Volume 97, March 2015, Pages 165–175
Ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants used for traditional maternal healthcare in Katsina state, Nigeria
Highlights
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- One hundred and eleven (111) plant species belonging to 101 genera distributed among 50 families were documented.
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- Most of the surveyed plants belong to Fabaceae family.
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- Acacia nilotica and Guiera senegalensis had the highest Relative frequency of Citation (RFC) and Fidelity Level (FL).
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- Most of the reported plants were herbs and shrubs and leaves are the most frequently use plants parts.
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- Most of the medications are prepared as decoction and oral route is the dominant route of administration.
Abstract
Women
in Katsina State, Nigeria have been using medicinal plants to cure
various ailments associated with maternal health since time immemorial;
however the use of such plants was never documented. In this study an
ethnobotanical survey was conducted to document medicinal plants used
for traditional maternal healthcare in Katsina State, Nigeria. Semi
structured questionnaire method was used to interview 300 respondents
(50 from 2 Local Government Areas of each of the 3 Senatorial Districts)
comprising of herbalists, Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs),
Traditional Medical Practitioners (TMPs), House Wives, Farmers and
others. Medicinal plants belonging to 101 genera distributed among 50
families were documented. Most of the reported plants belong to the
Fabaceae (22.52%), Asteraceae (7.21%) Malvaceae (5.41%) and
Anacardiaceae (4.51%) families. Acacia nilotica (L) Delile and Gueira senegalensis
J.F. Gmel had the highest Relative Frequency of Citation (RFC) and
Fidelity Level (FL) of 0.93; 100% and 0.92; 100%, respectively. Among
the 18 categories of ailments, headache, navel pain, postpartum
hemorrhage, and postpartum wound healing had the highest Informant
Consensus Factor (ICF) of 1.00 each. Most of the reported plants
(68.47%) were herbs and shrubs and about 84.68% of the surveyed plants
were wild. Leaves were the most frequently used (32.14%) plant's part.
Most of the medications (32%) were prepared as decoctions and
preparations are mostly administered orally (84.68%). Scientific
validation of the biological properties of the surveyed plants is highly
advocated and cultivation of medicinal plants to minimize the pressure
on wild species is also recommended.
Keywords
- Ethnobanical survey;
- Katsina State;
- Maternal healthcare;
- Medicinal plants;
- Traditional
- Corresponding author. Tel.:
+ 60126788810.
Copyright © 2015 South African Association of Botanists. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
