Ethnobotanical Study of Traditional Medicinal Plants in Boreda Woreda, Southern Ethiopia

Abstract

Plants are the major and cheap sources of traditional medicine. Countries like Ethiopia with ethnic and cultural diversity own a vast treasure of indigenous knowledge of medicinal plants. However, much of this knowledge remained undiscovered for generations. The objective of this study was to investigate the traditional knowledge of medicinal values of plants in Boreda woreda in two kebeles. A survey was conducted on purposively selected five key informants of healers and 25 elders who provide traditional healing service in the locality. An informant consensus factor and preference matrix analysis was employed to analyze the data. Identification of taxonomic class of plants was carried out using expert methods and Flora of Ethiopia and Eritrea. Overall, 35 medicinal plant species belonging to 22 families were recorded. About 63% of the plants found to be herbs and 20% of them were trees, and the remaining were shrubs. About 75% of the plants were used for treatment of human ailment. Leaves of herbs were the most widely used part of the plants followed by root and stem. According to preference matrix analysis Citrus x limon (L.) Osbeck, Nigella sativa L. and Ocimum forskolei Benth., were the first three priority plants by the indigenous people for internal pain treatment. There is high level (0.78) of consensus of using medicinal plants for various diseases treatment among the community. Therefore, such high value indigenous knowledge should be conserved and the medicinal plants need to be protected.

Keywords: Biodiversity, Boreda, Ethnobotany, Hambissa, Medicinal plant