Medicinal ethnoveterinary plants used for treating livestock ailments in the omo-gibe and rift valley basins of Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Traditional medical practices have been used to maintain animal health for millennia and have been passed down orally from generation to generation. In Ethiopia also, plants are the primary means by which the indigenous people in remote areas treat the illnesses of their animals. The present study was therefore, carried out to document the type and distribution of medicinal plants of the county. METHODS: To collect ethnobotanical information, a total of 205 informants (133 men and 72 women) were selected. Among these 121 traditional medicine practitioners, while the remaining 84 were selected through a systematic random sampling method. Ethnobotanical data were collected between January 2023 and August 2023 through semi-structured interviews, participant observation, guided filed walks and focus group discussions. Using descriptive statistics, the ethnobotanical data were analyzed for the Informant Consensus Factor (ICF) and Fidelity Level (FL) values, preference, and direct matrix rankings. SPSS 26.0 and PAST 4.11 software were used in data analysis. RESULTS: Totally, 78 ethnoveterinary medicinal plants distributed in 36 families were identified in the study area. Asteraceae was the dominant family with 9 species (14%), followed by Euphorbiaceae with 8 species (12%). Herbs 42(56%), wild collected 62 (66%), and leaf part (52%) made the highest share of the plant species. Hordeum vulgare L. had the highest fidelity level (FL = 98%) for treating bone fractures. Blackleg, bloat, and endoparsistes each had the highest values of the consensus factor among the informants (ICF = 1). According to preference ranking, Withania somnifera was the most potent remedy for treating blackleg. Knowledge of medicinal plants was shared through storytelling within families. CONCLUSION: In the study area, there is broad access to traditional medicinal plants that can treat ailments in animals. Conservation efforts should be prioritized to protect medicinal plants from threats such as agricultural expansion, drought, and development. Further research should be conducted to explore the potential of different medicinal plants for treating common livestock ailments.

Traditional ethnobotanical knowledge and ethnomedicinal use of plants in the Tropical Rift Valley of Ethiopia.

Introduction: A wide range of floral resources are used in Ethiopia for primary healthcare. Unfortunately, due to inadequate documentation and the fact that they were verbally passed down from one generation to the next, these indigenous medicinal practices are being forgotten. The study's goal was to identify and record indigenous peoples' traditional knowledge of plant usage in the Abala Abaya District of Wolaita, Ethiopia. Methods: The collection of ethnobotanical data used a cross-sectional research design involving focus group discussions and semistructured questionnaires between January 2021 and April 2022. From each selected kebele (ward; smallest administrative unit), 50 informants (a total of 200) were selected as representative sample using a systematic random sampling technique. Results: More than 50 different human and animal illnesses have been documented to be treated by seventy-two species of plants grouped in thirty-two families. The most abundant families were Poaceae and Asteraceae (8 taxa in each). The two most often used plant parts were leaf (29%) and herbs (54%), respectively. Oral administration was the most typical mode of delivery (75%). For treating stomachache in the category of gastrointestinal illnesses, Hagenia abyssinica (Bruce) J.F.Gmel got the greatest fidelity level scores (FL = 100%). Conclusions: In Abala Abaya District, there is broad access to traditional medicinal plants that can treat ailments in both humans and animals. This study, therefore, might be a baseline piece of information for further botanical related studies in the region. Plants with the highest FL values are highly recommended for novel drug discovery.

An ethnozoological study of traditional medicinal animals and their products from Wolaita, Southern Ethiopia.

Background: Ethiopia has a diverse set of floral and faunal resources that are used for primary health care in traditional or indigenous medicine. However, because they are passed down orally from one generation to the next, this indigenous medical practice is being ignored and is continuing to disappear. As a result, the goal of this ethnozoological study was to assess and document traditional healers' and indigenous people's knowledge in use of animal parts or products for medical purposes in the Diguna Fango District of Wolaita, Ethiopia. Materials and methods: From March 2021 to June 2021, a field survey was conducted using personal interviews, semistructured questionnaires, and open group discussions utilizing a cross-sectional study approach. Totally, two hundred informants (125 men and 75 women) were provided information on the medicinal uses of various animals. Using a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, the collected ethnozoological data were analyzed. The informant consensus factor, use value, and degree of fidelity were all determined. Results: More than 50 different human ailments were treated using 39 different animal parts or products. Mammals had the highest use rate (N = 26, 66.67%). In the category of treating endocrine, metabolic, and nutritional diseases, Hystrix cristata had a high-fidelity level (FL = 95%). The highest use value (a maximum of 1.0) was for Bos taurus. The disease categories with the highest informant consensus factor (ICF) values were human immune deficiency disease, reproductive health, and genito-urinary ailment categories (ICF = 1.00). Wild animals (74%) outnumbered domestic animals (26%). The most common administration route (50%) was oral, and raw remedies had the highest use reports (58.9%). Conclusions: The findings revealed that the study area contains a wealth of ethnozoological knowledge that could be useful in the formulation of novel drugs. The findings of the study should therefore be put to use in prospective ethnozoological, ethnopharmacological, and conservation-related studies in the region.

Field efficacy of ethnomedicinal plant smoke repellency against Anopheles arabiensis and Aedes aegypti.

The repellency effect of smoke from burning Azadirachta indica, Eucalyptus camaldulensis and Ocimum forskolin plants to reduce human-mosquito biting activity. Ground mixed powders of the plant leaves produced smoke by direct burning and thermal expulsion on the traditional stoves in experimental huts against An. arabiensis and Ae. aegypti. A four-by-four Latin-square design was used to assign treatment and control experimental huts over different nights. In the treatment huts, the percent repellency of the smoke produced by burning powdered plant mixtures of the plants were determined by reduction mosquito density. There was a reduction on An. arabiensis (93.75%, P < 0.001) and Ae. aegypti (92%, P < 0.001) respectively, for huts with burning powder versus no treatment. Overall, plant mixed powders tested by both methods of application offered significant protection (>90%) against both mosquito species tested and has the potential to be used as an alternative mosquito control method.