J.O. Kokwaro

Herbal remedies of the Luo of Siaya District, Kenya: establishing quantitative criteria for consensus

Data based on independent interviews with 45 herbalists of the Luo of Siaya District, Kenya, comprised 1129 remedy reports and related to 330 species of plants. While 49% of the remedies were encountered only once we list here 66 remedies (49 taxa) that were confirmed through independent reports from three or more individuals. A log-linear model was applied to these data in order to establish criteria for evaluating the likely efficacy of specific remedies. A quantitative interaction effect was calculated for each remedy as a measure of its degree of confirmation. The validity of the values derived from the mathematical model is considered in relation to classical criteria for evaluating ethnomedicinal reports.RésuméLes résultats d’enquêtes individuelles avec 45 herboristes Luo du district de Siaya au Kenya ont permis de répertorier 330 espèces de plantes médicinales utilisées dans quelques 1129 traitements herboristes. Puisque 49% de ces plantes médicinales n’avaient été mentionnées qu’une seule fois, nous avons bâti une liste de 66 plantes médicinales (49 taxa) dont chacune a été rapportée par plus de trois herboristes. Les résultats obtenus ont été incorporés dans un modèle logarithmique linéaire afin d’identifier des critères d’evaluation de l’efficacité de ces plantes médicinales. Pour chacune des plantes médicinales “l’effet de l’interactíon quantitative” a été utilisé comme mesure de son degré de confirmation. La validité des résultats obtenus à partir de ce modèle mathématique a été comparée aux critères classiques d’évaluation des rapports ethnomédicinaux.

Anti-giardial activity of gastrointestinal remedies of the Luo of East Africa

Activity in an in vitro assay with Giardia lamblia provided a test of the validity of a quantitative methodology used in an ethnobotanical survey of the Luo people of the Lake Victoria basin of Kenya and Tanzania. Forty-five taxa of remedies for gastrointestinal problems were reported by four or more independent informants and a log-linear model was used to calculate a statistical measure of informant consensus. Methanolic extracts of 21 of 36 taxa assayed were lethal or inhibited growth of Giardia trophozoites at 1000 ppm; 7 species were lethal at 500 ppm. Non-cathartic species are more likely to be active than cathartics. Lethal species of non-cathartics are reported by informants more frequently than non-lethal species although the lack of statistical significance did not provide satisfactory support for the validity of the quantitative methodology as a predictor of efficacious remedies.

Ethnobotany of Apocynaceae species in Kenya

The study of Apocynaceae species used in traditional medicine reveals that 25 species in 16 genera are of ethnobotanical interest. Nineteen species are medicinal, sixteen of which fall under the subfamily Plumerioideae which usually has indole alkaloids. The most common category of diseases treated is skin and ectoparasitic diseases followed by abdominal diseases, diseases of the head, female conditions and venereal diseases. The root is the most commonly used part of the plant and it is possible that the alkaloids play an important role in the medicinal value of the plants. Many species are used for non-medicinal purposes as fruit (Saba comorensis), edible roots (Carissa edulis), poisons (Acokanthera schimperi), fodder (Strophanthus mirabilis), wood (Funtumia africana), birdlime (Tabernaemontana pachysiphon), ornamentals (Adenium obesum), dye (Carissa edulis) and perfume (Wrightia demartiniana).

Food plants of the Luo of Siaya district, Kenya

Plants used for food by the Luo-speaking people of Siaya District, Kenya, were surveyed as part of a comprehensive ethnobotanical study. Fifty-two crops were observed under cultivation in the district; 69 species are gathered from the wild. Wild fruits, underground portions, leaves, and fungal fruiting bodies are probably important in Siaya as dietary supplements. These non-cultivated resources, particularly important in the driest areas of the district, warrant evaluation for their role as a buffer against periods of food shortage.ResumenDans le cadre d’une etude ethnobotanique importante, nous avons repertorie les plantes utilisees dans I ’alimentation du peuple Luo du district de Siaya (Kenya). Bien que nous ayons observe la culture de 52 especes de plantes dans ce district, quelques 69 plantes sont cueillies a I’etat sauvage. Les fruits sauvages, les racines, les feuilles et les champignons constituent done probablement un important complement au regime alimentaire du peuple de Siaya. Ces ressources alimentaires non cultivees sont particulierement importantes dans les parties les plus arides du district et meritent une evaluation plus approfondie quant a leur role lors de penurie alimentaire.

Ethnomedicinal study of major species in the family Labiatae from Kenya.

The family Labiatae, commonly called the mint family, is one of the flowering group of plants that has been found to have great medicinal potential. In this study, at least twenty-eight (28) indigenous species which are popular among Kenyan herbalists have been collected from the Rift Valley and central parts of Kenya. Preliminary chemical analysis of the Ocimum genus has revealed several different components of essential oils. There is evidence that further and more intensive research on the medicinal aspects of the family is called for.

In vitro antiplasmodial activity of selected Luo and Kuria medicinal plants

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE Drug resistance in malaria is a recurring subject that threatens public health globally. There is an urgent need to seek new antimalarial agents. This study seeking new antimalarials from medicinal plants is guided by ethnobotany. MATERIALS AND METHODS Medicinal plants of the Luo and Kuria ethnic groups of Kenya with high usage reports were screened in vitro for their antiplasmodial activity using the SYBR Green I fluorescence assay (MSF assay). RESULTS The IC50s for drugs and total plant extracts ranged from 0.01217 to 10.679 mg/ml. Extracts were more active on chloroquine sensitive than resistant Plasmodium falciparum strains. Tylosema fassoglense, Ageratum conyzoides and Ocimum kilimandscharicum exhibited promising results. Plectranthus barbatus did not show activity. CONCLUSION Ethnobotanical knowledge was sufficiently reliable for identifying plant extracts with antiplasmodial activity.

Indigenous snakebite remedies of the Luo of Western Kenya

ABSTRACT Medicinal plants have been overtaken in the treatment of snake bites by serum therapy and are rarely considered efficacious remedies in biomedicine. Nevertheless, rural inhabitants rely on plant medical material and the attention of highly regarded local traditional healers when threatened by snakebite poisoning. This paper examines curative and preventive snakebite treatments, beliefs and practices collected from 100 Luo respondents. The informants reported the use of a number of herbal and non-herbal remedies including mystical therapies and 24 herbaceous plants whose aerial parts are preferred. Treatments involve cut, suck, and bind methods followed by application of plant leaf and root poultices held in place with strips of cloth or bark.

In-Vitro Anthelmintic Bioactivity Study Of Eclipta prostrata L. (Whole Plant) Using Adult Haemonchus contortus worms A Case Study Of Migori County, Kenya

The aim of this study was to investigate the anthelmintic activity of Eclipta prostrata (Asteraceae) which is used by traditional medicine practitioners in Migori County using adult Haemonchus contortus worm as a model.50gm of ground powder of Eclipta prostrata (whole plant) was extracted separately with 300 ml methanol, acetone and water. The yields of the extracts were 3.53 gm, 4.19 gm and 4.02 gm for methanol, acetone and water respectively. The anthelmintic activity of 6.25 mg/ml, 12.5 mg/ml and 25 mg/ml concentrations of aqueous, acetone and methanol crude extracts of Eclipta prostrata (whole plant), were compared with the effect produced by the standard reference drug albendazole with Phosphate Buffered Saline (PBS) used as a negative control. Death of Haemonchus contortus worm was determined within a period of 24 hrs. Eclipta prostrata extract had mean mortality of 26.7-40.0 % at 6.25 mg/ml; 33.3-53.3 % at 12.5 mg/ml; 36.7-56.7 % at 25 mg/ml.All the extracts contained tannins and cardiac glycosides.

Meliola icacinacearum and M. kerichoensis, spp. nov. from Kenya

Meliola icacinacearum and M. kerichoensis spp. nov. are described and illustrated from Apodytes dimidiata and Croton alienus, respectively. C. alienus is a new host record for Meliola.