Fig 6 - uploaded by Annalisa Tassoni
Content may be subject to copyright.
Plant different uses. a Stand of a local healer with numerous barks for sale; b fruits of Landolphia kirkii Dyer, a wild liana; c the bark of Brachystegia sp. used to tie together the elements of traditional houses; d Duranta erecta L., a ritual species, used against misfortune
Source publication
Background
This research was performed in four villages adjacent the boundary of Udzungwa Mountains National Park in the Kilombero River plain of Tanzania. The area adjacent the villages is characterized by self-consumption agriculture, with a population that is on average poor, still very tied to traditions and almost entirely unaffected by modern...
Contexts in source publication
Context 1
... parts of the plants (Fig. 5a) mainly used for the preparation of herbal remedies were leaves (50%), bark (16.7%, Fig. 6a), roots (13.3%), whole plant (10%), fruits (6.7%) and other parts like sap or flowers (3.3%). A similar distribution was found by other studies in Africa [5,13,16,18], with in general leaves representing the most frequently used plant part for medicine. Con- versely, other studies reported roots as the most used part in preparing drugs ...
Context 2
... fruits were eaten raw, while vegetables were consumed cooked in 80% of cases, while the remaining 20% was consumed raw or used for infusion to extract the aromas, such as Cymbopogon citratus (DC.) Stapf. Among species commonly collected in the wild there were Bidens pilosa, an herb used as a vegetable, and the fruits of Landolphia kirkii Dyer (Fig. 6b). Instead, Telfairia pedata (Sm.) Hook., a native cultivated species for collecting seeds (in order to extract oil), was indicated as progres- sively disappearing due to its low productivity compared to the new species of oil plant recently ...
Context 3
... (19.4%) species were indicated as useful to produce raw materials (Fig. 4), of which 21 were woody species used for the production of furniture, house structural elements, firewood and poles. The other seven species were herbs (e.g., Poaceae and Cyperaceae) and palms which are mainly used for the production of fibers and roof covers (Fig. 6c). One of the most exploited species is Dalbergia melanoxylon Guill. & Perr. used because of its dark wood to make carved objects, such as figurines and necklaces. Phoenix recli- nata Jacq. and Musa x paradisiaca L. were mainly used for the production of cordage and for weaving works as reported in Shangali et al. [19] In addition, five ...
Context 4
... the production of cordage and for weaving works as reported in Shangali et al. [19] In addition, five other species (Fig. 4) were indicated as having ritual purposes linked to their traditional use within the communities. These species were thought to avoid bad luck (e.g., by drinking an infusion of Duranta erecta L. leaves and roots for 21 days, Fig. 6d), or against bad sprits or evil eye (e.g., bark of Ficus sycomorus L.). As also reported in [19], 2 plants were used to extract dyes (Bridelia micrantha (Hochst.) Baill. and Diospyros loureiroana G.Don). In the house gardens many species were just used as decoration, among which the most fre- quently cited by respondents were Dracaena ...
Similar publications
The similarity in traditional knowledge of medicinal plants was evaluated to draw inferences about the most important models for local knowledge transmission. The following questions were addressed: (1) Do related individuals possess greater similarity in knowledge of medicinal plants than unrelated individuals? (2) Do related individuals of the sa...
Citations
... This study focuses on the ethnobotany of wild cowpeas in selected communities of Tanzania. About 65% of Tanzanians are in rural areas, earning their livelihoods from wild resources (Salinitro et al., 2017). For example, V. frutescens is a tuber plant adapted to a semi-desert environment and is mainly consumed by the Hadzabe community in northern Tanzania (Schoeninger et al., 2001). ...
Wild cowpeas are utilized as food, medicine, and nutritious fodder. However, there are limited reports on the cultural significance of wild cowpeas across different agroecologies of Tanzania. This study analyzed the traditional knowledge and identified the most culturally important species. The study involved 260 respondents interviewed from 13 villages in seven districts, using descriptive and ethnobotanical methods to assess traditional knowledge. Fisher’s exact test (p = 0.0403) revealed that knowledge of wild cowpeas depends on age, not gender and education. A Pearson’s test showed significant differences in use categories of wild cowpeas among the respondents, with 31% as animal fodder, 6% as medicine, 3.5% as food, and 2.5% as green manure, while 57% did not use it. Spearman rank correlations revealed positive correlations among the variables tested, with FC and UR significantly having a high correlation index of 0.98, while the cultural value (CVe) index highly correlated with all ethnobotany indices evaluated. Vigna dekindtiana is the most culturally significant species, with the highest frequency of citation (FCs = 20), use reports (URs = 27), and cultural importance (CIs = 1.125). The leaves of V. dekindtiana have been used as animal feed and vegetables, while its roots have been used to treat gastrointestinal disorders. This study revealed that wild cowpeas can be utilized in various ways, such as ecological and social aspects, and in breeding programs to improve cultivated cowpeas.
... Public forest lands are accessible for various uses, with resource harvesting regulated through licensing. However, many unprotected forests consist of Miombo woodlands, which supply food, fuel, construction materials, and medicine but face grave threats from overexploitation [16,17]. In the Morogoro Rural District, where this study was conducted, deforestation has occurred due to the demand for agricultural land and charcoal production, leaving remaining forests unprotected and putting forest resources at risk [18]. ...
... The decoction method is preferred because it helps to speed up the extraction of bioactive ingredients from the plant's materials, sterilizes used plant materials, and detoxifies poisonous compounds [50,66]. Other ethnobotanical studies conducted within the country unveiled the most remedies to be prepared through decoction [17,25,67,68]. This suggests that perhaps there is an unceasing exchange of information on the use of MHs among Tanzanian communities. ...
Since time immemorial, Tanzanians, particularly the Luguru tribe, have utilised medicinal herbs (MHs) to manage various ailments. However, few ethnobotanical studies have been conducted to document and quantitatively analyze them. This study documents and quantitatively analyzes MHs used by the Luguru people of Morogoro Rural District to address various ailments. The research was conducted between September 2022 and October 2023. Ethnobotanical data on MH were collected from 100 informants identified through the snowball method, employing semistructured interviews, focus group discussions, and field walks. A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and an independent samples t-test were employed to examine statistically significant differences among social demographic variables. Quantitative indices, including family use value (FUV), MH use value (UV), fidelity level (FL), plant part value (PPV), and informant agreement ratio (IAR), were computed. A total of 30 MHs belonging to 13 families were reported to be used for managing various ailments. Asteraceae was the most represented family (seven species, FUV=2.23). Vernonia amygdalina Del. (Asteraceae) had the highest UV index (0.571), while the root was the most utilised plant part (0.692). Malaria and fever (0.96) and metabolic disorders (0.94) had the highest IAR. The preferred modes of preparation and administration were decoction and oral, respectively. Female, illiterate, and elderly informants possessed significantly higher medicinal knowledge. The study demonstrates that the Luguru people possess a rich understanding of MHs and continue to rely on them to treat various ailments. The MHs with high UV, IAR, and FL can be a foundation for future phytochemical and pharmacological studies.
... Since time immemorial, plants have been used to remedy various human and animal ailments, and they are considered vital in human healthcare [1]. Plants offer livelihood benefits, including timber, firewood, food, fodder, medicine, construction materials, and income [2,3]. ...
This study is aimed at documenting the indigenous knowledge and quantitative analysis of medicinal plants (MPs) used by traditional health practitioners (THPs) of Urambo District in mid-western Tanzania to manage respiratory tract disorders (RTDs). The ethnomedicinal data were collected using semistructured interviews with 55 THPs using a snowballing technique in the district. The data were analysed for indigenous knowledge among gender, age groups, education status, and experience. Family importance value (FIV), use value (UV), relative frequency of citation (RFC), informant consensus factor (ICF), and Jaccard index (JI) were computed. A total of 42 MPs representing 28 families were recorded being used against RTDs in the district. Fabaceae was the dominant family in terms of species (16.7%) and FIV (84%). Decoction (51.0%) was the preferred technique for preparing remedies, while trees (61.9%) and leaves (38.1%) were the most utilised life form and plant parts, respectively. The RFC in the current study varied from 0.055 (Musa paradisiaca L.) to 0.655 (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) and 0.073 (Dichrostachys cinerea (L.) Wight & Arn.) to 0.673 (Entada abyssinica Steud. ex A.Rich.), respectively. The highest ICF was recorded for cough (0.922). The JI ranged from 2.7 to 7.9. Among the documented MPs, 55% had least concern, 2% were endangered, 7% had data deficiency conservation status, and 36% had no record in the IUCN Red List. The study revealed that the district’s population depends on MPs for healthcare. Thus, conservation strategies are needed for the sustainable utilisation of the MPs. Importantly, the documented MPs hold immense potential in future pharmacological and phytochemical studies, offering hope for the development of new drugs for RTDs. Also, the study suggests the need for scientific validation of the MP’s efficacy and safety.
... Unfortunately, the knowledge and expertise in utilising wild fruits for therapeutic practices have been left to older generations, which poses the risk of losing this vital knowledge in the study locations. Similar observations were reported by [60] in eastern Tanzania and only a few people were familiar with the pharmacological use of wild plants in Morogoro. ...
Background
Wild edible fruits found in Tanzania's miombo woods are an indispensable source of food and medicine. Unfortunately, with the rapid expansion of human activities and urbanisation in the Tabora rural, Uyui and Sikonge districts of Western Tanzania, some wild fruits are disappearing due to the loss of plant diversity. The objectives of this study wereL: to document the knowledge related to wild edible fruits; to quantify the use and cultural significance, and to determine their threats.
Methods
The ethnobotanical study was conducted from June 2022 to February 2023 involving 244 local informants. The study used field visits, the collection of plant parts, and semi-structured interviews with locals for its data collection. Descriptive statistics and correlation test were used to analyse the knowledge related to wild fruits. Frequency citation (f) and use reports (UR) were computed to understand the diversity and cultural significance (CI).
Results
The study documented 27 wild edible fruit species used for food and medicine. The life form constituted deciduous shrubs or trees (64%), shrub trees (21%) and evergreen or deciduous trees (15%). About (56%) of wild edible fruits were collected from June to August after the rainy season, (33%) were harvested between December and May during the rainy season, and (11%) were gathered from September and November before the rainy season. Household size and sex of the respondents were significantly correlated to the knowledge of wild edible fruits. Higher utilisation frequency (f) was recorded for Vitex mombassae Vatke (f = 0.84), Strychnos spinosa Lam. (f = 0.82), Vitex payos (Lour.) Merr. (f = 0.56), Phyllogeiton discolor (Klotzsch) Herzog. (f = 0.45), Vangueria infausta Burchell (f = 0.45), Tamarindus indica L. (f = 0.38), Parinari curatellifolia (f = 0.25), Landolphia parvifolia K.Schum. (f = 0.22) and Microcos conocarpa Burret (f = 0.22) fruits species. Additionally, Phyllogeiton discolor (Klotzsch) Herzog. (UR = 56), Vitex mombassae Vatke (UR = 56), Tamarindus indica L. (UR = 37), Strychnos spinosa Lam. (UR = 14) and Friesodielsia obovata (Benth.) Verdc. (UR = 11), have higher use reports (UR) and considered culturally important. Wild fruits were used to cure diabetes, gastrointestinal, reproductive, and respiratory infections ailments.
Discussion and conclusion
Multiple uses as well as the related knowledge of wild fruits have been documented. Friesodielsia obovata, Grewia flavescens Juss and Thespesia garckeana F.Hoffm. are the medicinal fruit species reported for the first time. Harvesting of wood plants, charcoal activities, crop cultivation, grazing expansion, and environmental change, have had an impact on the diversity of wild edible fruit plants. Over the past three decades, the use of wild fruits has been impacted by the loss of plant diversity due to decline of cultural norms on the forests management. Given the variety of uses for wild fruits, promoting markets for native fruits, sensitising the locals about the cultural importance and innovation on processing techniques are necessary to spur conservation efforts.
... We realized that the most preferred preparation method was decoction. This is consistent with other research that found decoction to be the most popular preparation technique due to its simplicity in preparation (Salinitro et al., 2017;Nankaya et al., 2019;Junsongduang et al., 2020). ...
Background: Throughout the history, nature has provided mankind with most of their basic needs, which include food, shelter, medicine, clothes, flavours, scents as well as raw materials. Given that they are an integral part of cultural heritage, medicinal plants have played a significant role in human healthcare systems around the world. Investigating various biological resources for use as medicines requires ethnomedicinal studies.
Methods: Data on utilization of ethnomedicinal plants from local healers in Kenya’s Mosop Sub-County in Nandi County was documented through open-ended, semi-structured questionnaires. A number of quantitative indices, such as the Use Citation (UC), Informant Consensus Factor (ICF), Use Value (UV), Frequency of Citation (FoC) and Relative Frequency of Citation (RFC) were used to convey the potential medical benefits, vitality and variety of the ethnomedicine.
Results: 102 informants provided information on 253 ethnomedicinal plant species, classified into 74 families. There were 249 native plant species identified, along with few exotic species: Senegalia senegal (L.) Britton, Persea americana Mill, Carica papaya L. and Solanum betaceum Cav. Of all recorded species, 32% and 27% were herbs and trees, respectively. Among plant parts, leaves were most frequently utilized (27%) and roots (26%), while decoctions (21%) were the most widely used formulations. The dominant family was Asteraceae, with 28 species, followed by Lamiaceae, with 19 species. The highest ICF value was 0.778 for a number of parasitic and infectious illnesses, including ringworms, athlete’s foot rot, tetanus, typhoid, intestinal parasites, abscesses, malaria, and amoebiasis. The study’s data validates the region’s widespread use of traditional medicinal plant remedies.
Conclusion: The current study will lay a foundation of knowledge for future research investigations. The abundance of knowledge regarding ethnomedicinal species and their medicinal applications will stimulate further phytochemical and pharmacological research, which could lead to the discovery of potentially significant pharmaceuticals.
... La forma de preparación de cada planta medicinal varía según las costumbres y creencias de cada familia y región. Según varios investigadores, la infusión es la forma de preparación más común en Ecuador (Salinitro 2017), lo que coincide con los resultados de esta investigación en Arajuno, donde la infusión es la forma de preparación más utilizada. Estos resultados también concuerdan con investigaciones realizadas en Perú y Bolivia (Eder 2018; Cussy 2017), sugiriendo que este método ayuda a preservar las propiedades curativas de las plantas. ...
The World Health Organization promotes the use of medicinal plants to facilitate access to alternative treatments. Ancestral ethnographic knowledge is integrated into basic healthcare, benefiting cultural traditions and compensating for the limitations of medical services, especially in hard-to-reach areas. This study characterized the traditional use of medicinal plants in the canton of Arajuno, province of Pastaza, Ecuador. A total of 160 ethnobotanical questionnaires were applied, identifying 30 families and 49 medicinal plants. The most commonly used were Chamaemelum nobile, Piper aduncum L., Maytenus laevis, Kalanchoe pinnata, Solanum dulcamara L., and Aloysia triphylla, employed to treat gastrointestinal, respiratory, and anti-infective conditions. Leaves were the most used part of the plants, and infusion was the most common preparation method. These findings highlight the importance of ancestral knowledge in traditional medicine and its role in community health
... La forma de preparación de cada planta medicinal varía según las costumbres y creencias de cada familia y región. Según varios investigadores, la infusión es la forma de preparación más común en Ecuador (Salinitro 2017), lo que coincide con los resultados de esta investigación en Arajuno, donde la infusión es la forma de preparación más utilizada. Estos resultados también concuerdan con investigaciones realizadas en Perú y Bolivia (Eder 2018; Cussy 2017), sugiriendo que este método ayuda a preservar las propiedades curativas de las plantas. ...
The World Health Organization promotes the use of medicinal plants to facilitate access to alternative treatments. Ancestral ethnographic knowledge is integrated into basic healthcare, benefiting cultural traditions and compensating for the limitations of medical services, especially in hard-to-reach areas. This study characterized the traditional use of medicinal plants in the canton of Arajuno, province of Pastaza, Ecuador. A total of 160 ethnobotanical questionnaires were applied, identifying 30 families and 49 medicinal plants. The most commonly used were Chamaemelum nobile, Piper aduncum L., Maytenus laevis, Kalanchoe pinnata, Solanum dulcamara L., and Aloysia triphylla, employed to treat gastrointestinal, respiratory, and anti-infective conditions. Leaves were the most used part of the plants, and infusion was the most common preparation method. These findings highlight the importance of ancestral knowledge in traditional medicine and its role in community health
... There is also very little information available on TKS in Tanzania. Several studies have described specific examples of how TKS contributes to the understanding of plants, food and medicine (Salinitro et al., 2017;Mhache, 2018) including the potential genetic properties of medicinal trees (Dery et al., 1999). However, there is a lack of explicit policies related to TKS and research on genetic and biological materials and thus, by extension, the management of such data. ...
... Tanzania has endowed with over 10,000 plant species and a quarter of them are medicinal plants used by people but not all of them have been evaluated scientifically [4]. S. guineense and M. indica are among herbal plants used in folklore medicine by local communities in Morogoro, Tanzania for treating bacterial ailments [9]. However, their antibacterial activities have not been scientifically validated [5]. ...
Bacterial infectious diseases account for thousands of deaths worldwide. Despite their side effects, synthetic antibiotics are currently utilized to treat bacterial infections. There has been an effort to identify alternative medicines of plant origin, the current study determined in vitro antibacterial activities of Syzygium guineense barks and seeds of Mangifera indica ethanol extracts, as well as their phytochemical profile. The bacteria tested included, Salmonella typhi, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli. Plant samples were collected from Morogoro region, Tanzania and transferred to Kenyatta University, for preparation and extracted with ethanol. In vitro antibacterial activities were determined by disk diffusion, MIC and MBC methods. Selected phytochemicals of ethanol extracts were determined qualitatively. The highest antibacterial effects was observed in M. indica extract against B. subtilis, S. aureus, E. coli and S. typhi with zones of inhibition of 20.00 mm, 18.00 mm, 17.67 mm and 15,67 mm respectively. Antibacterial effects observed in S. guineense extract against B. subtilis, S. aureus, S. typhi and E. coli produced zones of inhibition of 15.00 mm, 14.33mm, 10.67 mm and 9.33 mm respectively. The extracts showed better antibacterial effects against Gram positive bacteria than Gram negative bacteria. Qualitative phytochemical analysis of the ethanol extracts revealed alkaloids, quinones, flavonoids, phenolics, saponins, steroids, terpenoids, tannins and glycosides. This study recommends that the ethanol extracts may be used to develop alternative remedies for treating bacterial infections. The study suggests that the plant extracts should also be subjected to in vivo studies.
... The high dependence of the local people on herbal plants might be due to the easy access and the country's higher cost of advanced medicine and health facilities. Other researchers have stated the same in different parts of the world ( Tene et al. 2007, Salinitro et al. 2017. Three hundred sixty-six use reports were collected from primary sources, and 166 medicinal plants belonged to 61 families. ...
... Our study found that local communities in Sarawak frequently used the decoction method for medicine preparation. The same result has been reported by researchers in other parts of the world (Moshi et al. 2010, Moshi et al. 2012, Salinitro et al. 2017, Nankaya et al. 2020. For instance, a recent study in Kenya claimed that the Maasai community mostly uses decoction preparation (Nankaya et al. 2020). ...
Using medicinal plants for various treatments has been practiced for centuries. This traditional medicinal knowledge has been passed orally from generation to generation. Today's generation does not take much interest, and there is a threat of extinction of therapeutic expertise, thus it needs to be documented. For this purpose, a review was conducted to investigate the diversity of therapeutic plants and their utilization for different treatments among the local ethnic groups of Sarawak, Malaysia. Information regarding medicinal plants and their utilization was extracted from published articles, books, and thesis using various databases such as Google scholar, Scopus, and web of Science. A total of 166 therapeutic plants were utilized by native communities of Sarawak, where most of the plant species were used to treat gastrointestinal disorders and cardiovascular illnesses. Most plant species used for medicinal purposes belong to Rubiaceae, Piperaceae, Leguminosae, Lamiaceae, Annonaceae, and Zingiberaceae. As per our findings, the decoction was the most frequent way of medicine preparation, and leaves were the most frequent plant component used for medicine. The preference for leaves over other plant parts may be sustainable and encouraging in the current climate and biodiversity crisis.
