines (TMs) provide an alternative to the modern health care system (5). Many people in developing countries still use TM due to its low cost and availability (6). Over 80% of people in developing countries rely on TM for primary health care needs, of which a major proportion corresponds to plant extracts (6,7).…”

“…Many people in developing countries still use TM due to its low cost and availability (6). Over 80% of people in developing countries rely on TM for primary health care needs, of which a major proportion corresponds to plant extracts (6,7). The phytochemicals isolated from these plants have shown in vitro and in vivo biological activities (8).…”