Medicinal Plants Used by Oromo Community in Kofale District, West-Arsi Zone, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia

Geritu Bedasso Nuro; Ketema Tolossa; Mirutse Giday

doi:10.2147/JEP.S449496

Medicinal Plants Used by Oromo Community in Kofale District, West-Arsi Zone, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia

J Exp Pharmacol. 2024 Mar 5:16:81-109. doi: 10.2147/JEP.S449496. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Geritu Bedasso Nuro¹, Ketema Tolossa¹, Mirutse Giday¹

Affiliation

¹ Aklilu Lemma Institute of Pathobiology, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to record the utilization of medicinal plants by the Oromo people in the Kofale District, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia, to control human and animal health problems.

Methods: Data regarding the use of medicinal plants were collected using ethnobotanical methods from 84 traditional medicine practitioners and 304 general informants sampled employing purposive and systematic random sampling methods, respectively, in the Kofale District. Data were analyzed using different indices, including a preference ranking exercise, informant consensus factor (ICF), fidelity level (FL) and relative popularity level (RPL).

Results: In the district, 106 medicinal plants were claimed to be used for the treatment of 43 human and 18 livestock illnesses, of which 75 (71%) were used to manage human health problems, 23 (21.5%) were used to treat both human and livestock ailments and eight (7.5%) were utilized to treat manage livestock health problems. Most (76.4%) plants were harvested from the wild. Leaves were the most commonly used plant part (55.6%) in remedy preparations. Skin diseases scored the highest ICF value (0.97), followed by gastrointestinal disorders (ICF = 0.95), cancer (ICF = 0.93), and hemorrhoids (ICF = 0.91). Medicinal plants that record the highest fidelity level (FL) (100%) and rank order priority (ROP) (100%) values included Justicia schimperiana, Embelia schimperi, Ekebergia capensis and Datura stramonium, which have been used to treat liver disorders, tapeworm infections, babesiosis, and rabies, respectively. There were significant differences (p<0.05) in the mean numbers of medicinal plants claimed by different social groups: older, illiterate, and traditional medicine practitioners reported higher mean numbers of medicinal plants than younger, literate, and general informants, respectively.

Conclusion: This study indicated the richness of medicinal plant species in Kofale District. Medicinal plants with the highest FL and ROP values and those used to treat disease categories with the highest ICF values should be prioritized in future phytochemical and pharmacological investigations.

Keywords: ethnobotanical study; herbal medicine practitioners; traditional knowledge; traditional medicine.

Grants and funding

This study was sponsored by the School of Graduate Studies of Addis Ababa University and the Office of the Vice President for Research and Technology Transfer of Addis Ababa University (grant number TR/003/2021). We confirm that the information is accurate and the grant number is correct.