Ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants, its utilization, and conservation by indigenous people of Gera district, Ethiopia
Netsanet Gonfa, Dereje Tulu, Kitessa Hundera, Dasalegn Raga
Abstract
The medicinal plants have continued to be the most affordable and easily accessible source for the treatment of several human and livestock ailments in Ethiopia. The data were collected from traditional healers and knowledgeable people using group discussion, semi-structured interviews, guided field walks, and observations. A total of 63 medicinal plants, belonging to 36 families were identified. Fabaceae and Asteraceae represented by five species each (7.9%) were identified as the leading families followed by Rutaceae, Solanaceae, and Cucurbitaceae families. The majority of medicinal plants 56 (88.9%) were used to treat human ailments whereas 15 (23.8%) used to treat livestock ailments and 8 (12.7%) of medicinal plants used to treat both human and livestock ailments. Leaves were the most commonly used plant parts for remedy preparation whereas crushing was the most frequently stated herbal remedy preparation method. Notably, herbal remedies were administered orally for the treatment of ailments. Out of the total medicinal plants, 51 species (80.9%) were collected from the wild, 6 species (9.5%) were collected from the home garden, and 6 (9.5%) medicinal plants from cultivated lands. The majority of the plants for the treatment of the ailments were herbs and shrubs accounted for 35.7% and 28% respectively. The agricultural expansion was ranked as the major threat (41.6%) to medicinal plants followed by firewood (28.3%). Medicinal plants used for the treatment of ailments were intended to document the indigenous practice and serve as scientific baseline information for future pharmacological studies. Local communities could be involved in conservation and management of plant resources and their indigenous knowledge.