Ethnobotany Survey of Medicinal Plants in Home Gardens around Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda

Abstract

Home gardens show evidences of medicinal plant use and are good places to provide information about plant health practices and  biocultural knowledge transfer. In Rwanda there no enough information related to home gardens of medicinal plants. This  ethnobotanical study of medicinal plant in home gardens was conducted in that perspective to document medicinal plants in domestic  gardens. The study was conducted in home gardens around Volcanoes National Park (VNP) in Musanze and Burera Districts of the  Northern Province of Rwanda. The study was conducted in Kinigi Sector in Musanze District, and Cyanika and Gahunga Sectors in Burera  District. The objective of the study was to document medicinal plants used to treat human diseases in home gardens around VNP. This is  fruitful for biodiversity conservation as domestication of medicinal plants found inside the park, reduces park encroachment and local communities and park manager conflicts. Data were collected by using stratified sampling method, semi-structured interview, and field  observation. About 200 households were surveyed and adult household members, men or women, interviewed. A total of 40 medicinal plant species existing in the VNP and belonging to 22 plant families were recorded in home gardens in study area. Lamiaceae,  Asteraceae, Rubiaceae and Euphobiaceae were most frequent plant families. Regarding used plant organs, leaves were the most plant  organ used whereas barks, roots and fruits were the least used plant organs in study area. Maesa lanceolata was the medicinal plant  species for which all stated plant organs are used. The medicinal plants recordee in home gardens in the study area were found to play a  vital role in treatment of human diseases include malaria, kidney diseases, stomach diseases, aches, liver diseases, skin diseases,  Influenza, gonorrhea, diarrhea and asthma and more others.