M.S.M. Sosef

Quantifying the domestic market in herbal medicine in Benin, West Africa

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCEnHerbal medicine markets are essential in understanding the importance of medicinal plants amongst a countrys inhabitants. They are also instrumental in identifying plant species with resource management priorities. To document the diversity of the medicinal plant market in Benin (West Africa), to quantify the weight of traded species in order to evaluate their economic value, and to make a first assessment of their vulnerability for commercial extraction.nnnMATERIALS AND METHODSnWe quantitatively surveyed 22 market stalls of 16 markets in the countrys eight largest urban areas. We collected all plant (parts) following standard botanical methods and recorded uses, prices and local names, and weighed and counted the numbers of sales units.nnnRESULTSnWe recorded 307 medicinal products corresponding to ca. 283 species. Thirty-five species were encountered in at least 25% of the surveyed stalls, from which ten are locally endangered or red-listed by the IUCN. Examples of vulnerable species included Caesalpinia bonduc, which has been declared extinct in the wild but is largely cultivated in home gardens, and was exploited for its seeds, roots, and leaves, and Zanthoxylum zanthoxyloides which was harvested for its bark, roots, and leaves. Other top-selling fruits and seeds included red-listed species: Monodora myristica, Xylopia aethiopica, and Schrebera arborea. Top-selling woody plant parts included the roots of Sarcocephalus latifolius, Mondia whitei, and the barks of Khaya senegalensis and Pteleopsis suberosa. All but Sarcocephalus latifolius and Pteleopsis subersosa were species with some threat status. Plants sold at the market were mainly used for ritual purposes, womens health, and to treat malaria and its symptoms.nnnCONCLUSIONnOur results suggest that the domestic medicinal plant market in Benin is of substantial economic importance. A volume of approximately 655 metric tons worth 2.7 million USD is offered for sale annually. Traditional spiritual beliefs seem to be a major driving force behind the trade in herbal medicine.

Wild and semi-wild leafy vegetables used by the Maale and Ari ethnic communities in southern Ethiopia

We studied wild and semi-wild leafy vegetables used by the Maale and Ari ethnic communities in southern Ethiopia. Quantitative and qualitative ethnobotanical methods, including individual and focus group (nxa0=xa018) discussions, field observations, and individual interviews (nxa0=xa0144), were used in three rural kebeles (lowest administrative unit). The two ethnic communities consumed 30 leafy vegetable species grouped into 22 genera and 15 families. The study participants underlined that wild and semi-wild leafy vegetables are important components in traditional dishes, more frequently during periods of food shortage. The communities showed high preference for Balanites aegyptiaca and Solanum dasyphyllum in the Maale and Ari study sites respectively. Taste, marketability and above ground edible biomass were farmers’ main selection criteria suitable for leafy vegetables cultivation. The transfer of local knowledge within the community on wild and semi-wild leafy vegetables is not differentiated by gender or age and thus enables knowledge continuity, although harvesting and cooking activities are considered as women’s tasks by the communities. Major threats to wild and semi-wild leafy vegetables need to be minimized and complementary in-situ and ex situ conservation strategies scaled up.

Genetic diversity of Bolivian wild potato germplasm: changes during ex situ conservation management and comparisons with resampled in situ populations

Potato wild relatives are important sources of novel variation for the genetic improvement of the cultivated potato. Consequently, many natural populations have been sampled and were deposited as accessions in gene banks around the world. Here we investigate to what extent the genetic variation of Bolivian wild potato species is maintained under gene bank conditions and how this diversity relates to that of current in situ populations. For this purpose, materials from seven potato species were screened for microsatellite variation. Genetic changes between different generations of ex situ germplasm were not observed for Solanum leptophyes and S. megistacrolobum, but were detected for S. neocardenasii and S. okadae, while each of the species S. acaule, S. avilesii and S. berthaultii showed stability in some cases and genetic change in others. The observed changes were ascribed to genetic drift and contamination resulting from human error during regeneration. Re-collected populations of six of the studied species showed highly significant genetic differences with the ex situ accessions that, apart from changes during ex situ maintenance, are most likely to be attributed to sampling effects during collecting and in situ genetic changes over time. The implications of the results for ex situ and in situ conservation strategies of wild potato species are discussed.

Why ritual plant use has ethnopharmacological relevance.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCEnAlthough ritual plant use is now recognised both for its socio-cultural importance and for its contribution to nature conservation, its potential pharmacological effects remain overlooked.nnnAIM OF THE STUDYnOur objective was to see whether ritual plant use could have ethnopharmacological relevance through practices that involve direct physical contact with the human body. We hypothesise that ritual practices reflect traditional knowledge on biological activities of plant species, even if plants are used in a symbolic way.nnnMATERIALS AND METHODSnData were collected in collaboration with traditional healers and ritual plant vendors and harvesters in Benin (West Africa) and Gabon (Central Africa). Both ritual and medicinal uses of plants were recorded. Voucher specimens were collected and identified. We documented different administration routes of ritual plants and selected those whose uses involved direct contact with the human body. Based on our quantitative market surveys and field inventories, we identified 24 commercially or otherwise culturally important species and compared their ritual uses with proven biological activity from the literature.nnnRESULTSnWe recorded 573 plant species with 667 ritual uses, of which ca. 75% (442 species and 499 uses) implied direct contact with the human body. The most common route of administration for ritual treatments was baths, followed by oral ingestion and skin rubbing. One third (186 species) of all ritual plants doubled as medicine for physical ailments. In contrast to previous research that explained the effectiveness of ritual plant use to be a matter of belief, our results hint at the potential medicinal properties of these plants. Ritual treatment of madness caused by evil spirits by the consumption of Rauvolfia vomitoria roots, for example, may be based on the species proven anticonvulsant properties.nnnDISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONnWe discuss some of the possible implications of ritual plant use for public health and conclude by suggesting that ritual plant uses that do not involve contact with the human body may also be vehicles for the transmission of traditional medicinal knowledge.

Genetic diversity of bitter and sweet African bush mango trees (Irvingia spp., Irvingiaceae) in West and Central Africa

Economically important food tree species in sub-Saharan Africa should be domesticated to enhance their production within agro forestry systems. The African bush mango trees (Irvingia species) are highly preserved and integrated in agro forestry systems in tropical Africa. However, the taxonomic debate related to the species or varietal status of the bitter and sweet fruited African bush mango trees hinders their domestication process and rational use. Amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLPs) and chloroplast simple sequence repeats (cpSSRs) were used in this study to assess the genetic diversity of African bush mango trees and to test the distinction between bitter and sweet fruited trees, sampled across Togo, Benin, Nigeria and Cameroon. Both the AFLPs and cpSSRs showed low genetic diversity for the Dahomey Gap bitter trees population. This is due to the higher fragmentation and the continuous reduction of this small sized population occurring in a limited forest ecosystem. The higher polymorphism and genetic diversity of the sweet mango tree populations in Benin and Togo showed the effects of domestication of materials of different geographical origin coupled with the frequent long distance transfer of genetic materials. When used separately, the AFLPs and cpSSRs failed to consistently discriminate the populations and type of trees. From the combined dataset, both markers differentiated geographically recognizable groups; bitter from sweet mango trees. However, Nigerian sweet mango trees clustered with the bitter ones. The suitability of AFLPs and cpSSRs to test our hypotheses within Irvingia needs to be thoroughly reassessed. n n Key words: AFLP, Benin, cpSSR, Togo, Dahomey Gap, Irvingia, taxonomy, domestication.