Ethnomedicine of the Kagera Region, north western Tanzania. Part 2: The medicinal plants used in Katoro Ward, Bukoba District.

Abstract

The Kagera region of north western Tanzania has a rich culture of traditional medicine use and practices. The dynamic inter-ethnic interactions of different people from the surrounding countries constitute a rich reservoir of herbal based healing practices. This study, the second in an ongoing series, reports on the medicinal plant species used in Katoro ward, Bukoba District, and tries to use the literature to establish proof of the therapeutic claims.
Ethnomedical information was collected using semi-structured interviews in Kyamlaile and Kashaba villages of Katoro, and in roadside bushes on the way from Katoro to Bukoba through Kyaka. Data collected included the common/local names of the plants, parts used, the diseases treated, methods of preparation, dosage, frequency and duration of treatments. Information on toxicity and antidote were also collected. Literature was consulted to get corroborative information on similar ethnomedical claims and proven biological activities of the plants.
Thirty three (33) plant species for treatment of 13 different disease categories were documented. The most frequently treated diseases were those categorized as specific diseases/conditions (23.8% of all remedies) while eye diseases were the least treated using medicinal plants (1.5% of all remedies). Literature reports support 47% of the claims including proven anti-malarial, anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory activity or similar ethnomedical uses. Leaves were the most frequently used plant part (20 species) followed by roots (13 species) while making of decoctions, pounding, squeezing, making infusions, burning and grinding to powder were the most common methods used to prepare a majority of the therapies.
Therapeutic claims made on plants used in traditional medicine in Katoro ward of Bukoba district are well supported by literature, with 47% of the claims having already been reported. This study further enhances the validity of plants used in traditional medicine in this region as resources that can be relied on to provide effective, accessible and affordable basic healthcare to the local communities. The plants documented also have the potential of being used in drug development and on farm domestication initiatives.

Full text

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RESEARCHOpen Access
Ethnomedicine of the Kagera Region, north
western Tanzania. Part 2: The medicinal plants
used in Katoro Ward, Bukoba District
Mainen J Moshi1*, Donald F Otieno2, Pamela K Mbabazi3, Anke Weisheit3
Abstract
Background: The Kagera region of north western Tanzania has a rich culture of traditional medicine use and
practices. The dynamic inter-ethnic interactions of different people from the surrounding countries constitute a rich
reservoir of herbal based healing practices. This study, the second on an ongoing series, reports on the medicinal
plant species used in Katoro ward, Bukoba District, and tries to use the literature to establish proof of the
therapeutic claims.
Methodology: Ethnomedical information was collected using Semi-structured interviews in Kyamlaile and Kashaba
villages of Katoro, and in roadside bushes on the way from Katoro to Bukoba through Kyaka. Data collected
included the common/local names of the plants, parts used, the diseases treated, methods of preparation, dosage,
frequency and duration of treatments. Information on toxicity and antidote were also collected. Literature was
consulted to get corroborative information on similar ethnomedical claims and proven biological activities of the
plants.
Results: Thirty three (33) plant species for treatement of 13 different disease categories were documented. The
most frequently treated diseases were those categorized as specific diseases/conditions (23.8% of all remedies)
while eye diseases were the least treated using medicinal plants (1.5% of all remedies). Literature reports support
47% of the claims including proven anti-malarial, anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory activity or similar
ethnomedical uses. Leaves were the most frequently used plant part (20 species) followed by roots (13 species)
while making of decoctions, pounding, squeezing, making infusions, burning and grinding to powder were the
most common methods used to prepare a majority of the therapies.
Conclusion: Therapeutic claims made on plants used in traditional medicine in Katoro ward of Bukoba district are
well supported by literature, with 47% of the claims having already been reported. This study further enhances the
validity of plants used in traditional medicine in this region as resources that can be relied on to provide effective,
accessible and affordable basic healthcare to the local communities. The plants documented also have the
potential of being used in drug development and on farm domestication initiatives.
Introduction
The Kagera region has a magnificent culture of herbal-
ism. While the Haya tribe dominates the region, there is
a lot of knowledge exchange with the neighboring tribes
like the Rukiga and Banyankore of Uganda, the Tutsi
and the Hutu of Rwanda and Burundi who have all
intermarried overtime bringing together an impressive
culture of herbal centered traditional medicine [1]. Thus
when one talks to people belonging to different tribes
within Kagera, regardless of their education status or
age, what one hears is an impressive account of herbal
therapies that have been used successfully to treat differ-
ent diseases.
The first in the series of investigations on plants used
in traditional medicine in the Kagera region reported on
the plants used in Bugabo Ward [2]. This second part
of the series provides a glimpse into the plants used in
traditional medicine by Issack Kato and two of his
* Correspondence: mmoshi@muhas.ac.tz
1Department of Biological and Preclinical Studies, Institute of Traditional
Medicine, MUHAS, P.O. Box 65001, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Moshi et al. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine 2010, 6:19
http://www.ethnobiomed.com/content/6/1/19
JOURNAL OF ETHNOBIOLOGY
AND ETHNOMEDICINE
© 2010 Moshi et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons
Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in
any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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colleagues; Maruzuku Mazimpaka and Hajat Nuria Kyejo,
all who are traditional healers practicing in Katoro Ward.
This study therefore adds to the continuing efforts to
document [2], evaluate for biological activity [3-5], and
identify how plant genetic resources in the Kagera region
can be mainstreamed into the social and economic devel-
opment of the local people, for example, through on-
farm cultivation and the development of marketable
medicinal plant products. The study is an ethnomedical
documentation of medicinal plants in Katoro Ward of,
Bukoba district, north western Tanzania.
Methodology
Description of the study site
Katoro is a ward within Bukoba district and lies on the
south west of Bukoba town and situated at 1° 23′ 59′′
South, 31° 30′ 1′′ East (Figure 1). Like the rest of the
Bukoba district, the Katoro ward has good rainfall and
Figure 1 Map showing the study site at Katoro ward, Bukoba District (Source: Google Maps 2010).
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good vegetation cover that provides abundant resources
for traditional medicines.
The Ethnobotanical visit and documentation of plant
information
Independently, the research team established contact
with three informants (Issack Kato, Maruzuku Mazim-
paka and Hajat Nuria Kyejo) who practice traditional
medicine in Kashaba village in Katoro. A field visit was,
thereafter, made to the area between 28thFebruary and
2ndMarch, 2008. During this visit ethnomedical infor-
mation was collected using semi-structured interviews
[6] as the team walked, accompanied by the informants,
through the banana farms, roadside and surrounding
bushes and thickets of Kyamlaile and Kashaba villages.
Voucher specimens were made for all plants collected
and these were subsequently identified by Mr. Selemani
Haji of the Department of Botany, University of Dar es
Salaam. Duplicate vouchers are kept at the Herbaria of
the Botany Department, University of Dar es Salaam,
and that of the Institute of Traditional Medicine,
Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences.
Literature survey to establish proof of claims
Literature information was retrieved from the NAPRA-
LERT data base at the School of Pharmacy, University
of Illinois at Chicago. The strength of information
obtained from the informants was evaluated based on
its agreement with similar therapeutic claims in litera-
ture from elsewhere or evidence in literature of labora-
tory results that support the claims.
Results
Medicinal Plant diversity
A total of 33 plant species belonging to 31 genera and
19 plant families were documented (See additional file
1)). The largest proportion of medicinal plants collected
belonged to the family Asteraceae (21%), followed by
Fabaceae (12.1% each) and Euphorbiaceae (9.0%). The
main source of these plants in terms of number of spe-
cies were trees (30.3% of the total number of species)
followed by shrubs (39.4%) and herbs (21.2%). The
remaining 9.09% were climber herbs and shrubs.
Diseases treated
A wide variety of medical conditions were treated using
remedies made from medicinal plants. Most of the
plants used had more than a single therapeutic use. For
example, Draceana steudneri was used for treating
fibroids, splenomegaly and asthma. On the other hand,
many diseases were also treated using a wide range of
plants. Malaria for example, was treated using Senna
alata, Clerodendrum myricoides, Dalbergia nitidula,
Eriosema psoraleoides, Hygrophylla auriculata, Rhus
vulgaris and Vernonia amygdalina. The most frequent
ailments treated with medicinal plants were those cate-
gorized here as specific diseases/conditions (Table 1)
comprising conditions like malaria, dysentery, cancer,
yellow fever etc. and were treated using the largest
number of remedies (23.8% of all remedies). On the
lower end, 1.5% of the remedies were used to treat eye
diseases, 2.98% cardiovascular and circulatory diseases
(e.g. anemia), 4.47% respiratory tract infections (e.g. chest
pains) and 4.47% skeletal muscular problems (e.g. body
spasms). Reproductive problems like difficulties to
conceive and low libido were treated using 14.2% of all
the remedies used.
Plant parts used
The plant parts used for making herbal preparations
were the roots, leaves, stem bark, root bark, pods and
other aerial parts. The leaves were the most frequently
used (20 species) followed by the roots (13 species), and
stem bark and other aerial parts (each 4 species). Other
parts like the pods were also used, for example in Kige-
lia africana and the root bark in Parinari curatellifolia,
but rarely.
Herbal medicines and their preparation
Mono therapies based on preparations made from a sin-
gle plant were the most dominant, although many reme-
dies where more than one plant was used were also
common. Those that involved the use of two species
included, for example, the boiling of Carissa tomentosa
roots with the bark of Elaedendron buchananii or pow-
ders of the two being mixed and taken with tea or
mixed with roots of Tragia furialis for the treatment of
hernia, backache or taken as an aphrodisiac. Others
included a decoction made from boiling the roots of
Combretum collinum and Rhus vulgaris being drunk for
the treatment of dysentery while another made from
Table 1 Number of plant species used to treat diseases
within different disease categories (The disease
categories were adopted from Ssegawa and Kasenene,
2007[40])
Disease CategoryNumber of plants
Cardiovascular and circulatory
Gastro-intestinal diseases
Respiratory tract infections
Eye diseases
Female genital system
Skeletal muscular system
Skin diseases and subcutaneous tissue
Infectious diseases
Child hood diseases and conditions
Specific diseases and conditions
2
6
3
1
4
3
7
10
2
16
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boiling the leaves of Dalbergia nitidula with the stem
bark of Sapium ellipticum was used to treat malaria.
Fresh leaves of Dichrocephala integrifolia were pounded
with the leaves of Ageratum conyzoides and the juice
squeezed out and applied to the eyes as an eye drop
while for the treatment of indigestion, the leaves of Hos-
lundia opposita were mixed with the leaves of Ocimum
basilicum, boiled and the decoction drunk. A decoction
made from boiling the leaves of Pappea capensis with
those of Vernonia brachycalyx was drunk for the treat-
ment of backaches and to treat chickenpox, the leaves
of Rhus natalensis mixed with those of Vernonia amyg-
dalina were boiled and the decoction drunk. Treatments
that involved the use of three or more plants in combi-
nation included, for example, the pounding of the roots
and/or leaves of Desmodium salicifolium, Elaeodendron
buchananii and Tragia furialis then boiling and taking
the decoction as an aphrodisiac. Others included the
treatment of skin rashes and joint pains and relieving of
feet from burning sensations by applying the root or
stem bark powder of Maytenus senegalensis mixed with
the root powders of Rauvolfia vomitora, Parinari cura-
tellifolia and Ozoroa insignis in a fat base. The treat-
ment of yellow fever involved pounding and boiling the
leaves of Trema orientalis with those of Combretum col-
linum and Erythrina abbysinica and taking the decoc-
tion. Backache was also treated using a decoction
prepared from a combination of four different species.
The decoction was made by boiling the root powder of
Tragia furialis mixed with that of Elaeodendron bucha-
nanii or Spathodea campanulata and Carisa spinarum
and then drunk or the powders were simply mixed with
water and taken. A second treatment of malaria involved
taking a decoction made from the leaves and/or roots of
Vernonia amygdalina mixed with the stem bark of Rhus
natalensis and the leaves of Dalbergia nitidula, Desmo-
dium salicifolium and Eriosema psoraleoides. The most
common methods used to prepare most of the therapies
were making of decoctions (46.4%), pounding (14.2%),
squeezing (10.7%), making infusions (8.9%), burning
(7.1%) and grinding to powder (5.4%).
Literature based proof of traditional healers’ claims
Out of all the plants used by traditional healers in
Katoro, the uses of 47% of them (16 out of 34 species)
are supported by reports of similar uses or proven biolo-
gical activity in the literature. There were no reports of
toxicity for any of the species except for Ageratum cony-
zoides reported to have caused toxicity to sheep [7]. The
plants whose therapeutic claims are well supported by
the literature include Ageratum conyzoides [8-10],
Bidens pilosa [11-14], Boerhavia diffusa [15], Capparis
tomentosa [16], Cassia alata [17-19], Clerodendrum
myricoides [20,21]. Others are Combretum collinum
[22], Dichrocephala integrifolia [23], Flueggea virosa
[24,25], Hoslundia opposita [26], Jatropha curcas
[27,28], Lantana camara [29-31], Melanthera scandens
[32], Microglossa pyrifolia [33,34], Rubia cordifolia
[35-37] and Vernonia amygdalina [32,38,39].
Discussion
This is the second of an ongoing series to document
plants that are used in Kagera region, northwestern
Tanzania, as traditional medicines. The plants that have
been documented from Katoro are relatively few com-
pared to the rich plant diversity that is known to be in
the Kagera region [2]. However, the proportion of
claims made by traditional healers in Katoro concerning
some of the plants documented in this study and which
are supported by literature evidence of proven biological
activity or similar ethnomedical uses elsewhere is
remarkable. Thus therapeutic claims made concerning;
Ageratum conyzoides, Bidens pilosa, Boerhavia diffusa,
Capparis tomentosa, Cassia alata, Clerodendrum myri-
coides, Combretum collinum, Dichrocephala integrifolia,
Flueggea virosa, Hoslundia opposita Jatropha curcas,
Lantana camara, Melanthera scandens, Microglossa pyr-
ifolia, Rubia cordifolia and Vernonia amygdalina can be
taken to be credible, given that these plants either have
identical uses elsewhere or their biological activities
have been proven. It has been suggested that the identi-
cal use of a medicinal plant by different people from dif-
ferent areas is often considered to be a good and reliable
indicator of the plants curative properties [40].
The Kagera region is one place in Tanzania where
there is a remarkable interchange of culture by ethnic
groups from different countries e.g. the Rukiga and
Banyankore of Uganda, the Tutsi and the Hutu of
Rwanda and Burundi all who have intermarried over
time bringing together an impressive culture of herbal
centered traditional medicine [1]. This culture is
indeed entrenched among the different ethnic groups
in Kagera, and unlike other parts of Tanzania, people
from all walks of life value traditional medicine,
including even the well educated, who in other places
would not so proudly talk of the benefits of traditional
medicines.
Some plants previously documented in Kagera and
used for the treatment of bacterial infections and wound
healing [2] have been found to have antibacterial prop-
erties [3,5] and results from brine shrimp toxicity tests
also suggest that they have low toxicity [4]. This goes to
show that Kagera region, within which Katoro falls, has
a repository of plants that can be relied upon for the
treatment of various illnesses that the local communities
have to deal with now and again.
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Conclusion
This study shows that the therapeutic claims made on
plants used in traditional medicine in Katoro ward of
Bukoba district are credible given that 47% of the claims
are well supported by the literature. It also enhances the
validity of the plants as resources that can be relied on to
provide effective and affordable healthcare to the local
communities. The plants documented in this study thus
also have the potential of being used in drug develop-
ment and on farm domestication/cultivation initiatives.
Additional material
Additional file 1: Medicinal plants used in Katoro ward; Bukoba
District. The file contains a list of medicinal plant species, their uses,
parts used and methods of preparation, together with information from
the literature supporting the traditional therapeutic claims.
Acknowledgements
We are grateful to the traditional healers who provided the information
constituting this manuscript and their willingness to allow this information
to be published. We thank the NAPRALERT Data base of the University of
Illinois at Chicago for allowing us access and literature retrieval. We also
thank Mr. Selemani Haji for identifying the plants and Mr. Superatus Chuma
and Mr. Daniel Kamala for their contribution to this work. This collaborative
Lake Victoria Research (VicRes) is financially supported by Sida/SAREC
through the Inter-University Council of East Africa (IUCEA). The project is
VicRes Project No. 31 (see http://www.vicres.net).
Author details
1Department of Biological and Preclinical Studies, Institute of Traditional
Medicine, MUHAS, P.O. Box 65001, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.2Department of
Biological Sciences, Moi University, Eldoret, Kenya.3Faculty of Development
Studies, Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST), P.O. Box
1410, Mbarara, Uganda.
Authors’ contributions
MJM, DFO, AW, PKM, carried out the design of the study, which is being
implemented in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. MJM interviewed traditional
healers in Bukoba Rural District, compiled the information which was
subsequently synthesized by MJM, AW and DFO to this final manuscript. All
authors read, revised and approved the final manuscript.
Competing interests
The authors have no competing interests in the project, and share the
aspirations of the local people of Katoro ward to bring good healthcare
services to their community.
Received: 29 May 2010 Accepted: 22 July 2010 Published: 22 July 2010
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doi:10.1186/1746-4269-6-19
Cite this article as: Moshi et al.: Ethnomedicine of the Kagera Region,
north western Tanzania. Part 2: The medicinal plants used in Katoro
Ward, Bukoba District. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine 2010
6:19.
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