Ethnobotanical Study of Medicinal Plants in Enemay District, East Gojjam Zone, Amhara Region, Ethiopia
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Date
2019-08-08
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
An ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants was conducted to investigate and document traditional medicinal plants and associated indigenous knowledge used to treat human and livestock aliments in Enemay Wereda. A total of 100 informants between the ages of 20 and 80 were selected to collect information on medicinal plant use from ten sampled kebeles. Out of these, 20 key informants were purposively selected based on suggestion from elders and local authorities. A total of 70 medicinal plant speciesdistributed in 65 genera and 42 families were collected and identified. From those 46 species were used against human ailments, 17 species for livestock and 7 species for the treatment of both human and livestock. The most frequently used plant parts were leaves (37%) followed by roots (21%). The most widely used method of preparation was crushing (30%) of the different plant parts followed by squeezing (27%). In the study area shrubs were (50%) the dominant growth forms followed by herbs (29%). The common route of administration recorded was oral (47%) followed by dermal (26%). Agricultural expansion, fire wood, construction, drought were the major threats to plants in general and particularly to medicinal plants in the study area. Awareness creation, education, and running Insitu and exsitu conservation of medicinal plants is compulsory to ensure sustainable use of the medicinal plants in the area.
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Enemay, Indigenous Knowledge, Medicinal Plant, Preference Ranking