Medicinal plants traditionally used by the rural Kimalalu people in the municipality of Songo (Uíge province), Northern Angola

Abstract

Herbal medicine is an important age-old tradition in Angola and forms part of the socio-cultural heritage of both the rural and urban population. In Kimalalu (northern Angola), phytotherapy continues to be used in the treatment of human illnesses, because of its low cost, accessibility, availability and acceptability. The aim of this study was to document the medicinal plants used to treat human illnesses in Kimalalu. Data were collected randomly from informants through semi-structured interviews and field observations. Ethnobotanical indices such as the relative frequency of citations were calculated. A total of 72 medicinal plant species beloning to 35 botanical families used for the treatment of 59 human diseases have been documented. The most abundant taxa were from the Fabaceae family, with 8 species (11.3%), and treated 17 human diseases. The leaves (62.5%) are the main plant organs used in the galinic preparation. Shrubs (31%) are the greatest life forms of documented plants. Decoction (50%) and oral intake (56.21) are the dominant used methods of preparation and administration, respectively. The most frequently cited illnesses were low haemoglobin (anaemia), followed by yellow fever, stomach ache, cough, typhoid fever, diarrhoea and malaria. Kimalalu is home to a wide variety of medicinal plants. It is therefore necessary to put in place policies and practices to conserve medicinal plants and the traditional knowledge associated with them. Local communities must be involved in the conservation and management of plant resources and their indigenous knowledge.