An Ethnobotanical Survey of a Dryland Botanical Garden and Its Environs in Kenya: The Mutomo Hill Plant Sanctuary

Abstract

Mutomo hill plant sanctuary is a ten-hectare piece of land in Kenya listed as a botanical garden under the Botanical Gardens Conservation International, originally established in 1964 with the aim of conserving indigenous flora from destructive anthropogenic activities. This paper presents ethnobotanical documentation of medicinal plants of Mutomo hill plant sanctuary and its environs. An ethnobotanical survey was carried out in Mutomo hill plant sanctuary and its environs with 48 herbalists aged between 32 and 96 years from July 2018 to February 2019 using a semistructured open-ended questionnaire. The plants were collected through random surveys with each herbalist in different ecotypes around the villages and within the Mutomo hill plant sanctuary. The Relative Frequency of Citation (RFC) for each species reported was calculated to determine the plant species frequently collected. In total, 68 different plant species distributed in 28 families and 54 genera were reported. The frequently used plant families were Leguminosae (13 species), Lamiaceae (6 species), and Euphorbiaceae (6 species). Shrubs (37%) and trees (34%) were the dominant growth habits reported. The most cited plant species were Cassia abbreviata Oliv. (RFC = 0.63), Acacia nilotica (L.). Delile (RFC = 0.54), Strychnos heningsii Gilg (RFC = 0.46), and Aloe secundiflora Engl. (RFC = 0.31). Root (19 species) and bark (19 species) were the frequently collected plant parts. Infectious diseases (33) and digestive system disorders (24) were reported to be managed with the majority of the plant species. This study contributes to safeguarding the traditional knowledge on medicinal plants in the study area, which is useful in appreciating and acknowledging the cultural heritage of the Kamba people from the local perspective of Mutomo area in Kenya. It also adds to the knowledge base and documentation of medicinal plants, which is useful information as potential data for drug development.

Conservation of Wild Food Plants and Their Potential for Combatting Food Insecurity in Kenya as Exemplified by the Drylands of Kitui County

“…Leguminosae is the best represented plant family (25 species in 13 genera) followed by Malvaceae (17 species in six genera). Previous studies have reported Leguminosae to be the largest plant family in the flora of various parts of Kitui county [25,32]. It is also the largest plant family in the flora of Kenya [17].…”

“…Many of the food plants occur in natural forests while some are preserved by the local inhabitants in their farmlands. In Kitui county, fruit plants such as Tamarindus indica and Balanites aegyptiaca are preserved in farmlands for their medicinal uses [25]. Wild fruit trees are also left standing when other plants are being cleared for farmlands or charcoal.…”

“…Wild food plants of Kitui county are threatened by the local communities who cut them for charcoal, thus also leading to loss of indigenous knowledge associated with them [28]. According to Mutie et al [25], some medicinal plants in Kitui county such as Strychnos henningsii and Vepris simplicifolia which are also reported as food plants are decreasing in the wild as a result of human activities. Wild food plants are most important to the communities who reside in dry areas, which are more vulnerable to droughts [9].…”

“…Such hills are vital ecosystems for adaptation towards the changing climatic conditions through provision of important ecosystems goods such as wild foods [18]. Mutomo hill plant sanctuary, one of the hills in Kitui county has been recently reported as a potentially important area for conservation of medicinal plants [25]. Conservation of important plants including wild food plants in other hills of Kitui county needs assessment and prioritization through community awareness so as to ease pressure exerted on wild plant populations by the local communities.…”

Anti-Inflammatory and Anti-Microbial Potential of Plumbago zeylanica L.: A Review

“…Dried roots are uniform, cylindrical in shape, smooth surface and woody hard with very strong having a bitter taste and a distinct odour with acrid 16 23 . Its root decoction mixed with roots of Moringa borziana, has been used to treat Gonorrhoea 24 . In Iwo, Ibadan and Southwest Nigeria, infusion of Pz root along with other ingredients are used to treat Lung and breast cancer 25 .…”