Ethno Medicinal Study of Plants in Jigjiga Woreda, Eastern Ethiopia

Issa, Arebu (2015) Ethno Medicinal Study of Plants in Jigjiga Woreda, Eastern Ethiopia. Masters thesis, Addis Ababa University.

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Abstract

Traditional medicine (TM) is the ancient and culture bound medical practice which existed in human societies before the application of modern science to health. The practice of TM varies widely, in keeping with the societal and cultural heritage of different countries. The heritage has not been well documented in the developing countries including Ethiopia and this is even more so in the emerging regions of the country. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and identify factors determining the use of TM and record medicinal plants used by Somali ethnic group in Ethiopia. A community based cross-sectional study in which ethno medicinal information was collected from the community by using semi-structured questionnaires, supplemented by an in-depth interview with the healers, field observations, and market survey was conducted. The questionnaire was administered to 800 heads of households, 9 healers and 2 markets & 3 herbal drug shops. The study documented an overall prevalence rate of 40% in the use of herbal medicine in one month recall period. A total of 107 plant species were reported, among these plant species, 34 were fully identified by their scientific names. The reasons for preferring for herbal drugs were lower price, efficacy and geographic inaccessibility of modern medicine. The study found that leaves are the most frequently utilized plant part (30.5%), followed by roots (23%). Religion is the main source of knowledge for the healers. Age, gender, educational status and occupation are important factors that determine the use of TM. This comprehensive ethno- medicinal study showed that the community in Jigjiga Woreda relies on considerable number of traditional medicinal plant species to treat wide spectrum of human ailments.

Item Type: Thesis (Masters)
Uncontrolled Keywords: Ethnomedcine, Herbal medicine, In-depth interview, Market survey, Medcinal plants, Prevalence, Traditional medicine
Subjects: Q Science > Q Science (General)
R Medicine > RM Therapeutics. Pharmacology
R Medicine > RS Pharmacy and materia medica
Divisions: Africana
Depositing User: Vincent Mpoza
Date Deposited: 29 Jun 2018 13:32
Last Modified: 29 Jun 2018 13:32
URI: http://thesisbank.jhia.ac.ke/id/eprint/6345

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