Traditional ethnobotanical knowledge and ethnomedicinal use of plants in the Tropical Rift Valley of Ethiopia

Abenezer Wendimu; Wondimagegnehu Tekalign; Elias Bojago; Yitbarek Abrham

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e27528

Traditional ethnobotanical knowledge and ethnomedicinal use of plants in the Tropical Rift Valley of Ethiopia

Heliyon. 2024 Mar 13;10(6):e27528. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e27528. eCollection 2024 Mar 30.

Authors

Abenezer Wendimu¹, Wondimagegnehu Tekalign¹, Elias Bojago², Yitbarek Abrham³

Affiliations

¹ Wolaita Sodo University, College of Natural and Computational Sciences, Biology Department, PO Box 138, Wolaita Sodo, Ethiopia.
² Wolaita Sodo University, College of Natural and Computational Sciences, Environmental Science Department, PO Box 138, Wolaita Sodo, Ethiopia.
³ Wolaita Sodo University, College of Agriculture, Department of Horticulture, PO Box 138, Wolaita Sodo, Ethiopia.

Abstract

Introduction: A wide range of floral resources are used in Ethiopia for primary healthcare. Unfortunately, due to inadequate documentation and the fact that they were verbally passed down from one generation to the next, these indigenous medicinal practices are being forgotten. The study's goal was to identify and record indigenous peoples' traditional knowledge of plant usage in the Abala Abaya District of Wolaita, Ethiopia.

Methods: The collection of ethnobotanical data used a cross-sectional research design involving focus group discussions and semistructured questionnaires between January 2021 and April 2022. From each selected kebele (ward; smallest administrative unit), 50 informants (a total of 200) were selected as representative sample using a systematic random sampling technique.

Results: More than 50 different human and animal illnesses have been documented to be treated by seventy-two species of plants grouped in thirty-two families. The most abundant families were Poaceae and Asteraceae (8 taxa in each). The two most often used plant parts were leaf (29%) and herbs (54%), respectively. Oral administration was the most typical mode of delivery (75%). For treating stomachache in the category of gastrointestinal illnesses, Hagenia abyssinica (Bruce) J.F.Gmel got the greatest fidelity level scores (FL = 100%).

Conclusions: In Abala Abaya District, there is broad access to traditional medicinal plants that can treat ailments in both humans and animals. This study, therefore, might be a baseline piece of information for further botanical related studies in the region. Plants with the highest FL values are highly recommended for novel drug discovery.

Keywords: Abala Abaya district; Ethiopia; Ethnobotany; Ethnomedicine; Medicinal plant.