An Ethnobotanical Study of Plants among the Sidaama with Special Reference to Medicinal Plants
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Date
2015-05
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Addis Ababa Universiy
Abstract
The main focus of this study is to document, describe and show the
relationship between medicinal plants with their vernacular names.
This study attempts to display traditional medicinal plants and their
links with some ethnolinguistic issues by taking the Sidaama zone as
a case study which is located in the South Eastern Ethiopia. This
work is carried on in the Sidaama Zone Aletawendo, Aletachuko and
Shebedino districts between March 10,2014 to June 12,2014. The
data were collected from 60 people (40 males and 20 females). Except
some key informants, other informants were selected randomly. The
data were gathered through semi structured interviews, focus group
discussion and guided field observation. The ethnomedicinal use of 75
plants which are used as cure in the study area was documented.
Plants were collected from both wild and home garden. But most of
the medicinal plants were collected from the wild. Parts of plants like
leaves, stems, barks, and roots were the most frequently used plants
for medicinal purpose. Medical treatments usually can be taken via
different mechanisms. In addition to this, in this study plants' names,
types, structures, meanings, and their utilities other than medicinal
values are also discussed. People who live in rural areas and those
under privileged urban communities practice traditional medical
treatments. In this particular study what the researcher attempted to
show the linguistic properties of medicinal plants names among the
Sidaama community. The inquiry may aid other researchers to
iii I P age
understand the mutually beneficial nature of the disciplines and the
value of preserving the environment. Moreover, researches conducted
by the triangulation of linguistic / language, culture, medicine and
environmental science may help us in better understanding of the
contemporary global ecological crisis.
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The Sidaama with Special Reference to Medicinal Plants