Ethnomedicinal study of plants used in villages around Kimboza forest reserve in Morogoro, Tanzania

Abstract

An ethnomedicinal study was conducted to document medicinal plants used in the treatment of ailments in villages surrounding Kimboza forest reserve, a low land catchment forest with high number of endemic plant species.
Ethnobotanical interviews on medicinal plants used to treat common illnesses were conducted with the traditional medical practitioners using open-ended semi -structured questionnaires. Diseases treated, methods of preparation, use and habitat of medicinal plants were recorded.
A total of 82 medicinal plant species belonging to 29 families were recorded during the study. The most commonly used plant families recorded were Fabaceae (29%), Euphorbiaceae (20%), Asteraceae and Moraceae (17% each) and Rubiaceae (15%) in that order. The most frequently utilized medicinal plant parts were leaves (41.3%), followed by roots (29.0%), bark (21.7%), seeds (5.31%), and fruits (2.6%). The study revealed that stomach ache was the condition treated with the highest percentage of medicinal plant species (15%), followed by hernia (13%), diarrhea (12), fever and wound (11% each), and coughs (10%). Majority of medicinal plant species (65.9%) were collected from the wild compared to only 26.7% from cultivated land.
A rich diversity of medicinal plant species are used for treating different diseases in villages around Kimboza forest reserve, with the wild habitat being the most important reservoir for the majority of the plants. Awareness programmes on sustainable utilization and active involvement of community in conservation programmes are needed.

Full text

RESEARCH Open Access
Ethnomedicinal study of plants used in villages
around Kimboza forest reserve in Morogoro,
Tanzania
Ezekiel Amri
1*
and Daniel P Kisangau
2
Abstract
Background: An ethnomedicinal study was conducted to document medicinal plants used in the treatment of
ailments in villages surrounding Kimboza forest reserve, a low land catchment forest with high number of endemic
plant species.
Methods: Ethnobotanical interviews on medicinal plants used to treat common illnesses were conducted with the
traditional medical practitioners using open-ended semi -structured questionnaires. Diseases treated, methods of
preparation, use and habitat of medicinal plants were recorded.
Results: A total of 82 medicinal plant species belonging to 29 families were recorded during the study. The most
commonly used plant families recorded were Fabaceae (29%), Euphorbiaceae (20%), Asteraceae and Moraceae
(17% each) and Rubiaceae (15%) in that order. The most frequently utilized medicinal plant parts were leaves
(41.3%), followed by roots (29.0%), bark (21.7%), seeds (5.31%), and fruits (2.6%). The study revealed that stomach
ache was the condition treated with the highest percentage of medicinal plant species (15%), followed by hernia
(13%), diarrhea (12), fever and wound (11% each), and coughs (10%). Majority of medicinal plant species (65.9%)
were collected from the wild compared to only 26.7% from cultivated land.
Conclusions: A rich diversity of medicinal plant species are used for treating different diseases in villages around
Kimboza forest reserve, with the wild habitat being the most important reservoir for the majority of the plants.
Awareness programmes on sustainable utilization and active involvement of community in conservation
programmes are needed.
Keywords: Ethnobotany, Medicinal plants, Kimboza forest, Conservation
Background
Kimboza forest reserve has 13 recorded endemic plant
species making it the richest lowland forest in East
Africa. The forest reserve has valuable contribution to
biological and gene pool conservation, and together with
other mountain ranges of Morogoro region form part of
the Eastern Highlands of Tanzania with about 200 ende-
mic plant species [1,2]. The usesofplantsintheindi-
genous cultures particularly of developing countries, are
numerous and diverse, forming an important socio-eco-
nomic base including their use as medicine [3]. People
generally depend on nearby forests for fuel wood, timber
and medicine. Medicinal plants therefore have important
contribution in the primary healthcare systems of local
communities as the main source of medicines for the
majority of the rural population [4,5].
The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates
that up to 80% of the world’s population in developing
countries depend on locally available plant resources for
their primary healthcare, since western pharmaceuticals
are often expensive, inaccessible or unsuitable [6].
Further, in this decade, the world is experiencing an
increasing rate of resistance by pathogens to some of
the synthetic drugs, as well as the struggle against some
chronically complex and uncontrolled infections such as
Cancer and HIV/AIDS. There is therefore need to study
* Correspondence: ezekielamri@yahoo.com
1
Department of Science and Laboratory Technology, Dar es Salaam Institute
of Technology, P. O. Box 2958, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Full list of author information is available at the end of the article
Amri and Kisangau Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine 2012, 8:1
http://www.ethnobiomed.com/content/8/1/1 JOURNAL OF ETHNOBIOLOGY
AND ETHNOMEDICINE
© 2012 Amri and Kis angau; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Acc ess article distributed under the terms of the Creative
Commons Attri bution License (http://creativecommons.org /licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricte d use, distribution, and
reproductio n in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

and validate ethnomedicines for wider acceptance,
recognition and utilization by all stakeholders in the
society. However, overtime, ethnomedicinal knowledge
hasbeenunderminedbymortalityofresourcepersons,
extinction of plant resources, inadequate scientific
research and poor documentation [7]. The aim of the
present study was therefore to document ethnomedic-
inal information of plants used by indigenous people in
villages surrounding Kimboza forest reserve. The gener-
ated information will be used in future to explore ways
of sensitizing the community on the sustainable utiliza-
tion of the forest resources so as to minimize their
genetic loss.
Methods
Study area
The study area is about 60 km from Morogoro Munici-
pal located between 06°59’-7°02’Sand37°47’-37°
49’E. An ethnobotanical survey for medicinal plants was
conducted in the following villages: Changa, Kibangile,
Mwarazi and Uponda which surround Kimboza forest
reserve (Figure 1). The communities adjacent to the for-
est have access right over the forest as stipulated in the
village forest management plan by-laws.
Data collection
Ethnobotanical surveys were carried out to obtain infor-
mation on medicinal plants traditionally used to treat
various ailments in the study area. With the help of
local administrative officers, Participatory Rural Apprai-
sal (PRA) was employed to identify key respondents [8].
Ethnobotanical data was collected through individual
and Focus Group Discussion (FGD) interviews using
semi-structured open-ended questionnaires. Interviews
were conducted in Swahili or the local Kiluguru lan-
guage. Field excursions were also conducted with the
assistance of key respondents. Information regarding the
local names of the plant species, medicinal uses, parts
used, methods of preparation, and administration route
were documented. The methods used in harvesting the
plant materials from the wild were also recorded. Plant
specimens were prepared, identified and voucher speci-
mens deposited in the University of Dar es Salaam her-
barium for future reference. Descriptive statistics were
used to analyze the ethnomedicinal data collected.
Results and discussion
A total of 22 traditional medical practitioners were
interviewed, with their agesrangingbetween28to70
years, and 60% of them being older than 50 years. Out
of the 22 informants interviewed, 18 of them were men
and only four were women. A total of 82 medicinal
plant species in 29 families were recorded as being used
to treat 41 different types of diseases as shown in Table
1. The family Fabaceae had the highest proportion of
medicinal plants used (29%), followed by Euphorbiaceae
(20%), Asteraceae and Moraceae (17% each), and Rubia-
ceae (15%) in that order (Figure 2). Each of all other
families had less than six plant species associated with
the treatment of the diseases documented in Table 1.
At least 65.9% of all medicinal plants recorded were
collected from the wild while only 26.7% were collected
from cultivated land. The most frequently utilized med-
icinal plant parts were leaves (41.3%), followed by roots
(29.0%), bark (21.7%), seeds (5.3%), and fruits (2.6%) as
shown in Figure 3. Roots were mostly used in the treat-
ment of stomachache, diarrhea and inflammatory dis-
eases, while leaves were mostly used in the treatment of
malaria, skin diseases and children’s diseases.
Most of the plant species were used to treat one dis-
ease, while some were used to treat two or more dis-
eases. The plant species used to treat the highest
percentage of diseases were Azadirachta indica A. Juss.
and Bridelia micrantha (Hochst) Baill. each reported to
treat 14.6% of the diseases. Ficus exasperate Valh., Man-
gifera indica L. and Senna hirsuta (L.) Irwin & Barneby.
were each reported to treat 12.2% of the diseases. The
third category of highly used plant species were Ocotea
usambarensis Engl. and Vernonia hymenolopis A. Rich.
each reported to treat 9.8% of the diseases (Figure 4). In
terms of frequency of medicinal plant uses, the highest
percentage of plant species (15%) was used to treat sto-
machache, followed by diarrhea (13%) and hernia (12%),
fever and wound (11% each) and cough (10%). Other
diseases were treated with less than 10% of the medic-
inal plants recorded (Figure 5).
Majority of the plant remedies were prepared by boil-
ing (44%), then by crushing or pounding (27%), or soak-
ing in cold water (19%) and concoction 10% (Figure 6).
Some specific herbal preparations were taken by mixing
Figure 1 Map showing location of the study area.
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Table 1 Medicinal plants used for treating human diseases in villages around Kimboza forest reserve
Family/Botanical name Local name Habitat/
Source
Part
used
Health problems cured Methods of
preparation
Administration
route
Voucher
No.
Acanthaceae
Justicia heterocarpa
L.
Mwidu Wild or
Cultivated
Roots,
Leaves
Snake bite Crushed or
pounded
Oral EA031
Alliaceae
Allium ascalonium
L.
Kitunguu saumu Cultivated Roots,
Leaves
Antifungal, Child fever Decoction Oral EA040
Allium sativum L. Kitunguu maji Cultivated Leaves Fever, Cough, Asthma,
Malaria, Hypertension
Concoction Oral EA017
Anacardiaceae
Sorindeia
madagascariensis DC.
Mpilipili Wild Leaves Wound Crushed or
pounded
Topical EA021
Mangifera indica L. Mwembe Cultivated Leaves,
Bark,
Roots
Malaria,Diarrhea, Hypertension,
Asthma, Cough
Decoction Oral EA025
Annonaceae
Annona senegalensis
Pers.
Mtopetope Wild Roots
Leaves
Eye ache, Wound Crushed or
pounded
Topical EA035
Apocynaceae
Landolphia
buchananii P.Beauv.
Luziwana Wild Roots Stomach ache, Diarrhea, Hernia Decoction Oral EA022
Asteraceae
Vernonia iodocalyx
O. Hoffm.
Kitugutu Wild Bark
leaves
Stomach ache, Diarrhea, Head ache Crushed or
pounded
Oral EA010
Helichrysum
schimperi (Sch. Bip.
ex A. Rich.) Moeser
Lweza Wild Roots Stomach ache, Diarrhea, Decoction Oral EA013
Vernonia
hymenolepis A. Rich.
Msungu Wild Roots,
Leaves
Fever, Diarrhea, Hernia, Spleen
enlargement.
Decoction Oral EA006
Crassocephalum
Montuosum (S.
Moore) Milne-Redh.
Nyaluganza Wild Bark Ear ache, Head ache, burn Crushed or
pounded
Oral EA004
Bidens pilosa L. Nyaweza Wild,
Cultivated
Bark Wound, Spleen enlargement Decoction Topical EA003
Sonchus pinnatifidus
L.
Sungasunga Wild Roots,
Leaves
Stomachache, Headache. Decoction Oral EA032
Helianthus annus L. Ufuta Cultivated Leaves Chest pain, Asthma Concoction Oral EA002
Asphodelaceae
Aloe vera (L.) Burm.f. Mlovera Cultivated Leaves Skin diseases, Wounds Crushed or
pounded
Topical EA041
Bignoniaceae
Kigelia africana (Lam.)
Benth.
Mwegea Wild Bark,
Leaves,
Fruits
Skin diseases, Venereal diseases,
Fever,
Crushed or
pounded
Oral EA026
Bombacaceae
Adansonia digitata
L.
Mbuyu Wild Roots Hernia Decoction Oral EA018
Bombax
rhodognaphalon L.
Msufipori Wild Leaves Stomach ache Decoction Topical EA024
Caricaceae
Carica papaya L. Mpapai Cultivated Roots,
Leaves
Tooth ache, Stomach-ache. Decoction Oral EA015
Combretaceae
Cobretum molle R.Br. ex
G.Don.
Mlamweusi Wild Roots,
Leaves
Wounds, Cough, Malaria Decoction Oral EA012
Terminalia sericea L. Mpululu Wild Leaves,
Roots
Antifungal treatment Crushed
and
pounded
Topical EA053
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Table 1 Medicinal plants used for treating human diseases in villages around Kimboza forest reserve (Continued)
Cucurbitaceae
Momordica foetida
L.
Huluhundu Cultivated Leaves Malaria, Ear ache, Head ache, Decoction Oral EA048
Cucurbita moschata
Duchesne.
Maboga Cultivated Roots Expulsion of placenta Infusion Oral EA042
Euphorbiaceae
Acalypha fruticosa
Forssk.
Kifulwe Wild Leaves Diarrhea Decoction Oral EA028
Jatropha curcas L. Mbono Wild Leaves
Seeds
Wound, Scabies Crushed
and
pounded
Topical EA034
Fluggea virosa Willd. Mkalananga Wild Leaves Stomach ache, Diarrhea, Hernia,
Spleen enlargement
Infusion Oral EA029
Manihot esculenta
Crantz.
Mhogo Cultivated Leaves Stomach ache Infusion Oral EA043
Suregada
zanzibariensis Roxb.
ex Rottler.
Mndimu pori Wild Roots Malaria, Fever Decoction Oral EA050
Ricinus communis L. Mnyonyo Wild Leaves Rheumatism, Wound Crushed
and
pounded
Topical EA055
Bridelia micrantha
(Hochst.) Baill.
Msumba Wild Bark
Leaves
Rheumatism, Hernia, Stomach ache,
Spleen enlargement, Skin eruption,
Insecticide
Decoction Oral EA036
Euphorbia nyikae Pax ex
Engl.
Mngwede Wild Leaves Wound Crushed
and
pounded
Topical EA044
Fabaceae
Cassia mimosoides
L.
Lusangalala Wild Roots
Bark
Mental illness, Asthma, Severe
cough
Decoction Oral EA056
Senna petersiana
(Bolle) Lock.
Mkunde Wild Roots
Leaves
Skin diseases, Inflammation
Backache, Stomach ache, Skin
eruption
Infusion Oral EA054
Senna hirsuta (L.)
Irwin & Barneby.
Mwambalasimba Wild Leaves Pneumonia, Hernia, Stomach ache,
Head ache
Decoction Oral EA052
Brachystegia
spiciformis Benth.
Mzinghawa nyika Wild Roots Ear ache, Child fever. Infusion Oral EA061
Albizia versicola
Welw. ex Oliv.
Mkenge maji Wild Roots
Bark
Skin diseases, Boils Crushed or
pounded
Topical EA057
Albizia petersiana
Oliv.
Mkenge poli Wild Leaves
Bark
Skin diseases Crushed or
pounded
Topical EA063
Mucuna pruriens (L.)
DC
Bumu Wild Roots Male fertility Infusion Oral EA066
Tephrosia vogelii
Hook.f.
Kitupa Wild Bark Insecticide Crushed or
pounded
Topical EA068
Abrus precatorius L. Lufambo Wild Roots Eye inflammation, Diarrhea, Women
fertility
Decoction Oral EA078
Cajanus cajan (L.)
Millsp.
Mbaazi Cultivated Leaves Diarrhea. Crushed or
pounded
Oral EA071
Vigna unguiculata
(L.) Walp.
Mkunde Cultivated Roots
Leaves
Chest pain, Cough, Abscess, Hernia Infusion Oral EA062
Pterocarpus
angolensis DC.
Mninga Wild Bark Hernia Decoction Oral EA064
Lamiaceae
Satureja biflora (Buch.-
Ham.ex D.Don) Briq.
Luparalwa
mlungu
Wild Leaves Mental illness Infusion Oral EA011
Ocimum suave
Willd.
Mnung’ha Wild Bark Malaria, Stomach ache, Decoction Oral EA001
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Table 1 Medicinal plants used for treating human diseases in villages around Kimboza forest reserve (Continued)
Lauraceae
Ocotea
usambarensis Engl.
Mseli Wild Roots
Bark
Stomach ache, Fever, Malaria,
Hernia, Sprit
Infusion Oral EA009
Malvaceae
Hibiscus surattensis
L.
Lumotomoto Wild
Cultivated
Leaves Wound,
Abscess, Gonorrhea
Crushed or
pounded
Topical EA059
Hibiscus fuscus
Garcke
Luswagamene Wild Roots Rheumatism, Mental illness. Concoction Oral EA043
Melastomataceae
Dissotis rotundifolia
(Sm.) Triana.
Kinzasu Wild Roots,
Leaves
Wound, Asthma, Boil, Abscess
Diarrhea, Gonorrhea
Crushed or
pounded;
Decoction
Topical;
Oral
EA039
Meliaceae
Khaya anthotheca
(Welw.) C. DC
Mkangazi Wild Bark
Leaves
Malaria, Bilharzias, Gonorrhea Concoction Oral EA067
Azadirachta indica
A. Juss.
Mwarobaini Cultivated Leaves,
Bark,
Seeds
Head ache, Back ache, Malaria,
Fever, Stomach-ache, Insecticide
Decoction Oral EA080
Cedrella odorata L. Mwerezi Wild Leaves
Bark
Menstrual cycle and Women fertility Infusion Oral EA079
Moraceae
Ficus altissima
Blume.
Mvira Wild Bark
Leaves
Diarrhoea, Stomach-ache, Concoction Oral EA077
Ficus asperifolia Hook. ex
Steud.
Mkoya Wild Roots
Leaves
Wounds Crushed or
pounded
Topical EA075
Ficus exasperata Valh Msasa Wild Roots
Leaves
Bark
Hypertension, Scabies, Stomach
disorders, Gonorrhoea, Diarrhea
Decoction Oral EA073
Ficus stuhlmanii
Warb.
Foza/Mtamba Wild Bark Stomach tumor Infusion Oral EA069
Ficus sycomorus L. Mkuyu Wild Bark Menstrual cycle,
Women fertility
Infusion Oral EA067
Milicia excelsa
(Welw.) C.C Berg.
Mvule Wild Roots Wound Crushed or
pounded
Topical EA082
Antiaris toxicaria
Lesch.
Mbila Wild Leaves
Bark
Skin diseases, Insecticide. Crushed or
pounded
Topical EA088
Moringaceae
Moringa oleifera
Lam.
Mlonge Cultivated Leaves
Bark
Seeds
Roots
Skin diseases, headache,
[Detoxification, Rheumatism,
inflammation
Decoction
or
Infusion
Oral EA097
Myrtaceae
Eucalyptus maidenii
Labill.
Mmaidini Wild
Cultivated
Bark Chest pain, Cough Decoction Oral EA087
Psidium guajava L. Mpera Cultivated Leaves Diarrhea, Stomach ache Infusion Oral EA085
Poaceae
Zea mays L. Mahindi Cultivated Roots Bedwetting Decoction Oral EA091
Saccharum
officinarum L.
Muwa Cultivated Roots Bilharzias, Detoxifying kidneys Decoction Oral EA101
Podocarpaceae
Podocarpus latifolius
(Thunb.) R.Br. ex
Mirb.
Mnyanziri Wild Roots Hernia Decoction Oral EA99
Rosaceae
Rubus pinnatus
Willd
Lufifi Wild Leaves Menstrual cycle, Infusion Oral EA093
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Table 1 Medicinal plants used for treating human diseases in villages around Kimboza forest reserve (Continued)
Prunus americana
Marshall.
Mpisi Wild Bark Stomach ache Crushing
and water
Oral EA090
Rubiaceae
Multidentia fanshwei
(Tennant) Bridson.
Degedege Wild Roots Child fever Decoction Oral EA095
Rytigynia
lichenixenos (K.
Schum.) Robyns.
Mhambalamaziwa Wild Seeds
Roots
Hernia Decoction Oral EA092
Vangueria infausta
Burch.
Mviru Wild Seeds Pneumonia, Menstrual cycle, Infusion Oral EA084
Rytigynia uhligii (K.
Schum. & K.Krause)
Verdc.
Msanangare Wild Seeds Hernia Decoction Oral EA099
Chassalia parvifolia
K. Schum.
Mguhu Wild Bark Hernia, Chest pain, Malaria, Concoction Oral EA102
Catunaregum
spinosa (Thunb.)
Mtutuma Wild Leaves Skin diseases Crushed or
pounded
Topic EA104
Rutaceae
Citrus limon (L.)
Burm.f.
Mlimau Cultivated Roots Stomach ache Decoction Oral EA103
Zanthoxylum
deremense
(Engl.)
Mlungulungu Wild Fruits Stomach ache, Child fever Decoction Oral EA100
Citrus aurantifolia
(Christm.) Swingle.
Mndimu Cultivated Roots Gonorrheal, Diarrhea, Decoction Oral EA117
Solanaceae
Lycopersicum
esculentum Mill.
Mnyanya Cultivated Roots,
Leaves
Stomach ache Concoction Oral EA105
Solanum incanum
L.
Mtula Wild
Cultivated
Leaves Cough, Vomit. Concoction Oral EA107
Capsicum frutescens
L.
Pilipililukwale Cultivated Roots,
Bark
Wound Crushed or
pounded
Topical EA110
Nicotiana tabacum
L.
Tumbaku Cultivated Fruits Hernia Decoction Oral EA106
Zingiberaceae
Zingiber officinale
Roscoe.
Tangawizi Cultivated Roots Cough Decoction Oral EA111
Figure 2 Percentage distribution in families for medicinal
plants used treat different health problems.
Figure 3 Plant parts used for medicinal purposes and
percentage of total medicinal species.
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with food, honey or drunk together with coffee prepared
from leaves of the coffee plant. Most medicinal plant
preparations were taken orally (75.6%), while 24.4%
were administered topically for diseases such as skin
infections and wounds. It was reported that different
dosages were given to similar disease conditions.
Administration dosage was by estimation and the
amount of each dosage depended on the age of the
patient and severity of the condition being treated.
Figure 4 Medicinal plant species with highest percentage of total diseases treated.
Figure 5 Frequency of medicinal plants uses to cure diseases.Figure 6 Medicinal plants preparation methods.
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The study revealed a rich diversity of medicinal plants
used to treat various disease conditions in the villages
around Kimboza forest reserve. It further revealed a rich
ethnobotanical knowledge amongst the residents of the
neighbourhood of Kimboza Forest reserve. The families
Fabaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Asteraceae, Moraceae and
Rubiaceae which were the most dominant in this study
are consistently recorded in other ethnomedicinal stu-
dies [9-12], and could be attributed to their wide range
of bioactive ingredients [13,14].
The fact that majority of the plant species recorded
weresourcedfromthewildandonlyafewwereculti-
vated may imply that many indigenous plant species
may be difficult to propagate. This therefore calls for
the need to train the herbal practitioners on the appro-
priate propagation techniques of these plant species for
sustainable utilization. According to Edwards [15], about
two-thirds of 50, 000 medicinal plants in use worldwide
are still harvested from the natural habitat and about
one fifth of them are now endangered. The increased
percentage of species obtained from the wild has a
direct effect on the availability of these resources and is
likely to contribute to their vulnerability to being over-
exploited.
The finding that majority of the informants inter-
viewed were aged above 50 years augments Kisangau et
al. [16]. This implies that the elderly people are the
main custodians of traditional knowledge, and this poses
a serious challenge of the knowledge gap between the
elderly and the young generation if framework to ensure
apprenticeship is not put in place.
Some herbal practitioners reported that there was a
potential to domesticate medicinal plants as some of
them were already being planted on farmlands. Kisangau
et al. [17] support the observation that only a few herbal
practitioners were involved in cultivation of medicinal
plants and most of them were gathered from the wild.
The unabated over collection of the medicinal plants
from the wild is a major threat to their existence and
raises serious concern for their conservation. In the pre-
sent study, the few plant species that were found to be
cultivated on farmlands included Senna petersiana
(Bolle) Lock., Azadirachta indica A. Juss., Khaya
anthotheca (Welw.) C. DC. and Moringa oleifera Lam.
However, unavailability of planting material and lack of
appropriate propagation techniques were noted to be
the major constraints to exploiting the potential for
medicinal plant domestication. On the other hand, spe-
cies like Carica papaya L., Vernonia iodocalyx O.
Hoffm., Helichrysum schimperi (Sch.Bip.exA.Rich)
Moeser and Citrus aurantifolia (Christm) Swingle. could
easily be conserved by planting them in home gardens.
It was found that the most commonly harvested plant
parts were leaves followed by roots. These results are
contrary with the findings of Rukia [18] who reported
that roots were the most commonly harvested plant
partsfollowedbyleavesin Udzungwa Mountains For-
ests in Tanzania.
Some methods of harvesting medicinal plants like root
excavation and bark striping can be very devastating and
a big threat to the plant survival. The high utilisation of
roots has also been reported as putting many plant spe-
cies at a risk of extinction because of the damages
inflicted on them in the course of uprooting them
[19,20]. Bark striping is also an equally harmful harvest-
ing method as reported for Prunus africana and other
medicinal plants in Cameroon [7]. In Namibia just like
in other countries, harvesting of roots and barks was
foundtobecommon,destructiveandunsustainable
[21].
The fact that the most frequently utilised plant parts
were leaves is a more sustainable practice as opposed to
where roots and/or the bark are used. The prevalence in
the use of leaves for preparation of traditional herbal
remedies has been reported in other studies too
[9,22-26]. This practice helps to reduce the rate of
threat on plant species and enhances the sustainable
management of plants, as long as only an appreciable
amount of leaves is harvested [27]. Leaves of plants have
been reported to accumulate inulins, tannins and other
alkaloids [28], which may be responsible for their var-
ious medicinal properties, hence explaining their wide
use.
Conclusion
The results of the study revealed that there is rich
diversity of medicinal plants used to treat various ail-
ments in the neighbourhood of Kimboza forest reserve.
Herbal practitioners and the local community in the
study area should be educated on sustainable methods
of harvesting medicinal plants without compromising
their availability for future use. It is also imperative to
train the community on the proper propagation tech-
niques in order to encourage the domestication of
valuable and threatened medicinal plants. The domes-
tication of medicinal plants will create new opportu-
nities for the local people such as provision of an
alternative income and could help reduce the pressure
on the wild population. Successful conservation strate-
gies should be developed and priority given to sustain-
able harvesting of the plants.
Acknowledgements
EA is grateful for support from Rufford Small Grants on nature conservation
which formed the basis of this work. The authors acknowledge the kindness
and cooperation of the informants and local administrators in the study
area, and the support of the University of Dar es Salaam Herbarium staff. EA
and DPK also acknowledge the valuable input of Dr. Wycliffe Wanzala of
South Eastern University College, Kenya in revising the manuscript.
Amri and Kisangau Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine 2012, 8:1
http://www.ethnobiomed.com/content/8/1/1
Page 8 of 9

Author details
1
Department of Science and Laboratory Technology, Dar es Salaam Institute
of Technology, P. O. Box 2958, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
2
Department of
Biological Sciences, South Eastern University College (A Constituent College
of the University of Nairobi) P.O Box 170-90200, Kitui, Kenya.
Authors’contributions
EA identified the research area and title, involved in field data collection,
carried out statistical analysis and drafted the manuscript. DPK participated
in refining data analysis and drafting as well as enrichment of the
manuscript. All authors read, revised and approved the final manuscript.
Competing interests
The authors declare that they have no competing interest, and share the
aspirations of the local people in the villages around Kimboza forest reserve
to conserve medicinal plants for future generations.
Received: 20 February 2011 Accepted: 6 January 2012
Published: 6 January 2012
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doi:10.1186/1746-4269-8-1
Cite this article as: Amri and Kisangau: Ethnomedicinal study of plants
used in villages around Kimboza forest reserve in Morogoro, Tanzania.
Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine 2012 8:1.
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