Ethnobotanical Study of Medicinal Plants Used by Traditional Healers to Treat Cancer‐Like Symptoms in Eleven Districts, Ethiopia

Abstract

There is no ethnobotanical study conducted specifically on medicinal plants traditionally used to treat cancer in Ethiopia. Yet, traditional herbalists in different parts of the country claim that they have been treating cancer-like symptoms using herbal remedies. The objective of this study was to document medicinal plants traditionally used to treat cancer-like symptoms in eleven districts, Ethiopia. Traditional herbalists were interviewed using semistructured questionnaires, and field visits were also carried out to collect claimed plants for identification purpose. Seventy-four traditional herbalists, who claimed that they knew about and/or had used medicinal plants to treat cancer-like symptoms, were selected using the snowball method and interviewed. Herbalists used their intuition and relied on the chronicity, growth of external mass, and spreading of the disease to other parts of the body, as a means to characterize cancer symptoms. Furthermore, in some of the study districts, herbalists reported that they treat patients who had already been diagnosed in modern healthcare institutions prior to seeking help from them. The inventory of medicinal plants is summarized in a synoptic table, which contains the scientific and vernacular names of the plants, their geographical location, the parts of the plants, and the methods used to prepare the remedies. A total of 53 traditionally used anticancer plants, belonging to 30 families, were identified during the survey. The most frequently reported anticancer plants were Acmella caulirhiza Del (Asteraceae), Clematis simensis Fresen. (Ranunculaceae), Croton macrostachyus Del. (Euphorbiaceae), and Dorstenia barnimiana Schweinf. (Moraceae). Organizing traditional healers, documenting their indigenous knowledge, and scientifically validating it for the development of better cancer therapeutic agents constitute an urgent and important task for policymakers and scientists.

Ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants used in the treatment of sexual dysfunctions in traditional medicine in Kampemba-Lubumbashi, DR Congo

“…These studies are in contrast with studies carried out in other regions of the continent [43,44]. In many ethnobotanical studies, the leaf is the most used organ in traditional medicine [46][47][48][49][50], but this study indicates the root as the most used organ (Figure 4) as in surveys of aphrodisiac plants conducted in India [51], Nigeria [25] and Mali [52]. Aside from the fact that the root constitutes a storage organ where several secondary metabolites with various therapeutic properties can be encountered, it symbolizes power, according to the people surveyed.…”

The genotypic and genetic diversity of enset (Ensete ventricosum) landraces used in traditional medicine is similar to the diversity found in starchy landraces

“…The use of indigenous plant species to treat a number of ailments such as cancer, toothache and stomach ache in different parts of Ethiopia has been frequently reported [5][6][7]. In addition to the extensive use of enset as human food and animal feed, some enset landraces play a well-known and important role in traditional medicine due to their use in repairing broken bones and fractures, assisting the removal of placental remains following birth or an abortion, and for treatment of liver disease [8][9][10].…”

Ethnobotanical Investigation on Medicinal Plants Traditionally Used Against Human Ailments in Ensaro District, North Shewa Zone, Amhara Regional State, Ethiopia

“…In this study, in agreement with the investigation conducted in Ankober district (Lulekal et al, 2013), Kilte Awulaelo District (Teklay et al, 2013), and Libo Kemkem District (Chekole et al, 2015) of Ethiopia, the dominant medicinal plant families documented were Fabaceae, Lamiaceae, Solanaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Asteraceae, and Poaceae. This could be related to the fact that these families are the most prevalent in Ethiopian and Eritrean ora (Tesfaye et al, 2020). Furthermore, recent chemical screening investigations revealed that the greatest number of plant species in these families have bioactive chemicals Leaves are the most used plant part for the preparation of traditional herbal remedies in the study district.…”