Bafanji village harbors a plethora of plants used in the treatment of several ailments. Alarmingly, traditional knowledge is quickly declining due to inadequate documentation and limited cross-generational transfer of knowledge. In this study indigenous medicinal plans were documented for their use, management and the threats affecting them. The study was carried out in Bafanji village between August 2015 and March 2016. Semi-structured questionnaires, interviews and field trips were used for data collection. Sample specimens were collected and identified. This study revealed that 6.06% of the population relied solely on medicinal plants for their health care while 15.14% do not use medicinal plants directly and 78.8% rely on both modern and traditional medicine for the treatment of their ailments. 92 plant species belonging to 51 families and 83 genera were documented. Family Asteraceae was the most represented (14.1%). More than one plant species is used to treat various ailments with the highest number of species (19) for malaria. Among the medicinal plant species recorded from the study area, the majority (55.4%) which were mainly herbs (70.7%) were collected from the wild. The leaves were the most commonly used plant part (44.5%). The principal method of remedy preparation was reported to be decoction. Oral administration was the most preferred mode. Knowledge of the use of plants as medicines was found to be confined to traditional healers and older folk. Documenting the eroding indigenous knowledge of medicinal plants and spurring youths to acquire traditional medicinal knowledge is recommended.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.