Ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants used in the treatment of animal diarrhoea in Plateau State, Nigeria

Abstract

BackgroundThe use of medicinal plants in the treatment of diseases has generated renewed interest in recent times, as herbal preparations are increasingly being used in both human and animal healthcare systems. Diarrhoea is one of the common clinical signs of gastrointestinal disorders caused by both infectious and non-infectious agents and an important livestock debilitating condition. Plateau State is rich in savannah and forest vegetations and home to a vast collection of plants upheld in folklore as having useful medicinal applications. There is however scarcity of documented information on the medicinal plants used in the treatment of animal diarrhoea in the state, thus the need for this survey. Ten (10) out of 17 Local Government Areas (LGAs), spread across the three senatorial zones were selected. Farmers were interviewed using well structured, open-ended questionnaire and guided dialogue techniques between October and December 2010. Medicinal plants reported to be effective in diarrhoea management were collected using the guided field-walk method for identification and authentication.ResultsA total of 248 questionnaires were completed, out of which 207 respondents (83.47%) acknowledged the use of herbs in diarrhoea management, while 41 (16.53%) do not use herbs or apply other traditional methods in the treatment of diarrhoea in their animals. Medicinal plants cited as beneficial in the treatment of animal diarrhoea numbered 132, from which 57(43.18%) were scientifically identified and classified into 25 plant families with the families Fabaceae (21%) and Combretaceae (14.04%) having the highest occurrence. The plant parts mostly used in antidiarrhoeal herbal preparations are the leaves (43.86%) followed by the stem bark (29.82%). The herbal preparations are usually administered orally.ConclusionRural communities in Plateau State are a rich source of information on medicinal plants as revealed in this survey. There is need to scientifically ascertain the authenticity of the claimed antidiarrhoeal properties of these plants and perhaps develop more readily available alternatives in the treatment of diarrhoea.

The traditional use of plants to manage candidiasis and related infections in Venda, South Africa

“…The Fabaceae wasthe most represented with 12 plant species, followed by the Asteraceae and Solanaceae (3 plant species each), Apocynaceae, Ebenaceae, Celastraceae, Loganiaceae, Rubiaceae (2 plant species each), and the rest of the families were represented by one plant species each. Frequent use of members of the Fabaceae family has been documented by several surveys in Nigeria (Offiah et al, 2011); Ethiopia (Lulekal et al, 2008), and South Africa (BisiJohnson et al, 2010). This is not surprising because it is the third largest family of angiosperm plants with approximately 730 genera and over 19 400 species worldwide (Arabi and Sardari, 2010).…”

Antidiarrhoeal effect of the crude methanol extract of the dried fruit of Adansonia digitata L. (Malvaceae)

“…The aqueous extract of the stem-bark of produced a significant chemosuppressive effect against infection in mice [10]. The powder obtained from the fruit of the plant is used traditionally to treat dysentery and diarrhoea in Nigeria [11].…”

A Review: Herbal Medicine as an Effective Therapeutic Approach for Treating Digestive Disorders in Small Ruminants

“…Moreover, acute diarrheal infections encountered in a herd are often difficult to control because of the large numbers of potential enteropathogens and the variability in individual animal immunity within the herd (Benavides et al, 2015). Diarrhea is not generally defined as a GIT disease but rather is a sign of other health problems in food-producing animals (Offiah et al, 2011). The etiology of diarrhea is complex and includes infectious agents, poor management, reproductive circumstances, dietary changes, and host immune status (Diaz-Lee et al, 2011).…”

“…Recently, the therapeutic use of medicinal herbs in the treatment of diarrhea has become a common practice due to the adoption of traditional folk medicines (Devi et al, 2013;Li et al, 2015). Medicinal plants contain multiple active ingredients, such as alkaloids, glycosides, flavonoids, terpenes and tannins, that have potential enhancing and/or neutralizing effects and are considered to be relatively safe for prolonged use (Maikai et al, 2010;Offiah et al, 2011;Gilani and Attaur, 2005). The active constituents of medicinal plants may alleviate diarrhea through interaction with several types of cells in the GIT tract, including epithelial cells, immune cells, commensal microbiota, and pathogenic microbial communities (Teke et al, 2007).…”

“…A wide range of herbs, including Anarcardium occidentale, Psidium guajava (Li et al, 2015), have been used for the treatment of diarrhea in small ruminants. In the study by Offiah et al (2011), 132 medicinal herbs were examined through 248 questionnaires survey, in which 57 plants were properly identified for their antidiarrheal properties. The predominant plant families in this group are the Fabaceae (21%) and Combretaceae (14.04%) families.…”