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Main Article Content
Ethno-Botanical Survey of Medicinal Plants used in Traditional Treatment of Erectile Dysfunction in Akinyele Local Government Area, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria
Abstract
The documentation of the medicinal uses of plants is becoming increasingly urgent because of the rapid loss of some plants' natural habitat due to anthropogenic activities. Traditional knowledge of medicinal plants is also at risk of extinction due to the dependency on oral transmission, and as such, there is an urgent need to document such knowledge. The study aimed to document medicinal plants used in the traditional treatment of erectile dysfunction in Akinyele Local Government Area, Oyo State, Nigeria, and was conducted from April to December 2019. A total of 160 respondents comprised of an equal number of Traditional Medical Practitioners (TMPs) or herbalists and hunters were selected from the study area. Medicinal information was collected using semi-structured questionnaires. The interview was conducted one-on-one using the local language (Yoruba). Data were analyzed with percentages, frequency of citation (FC) and relative frequency of citation (RFC). A total number of 25 plant species belonging to 20 families were reported to be used to treat erectile dysfunction in the study area. Fabaceae subfamily of Caesalpinioidea and Mimisoideae contributed the highest number of plant species. Of the plant identified during the survey, Epimedium grandiflorum had the highest frequency and relative frequency of citation (FC= 150, RFC = 0.94). Roots had the highest percentage of plant parts used. The major method of preparation of the recipes was by grinding while the route of administration of recipes was oral. Most medicinal plants are rare and collected from the wild (forest) while only a few are cultivated. The study showed that local people still have good knowledge of traditional treatment of erectile dysfunction. There is a need for domestication, adequate protection and conservation of these useful medicinal plants to prevent their extinction. Also, studies on the phytochemicals and pharmacological constituents of these medicinal plants confirmed their bioactive ingredients relevant to the treatment of erectile dysfunction to be utilized for synthetic drugs.
