AIM: Medicinal plants are integral source of easily available remedy used in rural healthcare system. The aim of the study was to document available medicinal plants, methods of preparation and major uses in Southeast Ethiopia. METHODS: An ethnobotanical survey was conducted in Bale Zone, Southeastern Ethiopia. A structured questionnaire was used to collect the specimens and record pertinent information on their use. RESULT: Several medicinal plants recognized for the treatment of various diseases were collected. The leaf parts were widely used, followed by roots and stems. Some plants (31.0%) needed other ingredients either for taste preference or as a portion of medicine. Ten (25.0%) of the collected species consisted of more than one part of the plant parts as a source of medicine, while 29(79.5%) of them had a single part for use. The common method of preparation was decoction (39.0%) and vegetable drug constituted (37.0%). The major uses of the medicinal plants ranged from pain killer to malaria and cancer treatment. CONCLUSSION: Rural communities in Bale Zone are a rich source of medicinal plants as revealed in this study. However, there is need to scientifically ascertain the authenticity of the claimed use these plants.

The present study was evaluated the in vivo diuretic activity of fractional extracts of A. remota in albino mice. The dried aqueous crude extracts were subjected to soxhlet extraction by n-butanol, methanol and water solvents. The mice were randomly divided into eleven groups with 8 mice in each. All fractions were administered orally at doses of 250, 500 and 1000 mg/kg to adult male mice, and the positive and negative controls were treated with furosemide (10 mg/kg, p.o) and the vehicle distilled water (2 ml/100 gm of body weight) respectively. The diuretic effect of the extracts was evaluated by measuring urine volume, urinary electrolytes and urinary pH. The result indicates that aqueous and methanolic fractions at 1000 mg/kg dose produced significant (p<0.001) increase in urine output and electrolyte excretion (p<0.001) when compared to control. Additionally, potassium sparing activity (27%, p<0.05) and high natriuretic index (2.7-3.03) were produced by the n-butanol fraction relatively even if it showed minimal effect on urine output. Therefore, from the present study it may be concluded that the compounds present in methanolic and aqueous fraction are responsible for diuretic activity. This finding together with previous results on the aqueous crude extracts provides a quantitative basis for developing a new diuretic medicine from A. remota plant.

Hyperlipidemia is the greatest risk factor of coronary heart disease. Medicinal plants play a major role in hypolipidemic activity. Literature claims that Saponins are able to reduce hyperlipidemia. Based on high saponin content in herbal plants, Spondias pinnata (SP) was selected and the present study focus on the anti-hyperlipidemic activity of methanolic extracts of fruits of SP against Triton induced hyperlipidemia in rats. SP was administered at a dose of 100 and 200 mg/kg (p.o) to Triton induced hyperlipidemic rats. Fenofibrate was used as reference standard. The statistical analyses were carried out using one way ANOVA followed by Dunnet’s multiple comparisons test. The present investigation shows that all triton induced rats displayed hyperlipidemia as shown by their elevated levels of serum and liver cholesterol, triglyceride, PL, VLDL, LDL and the reduction in the HDL level. It can be concluded that SP 100 and 200 mg/kg treatment was effective in cholesterol, PL, TG, VLDL, LDL and HDL in a dose dependant manner.

This study evaluated the scientific basis for the traditional use of Aegiceras corniculatum (Myrsinaceae) stem extract as an anthelmintic agent. The study design were investigation of the traditional anthelmintic medicinal plant Aegiceras corniculatum using in vitro anthelmintic properties of four extracts by using earthworms. The earthworm (Pheretima posthuma) resembles both anatomically and physiologically to the intestinal roundworm parasites of human beings.The four crude stem extracts of Aegiceras corniculatum were Petroleum Ether extract (50 &100 mg/ml), Chloroform extract (50 &100 mg/ml), Methanol extract (50 &100 mg/ml) and Aqueous extract (50 &100 mg/ml).