Ethnobotanical study of traditional medicinal plants and the associated indigenous knowledge of gamo people: The case of Bonke Woreda, Southern Ethiopia

Abstract

Ethnobotanical study of traditional medicinal plant species was conducted from September 2016 to June 2018 in Bonke Woreda, south Ethiopia. The purpose of the study was to document traditional medicinal plant species and the associated indigenous knowledge. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews, field observation, and group discussion from the community members and local herbalists. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, informant consensus, and simple linear correlation. A total of 53 medicinal plant species representing 49 genera and 30 plant families were recorded. Out of the total species, 79% were used for treating human diseases, 11% for treating livestock diseases, and 10% for treating both humans and livestock diseases. Lamiaceae, Rutaceae, and Asteraceae were the most dominant plant families reported. The most common diseases affecting humans and livestock were stomach ache and cough, respectively. Sixty % of medicinal plants were collected from the wild habitat while the rest were collected from home gardens. Leaves were the most frequently mentioned plant parts used to prepare traditional medicine. Oral administration (70.5%) was the most dominant route. Ocimum lamiifolium was the most preferred medicinal plant to treat headache followed by Echinops kebericho and Salvia nilotica. Our result mainly showed that most of the medicinal plants were obtained from natural forest and home garden agroforestry systems. This indicates need to give priority to the conservation of the habitats most preferred by the medicinal plants of the study area together with awareness raising activities on the community.

Key words/phrases: Ethnobotany, Human health, Indigenous Knowledge, Livestock, Medicinal Plants.