Mirutse Giday

An ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants used by the Zay people in Ethiopia

An ethnobotanical survey was carried out to collect information on the use of medicinal plants by the Zay people who live on islands as well as shore areas of Lake Ziway in the Ethiopian Rift Valley. A total of 33 medicinal plants were reported as being used locally for the treatment and/or control of human and livestock ailments. Results of the survey showed that leaf materials form the major component of plant parts harvested. The majority of the remedies are prepared in the form of juice from freshly collected plant parts. Most of the remedies are prepared from a single species, and are mainly taken orally. Most of the medicinal plants are collected from the wild. Of the total claimed medicinal plants, 10 were reported scarce locally. Environmental degradation and intense deforestation have been reported as the main causes for the depletion of medicinal plants in the area. As the Zay people are still partly dependent on medicinal plants, loss of these plants will, to a certain extent, hamper the existing health care system in the area. Measures for conservation of medicinal plants of the Zay people are urgently needed.

Medicinal plants of the Meinit ethnic group of Ethiopia: an ethnobotanical study.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE The majority of the Ethiopian people, including the Meinit ethnic group, are highly dependent on medicinal plants for their day-to-day public healthcare and veterinary needs. The existence of medicinal plants and the associated knowledge is, however, currently being threatened mainly due to deforestation, environmental degradation and acculturation. Thus, there is an urgent need to document and analyse the knowledge. AIM OF STUDY The aim of this study was to record and analyse local knowledge of the Meinit people of Ethiopia on the use of plants to treat or cure diseases of humans and domestic animals. MATERIALS AND METHODS Ethnobotanical data were gathered through series of individual interviews conducted with selected informants representing different social groups within the Meinit Community. Fidelity Level (FL) values were calculated to estimate the healing potentials of claimed medicinal plants. RESULTS The study revealed 51 medicinal plants, most of which were herbs. Root was the most frequently used part in remedy preparation. The majority of medicinal plants were not cultivated. Significantly higher numbers of medicinal plants were cited by men than women, by older people than younger ones and by illiterate people than literate ones. Rumex nepalensis Spreng., Leucas deflexa Hook.f. and Embelia schimperi Vatke were the medicinal plants that scored the highest FL values. CONCLUSIONS Acculturation of the young generation has been found to be the major treat to the continuation of traditional medical knowledge and practice in the study area. Efforts should, therefore, be made to incorporate traditional medicine in school curricula so that younger people could appreciate its usefulness. Priority for further Pharmaco-chemical investigation should be given to plants that scored highest FL values, as such values could indicate better efficacy.

Antibacterial activities of selected medicinal plants in traditional treatment of human wounds in Ethiopia

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the activity of selected Ethiopian medicinal plants traditionally used for wound treatment against wound-causing bacteria. METHODS Samples of medicinal plants (Achyranthes aspera, Brucea antidysenterica, Datura stramonium, Croton macrostachyus, Acokanthera schimperi, Phytolacca dodecandra, Millettia ferruginea, and Solanum incanum) were extracted using absolute methanol and water and tested for their antimicrobial activities against clinical isolates and standard strains of wound-causing bacteria using agar well diffusion and micro titer plate methods. RESULTS Most of the plant extracts had antibacterial activities, among which Acokanthera schimperi and Brucea antidysenterica inhibited growth of 100% and 35% of the test organisms, respectively. Methanolic extracts had higher activities compared with their corresponding aqueous extracts. The most susceptible organism to the extracts was Streptococcus pyogens while the most resistant were Escherichia coli and Proteus vulgaris. CONCLUSIONS This finding justifies the use of the plants in wound healing and their potential activity against wound-causing bacteria. Their toxicity level and antimicrobial activity with different extraction solvents should further be studied to use them as sources and templates for the synthesis of drugs to control wound and other disease-causing bacteria.

Ethnomedicinal study of plants used by Sheko ethnic group of Ethiopia

AIM OF THE STUDY This study was conducted to document and evaluate knowledge on medicinal plant use by Sheko ethnic group in Southwest Ethiopia. MATERIALS AND METHODS Interviews and ranking exercises were the main methods employed to collect the ethnobotanical data. Fidelity level (FL) values were calculated for claimed Sheko medicinal plants to estimate their healing potentials. RESULTS Seventy-one Sheko medicinal plants were reported, the majority of which were used to treat skin and gastro-intestinal ailments. Ocimum lamiifolium, Phytolacca dodecandra, Amaranthus dubius and Amaranthus graecizans were the medicinal plants assigned with the highest FL values, a possible indication of their better healing potential. The majority of Sheko medicinal plants were found to be herbs, and leaf was the most preferred plant part in remedy preparations. The study indicated that men, older people and illiterate ones had better knowledge of medicinal plants use as compared to women, younger people and literate ones, respectively. CONCLUSIONS The study showed that the Sheko people have rich knowledge of medicinal plant use. This knowledge is however, currently threatened mainly due to acculturation. Awareness should thus be created among Sheko community by concerned bodies regarding the usefulness of their medical practice. The efficacy and safety of the claimed medicinal plants need to be evaluated before recommending them for a wider use with priority given to those with high fidelity level values.

Medicinal plant knowledge of the Bench ethnic group of Ethiopia: an ethnobotanical investigation

BackgroundPlants have traditionally been used as a source of medicine in Ethiopia since early times for the control of various ailments afflicting humans and their domestic animals. However, little work has been made in the past to properly document and promote the knowledge. Today medicinal plants and the associated knowledge in the country are threatened due to deforestation, environmental degradation and acculturation. Urgent ethnobotanical studies and subsequent conservation measures are, therefore, required to salvage these resources from further loss. The purpose of the present study was to record and analyse traditional medicinal plant knowledge of the Bench ethnic group in Southwest Ethiopia.MethodsSemi-structured interviews were conducted with Bench informants selected during transect walks made to houses as well as those identified as knowledgeable by local administrators and elders to gather data regarding local names of medicinal plants used, parts harvested, ailments treated, remedy preparation methods, administration routes, dosage and side effects. The same method was also employed to gather information on marketability, habitat and abundance of the reported medicinal plants. Purposive sampling method was used in the selection of study sites within the study district. Fidelity Level (FL) value was calculated for each claimed medicinal plant to estimate its healing potential.ResultsThe study revealed 35 Bench medicinal plants: 32 used against human ailments and three to treat both human and livestock ailments. The majority of Bench medicinal plants were herbs and leaf was the most frequently used part in the preparation of remedies. Significantly higher average number of medicinal plants was claimed by men, older people and illiterate ones as compared to women, younger people and literate ones, respectively. The majority of the medicinal plants used in the study area were uncultivated ones.ConclusionThe study revealed acculturation as the major threat to the continuation of the traditional medical practice in the study area. Awareness should, therefore, be created among the Bench community, especially the young ones, by concerned organizations and individuals regarding the usefulness of the practice.

In vitro anthelmintic activity of crude extracts of five medicinal plants against egg-hatching and larval development of Haemonchus contortus.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE Senna occidentalis, Leonotis ocymifolia, Leucas martinicensis, Rumex abyssinicus, and Albizia schimperiana are traditionally used for treatment of various ailments including helminth infection in Ethiopia. MATERIALS AND METHODS In vitro egg hatch assay and larval development tests were conducted to determine the possible anthelmintic effects of crude aqueous and hydro-alcoholic extracts of the leaves of Senna occidentalis, aerial parts of Leonotis ocymifolia, Leucas martinicensis, Rumex abyssinicus, and stem bark of Albizia schimperiana on eggs and larvae of Haemonchus contortus. RESULTS Both aqueous and hydro-alcoholic extracts of Leucas martinicensis, Leonotis ocymifolia and aqueous extract of Senna occidentalis and Albizia schimperiana induced complete inhibition of egg hatching at concentration less than or equal to 1mg/ml. Aqueous and hydro-alcoholic extracts of all tested medicinal plants have shown statistically significant and dose dependent egg hatching inhibition. Based on ED(50), the most potent extracts were aqueous and hydro-alcoholic extracts of Leucas martinicensis (0.09 mg/ml), aqueous extracts of Rumex abyssinicus (0.11 mg/ml) and Albizia schimperiana (0.11 mg/ml). Most of the tested plant extracts have shown remarkable larval development inhibition. Aqueous extracts of Leonotis ocymifolia, Leucas martinicensis, Albizia schimperiana and Senna occidentalis induced 100, 99.85, 99.31, and 96.36% inhibition of larval development, respectively; while hydro-alcoholic extracts of Albizia schimperiana induced 99.09 inhibition at the highest concentration tested (50mg/ml). Poor inhibition was recorded for hydro-alcoholic extracts of Senna occidentalis (9%) and Leonotis ocymifolia (37%) at 50mg/ml. CONCLUSIONS The overall findings of the current study indicated that the evaluated medicinal plants have potential anthelmintic effect and further in vitro and in vivo evaluation is indispensable to make use of these plants.

Ethnobotanical study of antimalarial plants in Shinile District, Somali Region, Ethiopia, and in vivo evaluation of selected ones against Plasmodium berghei.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE The study documented medicinal plants that are traditionally used for treatment of malaria in Shinile District, eastern Ethiopia, and evaluated selected medicinal plants for their antiplasmodial activities against Plasmodium berghei. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study was conducted in four kebeles of Shinile District, Somali Region, Ethiopia. A total of 15 traditional healers were sampled based on recommendations of local elders and administrators. Specimens of the reported antimalarial plants were collected and stored at the Mini Herbarium of the Aklilu Lemma Institute of Pathobiology, Addis Ababa University, following identification. Crude aqueous and ethanol extracts of Aloe sp., Azadirachta indica and Tamarindus indica were tested in vivo against Plasmodium berghei. The three plants were selected based on the frequency antimalarial use report by healers. RESULTS The study revealed 27 antimalarial plants, the majority of which were harvested from the wild. Root was the most frequently sought plant part. Most of the remedies were used in decoction form. Aloe sp., Azadirachta indica and Tamarindus indica were the most commonly reported plants for their antimalarial use. For the in vivo test, all the plant extracts were given to mice orally. Ethanol and aqueous leaf extracts of Aloe sp. caused 73.94% and 58.10% parasitaemia suppression, respectively at dose of 650 mg/kg. Ethanol extract of Azadirachta indica leaves induced 54.79% parasitaemia suppression at the dose of 650 mg/kg and its water extract induced 21.47% parasite suppression at a similar dose. Water extract of the fruits of Tamarindus indica showed the highest parasitaemia suppression (81.09%) at the dose of 650 mg/kg. Most Plasmodium berghei infected mice treated with high dose of plant extracts survived relatively longer compared to their respective controls although the difference was not significant. CONCLUSIONS The result of this study may support the traditional use of Aloe sp., Azadirachta indica and Tamarindus indica in the study area against malaria. Results of this study can be used as a basis for further phytochemical and pharmacological investigations in the effort for search of new and locally affordable antimalarial agents.

An ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants used in Kilte Awulaelo District, Tigray Region of Ethiopia

BackgroundThe Ethiopian people have been dependent on traditional medicine, mainly medicinal plants, from time immemorial for control of human and animal health problems, and they still remain to be largely dependent on the practice. The purpose of the current study was to conduct ethnobotanical study to document medicinal plants used to treat diseases of human and domestic animals in Kilte Awulaelo District in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia.MethodsEthnobotanical data were collected between July and September 2011 through semi-structured interviews, ranking exercises and field observations. For the interviews, 72 knowledgeable informants were sampled using purposive sampling method. For the different ranking exercises, key informants were identified with the help of elders and local administrators from informants that were already involved in the interviews.ResultsThe study revealed 114 medicinal plant species belonging to 100 genera and 53 families. The plants were used to treat 47 human and 19 livestock diseases. Of the species, the majority (74%) were obtained from the wild. Herbs were the most utilized plants, accounting for 44% of the species, followed by shrubs (29%). Leaf was the most commonly used plant part accounting for 42.98% of the plants, followed by roots (25.73%). Preference ranking exercise on selected plants used against abdominal pain indicated the highest preference of people for Solanum marginatum. Direct matrix ranking showed Cordia africana as the most preferred multipurpose plant in the community. Preference ranking of selected scarce medicinal plants indicated Myrica salicifolia as the most scarce species, followed by Boscia salicifolia and Acokanthera schimperi. According to priority ranking, drought was identified as the most destructive factor of medicinal plants, followed by overgrazing and firewood collection.ConclusionMedicinal plants are still playing significant role in the management of various human and livestock diseases in the study area with herbs taking the lead in the number of plants used in the preparation of remedies, which may be an indication of their relatively better abundance as compared to other life forms. Recurrent drought was reported to have seriously threatened medicinal plant resources in the District. Awareness is thus needed be raised among local people on sustainable utilization and management of plant resources. Ex situ and in situ conservation measures should be taken to protect the medicinal plants of the District from further destruction and special attention should be given to the medicinal plants that were indicated by preference ranking exercise as the most threatened ones.

Ethnobotanical study of plants used in management of livestock health problems by Afar people of Ada’ar District, Afar Regional State, Ethiopia

BackgroundThe great majority of the Afar people of Ethiopia are pastoralists, highly dependent on livestock and livestock products. Livestock productivity is, however, frequently affected by different diseases. Although many districts in the Region have veterinary clinics, they lack basic facilities. As a result, the Afar people are still dependent on local materials, mainly plants, and traditional knowledge to manage livestock health problems. However, there is a serious threat to such local resources mainly due to recurrent drought and influence of modernization. Hence there is a need for proper documentation and evaluation of the existing ethnoveterinary knowledge in the Region. This study was aimed at documenting and analysing ethnoveterinary knowledge of people in Ada’ar District of the Afar Region associated with the use of plants.MethodsThe study involved interviewing selected knowledgeable Afar people in Ada’ar District on the use of plants to manage livestock ailments. Fidelity Level (FL) values were calculated for the reported medicinal plant to estimate their healing potentials. Specimens of reported medicinal plant were collected, identified and deposited at the National Herbarium, Addis Ababa University.ResultsThe study revealed 49 medicinal plants as being used by the Afar people of Ada’ar District for the treatment of various livestock ailments, the majority of which (67.3%) were shrubs. Highest number of medicinal plants was used to treat blackleg, contagious caprine pleuropneumonia (CCPP), sudden sickness and pneumonia. Leaf was the most frequently sought plant part, accounting for 47% of the reported plants. All the medicnal plants used in the District were uncultivated ones growing in semi-disturbed and disturbed habitats as remnant plants and weeds. Cissus quadrangularis and Solanum incanum were the plants scoring the highest fidelity level values for their use to treat blackleg and respiratory tract problems, respectively.ConclusionThe study revealed that there is still rich knowledge of ethnoveterinary medicine in Ada’ar District. There was no habit of cultivating medicinal plants by people in the study area. Efforts, should, therefore, be made to protect these medicinal plants from further depletion, especially those that are scarcely availabale. Better attention should be given to medicinal plants with the highest fidelity level values as such values could indicate potencies of the plants.

Quantitative ethnobotany of medicinal plants used by Kara and Kwego semi-pastoralist people in lower Omo River Valley, Debub Omo Zone, Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Regional State, Ethiopia

AIM OF THE STUDY The people in Ethiopia have been using medicinal plants over centuries and the traditional knowledge is passed verbally from generation to generation. Therefore, the aim of this study was to document the medicinal plants used by Kara and Kwego semi-pastoralist people and to establish association between the species richness and diversity, habit, parts used and administration of medicinal plants reported by the two people. MATERIALS AND METHODS Semi-structured interview was used in data collection; Chi-Square test, t-test and univariate analysis were used to compare medicinal plants knowledge between Kara and Kwego people. Informant consensus factor (ICF), fidelity level (FL), and preference ranking of medicinal plants were computed. RESULTS Fifty-seven medicinal plant species were indicated that were distributed into 33 families and 52 genera. Thirty-four of them were common to both people whereas 12 were unique to Kara and 11 to Kwego. There was no significant difference (p>0.05) between the two people in medicinal plant species richness and diversity. The growth forms, parts of medicinal plants and their conditions: fresh or dry used in the preparation of remedies and route of administration were not different (p>0.05). Root was 55% of the plant parts used and oral was 61% of route of administration. The informant consensus factor was not significantly different (p>0.05) between the two people. Solanum hastifolium Hochst. ex Dunal, Salvadora persica L. and Maeura sessiliflora Gilg were preferred more than the other medicinal plants reported to treat the prevalent diseases by both people. CONCLUSIONS The information documented on the medicinal plants of these people may be used as baseline data for future studies on semi-arid and arid pharmacologically important medicinal plants and for phytochemical investigations.