Browsing by Author "Baressa Anbessa"

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    Ethnobotanical Study of Medicinal and Wild Edible Plants in Dibatie District, Metekel Zone, Western Ethiopia, and Evaluation of the Antimicrobial, Nutritional, Antioxidant and Phytochemical Profiles of Selected Plants
    (Addis Ababa University, 2024-06) Baressa Anbessa; Ermias Lulekal; Ariaya Hymete (Professor); Paulos Getachew (Professor)
    Human beings rely on plant resources to meet their day-to-day lives. Ethiopia is rich in plant diversity, multilanguistic, diverse ethnic groups, and indigenous knowledge to use the plant resources for various purposes, such as herbal medicines, foods, spices, stimulants, forages, construction, home furnishings, fuel wood, ritual ceremonies, beverages, oil, gum, shade, perfumes, artifacts, fences, and other commercial values. Yet limited research was conducted on the traditional use, product development, value addition, commercialization, and conservation of the plant resources in the Dibatie district, Metekel zone, western Ethiopia, as well as the country as a whole. Thus, this study was aimed at investigating the ethnobotany of medicinal and wild edible plants in the Dibatie district of the Metekel zone, western Ethiopia, with an evaluation of the antimicrobial activity, nutritional value, antioxidant potential, and phytochemicals of selected plants. The ethnobotanical data (for Papers I and III) were collected using a semi-structured interview, field observation, focus group discussions, a market survey, and the ranking of selected plants. Voucher specimens were collected, identified, and preserved at the National Herbarium of Ethiopia. The ethnobotanical data (for Papers I and III) were analyzed through descriptive statistics (percentage and frequency), ranking, comparison, and quantitative ethnobotanical techniques such as informant consensus factor, fidelity level index, familiarity index, Jaccard’s similarity index, and use value index. The selected medicinal plants (in Paper II) were collected, shade dried, pulverized, extracted with 80% ethanol, and subjected to antibacterial, antioxidant, and phytochemical tests. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was determined using 96-well microplates and nutrient broth microdilution. Antioxidant activity was evaluated using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging assay. Phytochemical screening was conducted using standard test methods. The juices of selected wild edible plants (in Paper IV) were used to determine the pH, acidity, and total soluble solids (TSS). Their lyophilized powders were analyzed to determine vitamin C, proximate composition, minerals, functional properties, anti-nutritional factors, antioxidant activity (DPPH assay and ferric reducing power), and quantitative phytoconstituents. In Paper I, a total of 170 medicinal plants were recorded to treat about 79 human and 29 livestock ailments. A large percentage (35.88%) of the medicinal plants were herbs, and the majority (79.41%) of them were from wild sources. Many (41.17%) medicinal plants had multiple remedy parts and were often prescribed freshly. The remedies were mostly applied orally (52.20%), followed by dermal (17.62%) routes. Out of the examined medicinal plants in Paper II, the extract of Polystachya steudneri Rchb.f. pseudobulb was the most active against gram-negative and gram-positive bacterial strains. The extracts of Gnidia involucrata Steud. ex A.Rich. stems and roots were effective antioxidants, with respective IC50 values of 168.68 and 181.79 μg/mL compared to ascorbic acid (IC50 = 53.76 μg/mL). The studied plants (in Paper II) contained alkaloids, anthocyanins, anthraquinones, cardiac glycosides, coumarins, flavonoids, phenols, saponins, steroids, tannins, and terpenoids. Ethnobotanically, 54 wild edible plants (in Paper III) were identified, of which 38.90% were trees and mainly contained edible fruits (72.20%). They were usually consumed raw as complementary foods frequently in the months December to May. About 98% of the recorded plants had additional uses beyond their nutritional values. Out of the analyzed wild edible plants in Paper IV, Saba comorensis (Bojer ex A.DC.) Pichon fruit had the highest (p < 0.05) acidity, vitamin C, TSS, water solubility, oxalates, and tannins. The evaluated plants were rich in carbohydrates (59.63–68.83%), energy (267.75–324.08 kcal/100g), and minerals like calcium (522.27–995.04 mg/100g), iron (19.80–111.94 mg/100g), magnesium (923.25–1592.18 mg/100g), and potassium (591.69–1357.71 mg/100g). Dioscorea praehensilis Benth. tuber had the highest bulk density, water absorption, water holding, foaming, and foam stability, and Syzygium guineense (Wild.) DC. subsp. macrocarpum (Engl.) F.White fruit was significant in oil absorption. Saba comorensis fruit contained the highest (p < 0.05) total phenolics, flavonoids, and alkaloids and was found to be a substantial source of antioxidant, followed by S. guineense subsp. macrocarpum fruit. The study area was rich in a diversity of potential medicinal and wild edible plants, along with the associated indigenous knowledge. The plants support the native people in food security, agriculture, medicine, energy sources, construction, ecological services, aesthetics, income generation, and household utensils. However, medicinal and wild edible plants are recently threatened owing to the appearance of various anthropogenic factors in the study area. Thus, appropriate conservation actions and careful utilization are crucial to counteract the increasing effect of anthropogenic factors and ensure the sustainability of important plants with the related indigenous knowledge. In addition, experimental validation should be employed to evaluate the pharmaceutical and nutritional benefits of the identified medicinal and wild edible plants in the study area. The investigated medicinal plants (in Paper II) were confirmed as vital sources of antibiotics, antioxidants, and bioactive phytochemicals. Hence, further investigations were suggested to obtain bioactive lead compounds for the development of novel drugs. The examined wild edible plants (in Paper IV) were verified as good sources of valuable nutrients and phytochemicals with substantial functional, anti-nutritional, and antioxidant properties. As a result, they need to be conserved and wisely used in the form of various food products in the future.