Ethnobotanical Study of Medicinal Trees and Shrubs from the Rashad District of Southern Kordofan, Sudan

Abstract

Egyptian Journal of Botany http://ejbo.journals.ekb.eg/ 25 T HIS IS the first quantitative ethnobotanical study conducted in the Rashad district, Southern Kordofan, Sudan. The objective was to collect and identify trees and shrubs used by local people for medicinal purposes and summarize local knowledge about traditional herbal medicine. Ethnobotanical data were obtained by conducting several ethnobotanical surveys, questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, field observations, inquiries, and Group gatherings from September 2018 to January 2019. Quantitatively, ethnobotanical data were analyzed in terms of use value (UV) and relative frequency of citation (RFC). A total of 56 trees and shrubs used in medicine and belonging to 22 families were listed in this study. The most common families were Fabaceae (14%), Combretaceae (8%), and Malvaceae (5%). In terms of growth form, 35 species (61%) were trees and 21 (39%) were shrubs. Fruits were the most common structures used to prepare herbal medicine (23%) and were usually administered as a powder (13%). The most commonly used species based on UV by the local community in the Rashad area were as follows: Adansonia digitata L. for dysentery diseases, followed by Tamarindus indica L. for treating malaria and fever, Balanites aegyptiacus (L.) Delile for treating enteric worms, Vangueria madagascariensis J. F. Gmel and Guiera senegalensis J. F. Gmel for kidney problems, and Ximenia americana L. for toothaches. This study revealed significant local ethnobotanical knowledge and direct human-plant interactions. Recording indigenous use of woody plants is crucial for identifying potential species for future domestication.

Ethnobotanical and ethnopharmacological survey of medicinal tree species used in the treatment of diseases by forest-fringe communities of Southwestern Ghana

“…This indicates that much of the ancestral knowledge that is part of the oral tradition has been transferred to the local population irrespective of socio-demographic features. Our results are contrary to findings which suggest that indigenes show more interest in traditional medicinal knowledge compared to migrants [ 12 ] and that men have better knowledge on medicinal plants than women ([ 8 , 12 , 32 ]). The similar ethnobotanical knowledge across several socio-demographic features may be because the predominant source of knowledge about medicinal plants was obtained from either parents or shared-common knowledge in the local communities.…”

“…Medicinal plants are of immense significance for the healthcare needs of people worldwide. It is estimated that between 50,000 and 80,000 of the world's plant species serve as primary sources of medicine for about 80 % of the world's population ([ [8] , [9] , [10] , [11] , [12] ]). According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 3.5 billion people in the developing world rely on medicinal plants for their primary health ([ 13 , 14 ]).…”

“…As a result, global advocacy for increased research for documenting traditional medicinal knowledge and conservation of medicinal plants has also increased significantly in recent times ([ 2 , 11 , 19 , 21 ]). Though the study of medicinal plants has been explored from diverse perspectives, one area receiving increased research interest in recent times is the study of medicinal plants using ethnobotanical and ethnopharmacological approaches ([ [10] , [11] , [12] , 17 , 21 , 22 ]). These authors have argued that such knowledge is critical for developing medicinal plants and discovering new drugs ([ 11 , 12 ]).…”

“…Though the study of medicinal plants has been explored from diverse perspectives, one area receiving increased research interest in recent times is the study of medicinal plants using ethnobotanical and ethnopharmacological approaches ([ [10] , [11] , [12] , 17 , 21 , 22 ]). These authors have argued that such knowledge is critical for developing medicinal plants and discovering new drugs ([ 11 , 12 ]). However, despite the varied vegetative coverage and culturally diverse knowledge on medicinal plants, imminent threats to medicinal plants and fast depletion of traditional medicinal knowledge in Ghana, limited ethnobotanical and ethnopharmacological studies have been conducted in the country.…”

Traditional Medicinal Plants Applied for the Treatment of Gastrointestinal Diseases in Chlef, Algeria

“…The result revealed that amongst the majority of the interviewed respondents (74 respondents), were within the age range of 36-45 years and > 56 years (Table 1). This range of age is good enough to illustrate the local traditional medicine knowledge, mainly related to the older populations who have more knowledge due to their experience accumulated with age (Bouasla & Bouasla, 2017;Miara et al, 2018;Senouci et al, 2019b;Eisawi et al, 2022). Furthermore, Sulaiman et al (2022), showed that adults in the age range of 36-45 years have very good knowledge about traditional healing of gastrointestinal diseases using plants.…”