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initiative to document valuable ethnobotanical data and traditional knowledge. MAPRI has published five checklist books covering many places in Sudan Ethnobotanical Study of Medicinal (El Ghazali 1986; El Ghazali et al. 1987, 1994, Used by El Kababish Tribe in 1997, 1998, 2003). Musa et al. (2011) studied the Ga’ab El Lagia Oasis, West Dongola in the Blue state, southeastern (Sudan) Sudan. They reported that 53 belonging to 31 families and 47 genera were identified as *Ikram Madani1, Yahia Fadl Tahir2, Saada being used to cure disease. Gibreel et al. (2013) Mohamed Nour3 reported on the medicinal value and ecotaxonomy 1University of , Faculty of of the flora of El Nour natural forest reserve in the Science, Department of Botany Blue Nile state. Their study documented 55 woody 2University of Khartoum, Department of species (trees, , and climbers) as medicinal Archaeology uses. To our knowledge the present study area has 3University of Bahri, Faculty of Medicine, not been included in any similar investigation. Thus Department of Microbiology the aim of this study is to preserve knowledge by *Corresponding address: documenting information about the medicinal [email protected] plants used by the local people (Kababish tribe) in Ga’ab El Lagia oasis west of Dongola.

Description of the Study Area

Introduction Ga’ab El Lagia (19°27’ N 30°15’ E) is located in a basin, which is considered to be a Ethnobotany is the scientific study of the palaeolake that was connected to the Nile during relationships between people and plants. Generally the early Holocene. It is about 18km west of the ethnobotanical studies include documentation, Nile at an altitude of approximately 217m above description and explanation of complex relationships sea level (Figure 1). between cultures and plants, focusing primarily on how plants are used, managed and known in many The area has witnessed many population human societies (Acharya and Shrivastava 2008). movements. The most recent inhabitants are the El Such studies are often significant in revealing Kababish tribe who moved from northern Kordufan locally important plant species especially for the and settled in this area after 1700AD (Tahir 2012). discovery of crude drugs. The documentation of There are about 200 houses, one school and one the medicinal uses of plants has provided many health centre. The underground water is available important drugs of modern medicine (Cox and at 3.5m depth. El Kababish were who Balick 1996). The development of rapid and recently turned to agriculture and who increasingly precise analytical methods has increased interest in clear land for this purpose. This may have affected ethnobotany, which has expanded to make use of the natural habitats of some of the medicinal plants. the research outcomes from anthropological botany, pharmacology and (Cotton 1997). Ethnobotanical Survey In Sudan, the traditional healing practice is usually limited to certain key members of society The ethnobotanical surveys were carried who communicate this knowledge orally from out during three different visits: May, June, generation to generation. In this context, Aromatic and September 2014 using semi-structured Plants Research Institute (MAPRI) hIas taken the questionnaires. Conversations were held at

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Figure 1: Map showing the location of Ga’ab El Lagia. informants’ homes with the assistance of some were selected randomly and no appointment was known local people. Thirty-three informants made prior to the visits. They were asked about the including 22 males and 11 females of about 1800 plants and the harvested parts they use to cure the total inhabitants were interviewed (Governmental respective diseases, methods of preparing the herbal Records from Management Unit of Dongola remedy, dosage rates and administrative details. locality). Three of the informants were female local healers. The informants’ ages ranged from 60 to Relevant floras and taxonomic publications, 80 years with a mean age of 65 years. Informants including Andrews (1950, 1952, 1956), Wickens

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(1976), Bebawi and Neugebhorn (1991) and El where (Nur) is the number of species used (Nt), is Amin (1990), were consulted for identification the number of use citations in each category minus and classification of plant species which were one. firstly recorded by their local names. Voucher specimens were deposited at the Herbarium of The fidelity level (FL) which is the Botany Department, Faculty of Science, Khartoum percentage of informants claiming the use of a University. certain plant for the same major purpose, was calculated for the most frequently reported diseases Data Analysis or ailments as:

The relative importance of each species was calculated employing the following use value formula (Phillips et al. 1994):

where Np is the number of informants that claim a use of a plant species to treat a particular disease, and N is the number of informants that use the plants as a medicine to treat any given disease (Alexiades where UV is the use value, Ui is the number of use- 1996). reports cited by each informant for a given species and n refers to the total number of informants. Use Results and Discussion values are high when there are many use-reports for a plant, implying that the plant is important, A total of 32 medicinal plants that belong and approach zero (0) when there are few reports to 18 families were recorded for the study area. related to its use. The use value however, does Table 1 provides the following information for not indicate whether a plant is used for single or each species: family and species name, local name, multiple purposes. habit, part used, preparation, administration, and medicinal use. According to their main therapeutic indications, ailments were grouped into 13 The most represented family is Leguminosae categories following the standard developed by with six species three of which belong to the Cook (1995). A plant mentioned as “used to treat a Acacia. Based on plant habits, herbs recorded certain disease” was considered as one “use-report” the highest proportion (59.3%) followed by trees even if it was used to treat more than one disease in (34.3%) and shrubs (6.4%). All of the medicinal the same category (Treyvaud et al. 2005). plants grow naturally in Ga’ab El Lagia Oasis except six species that are cultivated. The cultivated Informant consensus factor (ICF) was species are Foeniculum vulgare, Coriandrum calculated for each category of ailments to identify sativum, Ocimum basilicum, Lawsonia inermis, the agreements of the informants on the reported Aloe sinkatana, and Trigonella foenum-graecum. cures for the group of ailments. ICF was calculated The most commonly used species are Acacia as follows (Heinrich et al. 1998): ehrenbergiana, Alhagi maurorum, Pergularia tomentosa, Citrullus colocyntheis, Salvadora persica, and Trigonella foenum-graecum, which account for the maximum use value of 0.9. The most rarely used plant species is monacantha which accounts for 0.1 use value. Table 2 shows

93 NYAME AKUMA No. 82 DECEMBER 2014 in piles , skin disorder sting Cough Cough minal pain and pain minal ases scorpion ases Toothache Renal colic Constipation Constipation Anthelmintic Eye infection Eye infection Eye infection Hypertension Skin diseases, Rheumatic pain Rheumatic pain Rheumatic pain Rheumatic pain Rheumatic pa Rheumatic pain Toothache Intestine worms Intestine Abdominal pain Abdominal pain Abdominal pain Abdominal dise Digestive Skin diseases, Abdo Medicinal use l Oral Oral Oral Oral Oral Oral Oral Oral Oral Oral Oral Oral Fume Fume Fume Fume Fume External Externa External External External External External Administration Raw Raw Paste Burnt Burnt Burnt Burnt Burnt Burnt Poultice Poultice Poultice Poultice Infusion Infusion Decoction Decoction Decoction Decoction Decoction Decoction Maceration Maceration Maceration Preparation af hole ibre Fuit Le Fruit Bark Fruit Fruit Fruit Fruit Seed Stem Stem Stem Stem Stem Stem F Latex Latex W Whole Whole Whole Part used Tree Tree Tree Tree Tree Tree Herb Herb Herb Herb Herb Herb Herb Herb Herb Herb Herb Habit Athel Taleh Usher Galga Dome Salam Agool Higlig El had Hanzal Raihan Direisa Shamar Tundub Kazbara Sana makka Umshoweika Um malabaina Local name Local Ait. . (L.) Schrad P.R.O.Bally S.Carter & L. L. Medik. L. adjurana basilicum Calotropis procera (Aiton) Dryand (Aiton) procera Calotropis Balanites aegyptiaca (L.) Delile (L.) aegyptiaca Balanites Tribulus terestris Burm.f. Fagonia indica Cornulaca monacantha Delile monacantha Cornulaca Family name and species name Euphorbia Citrullus colocyntheis Citrullus Acacia ehrenbergiana Hayne ehrenbergiana Acacia Tamarix aphylla (L.) H.Karst. aphylla (L.) Tamarix Acacia seyal Delile Alhagi maurorum tomentosa Pergularia Mill. alexandrina Capparis decidua (Forssk.) Edgew. decidua (Forssk.) Capparis Ocimum Hyphaene thebaica (L.) Mart. (L.) thebaica Hyphaene Foeniculum vulgare Mill. vulgare Foeniculum L. sativum Coriandrum ceae Apocynaceae Apiaceae Apiaceae Leguminosae Leguminosae Zygophyllaceae Capparaceae Tamaricaceae Leguminosae Zygophyllaceae Apocynaceae Leguminosae Cucurbitaceae Zygophyllaceae Euphorbia Lamiaceae

94 NYAME AKUMA No. 82 DECEMBER 2014 diasis, iar eptic soar throat , throat , soar diarrhea Antis Snake bite Snake Renal colic Antimalaria Anemia and constipation Eye irritation Eye Skin diseases Body cooling Body Rheumatic pain Abdominal pain Abdominal pain Abdominal pain Abdominal pain Abdominal pain Abdominal Urinogenital Pain Urinogenital Pain Urinogenital Cough Cough Wounds and absess and Wounds Injuries and wounds and Injuries Abdominal pain and pain Abdominal Dysentry, g Dysentry, nal ral ternal Oral Oral Oral Oral Oral Oral Oral Oral Oral O Oral Oral Fume Fume External Ex External Exter External Tooth washing External rubbing External e n Raw Raw Raw Raw Paste Paste Burnt Burnt Poultic Poultice Infusion Infusion Infusio Crushed Infusion Infusion Decoction Decoction Maceration Maceration Maceration fruit Leaf Leaf Leaf Root Fruit Fruit Fruit Stem Stem Stem Stem Whole Whole Whole Whole Bark and Leaf/Stem Tree Tree Tree Tree Tree Herb Herb Herb Herb Herb Herb Herb Herb Shrub obako Hina Arak Haza Hilba Halfa Rabla Sunut Neem Harjal Sebbar T Albalah Nakheel Tanoom Mahareib x Spreng x . L. (Vahl) A.Juss. e A.Juss. (Vahl) (Delile) Hayne L. graecum (Forssk.) Chiov (Forssk.) - (DC.) Boiss L. L. ana Reynolds L. argel persica foenum inermis Aloe sinkat Salvadora Chrozophora plicata Chrozophora Acacia nilotica (L.) Delile (L.) nilotica Acacia Solenostemma Trigonella Pulicaria undulata (L.) C.A.Mey. (L.) undulata Pulicaria Lawsonia Nicotiana rustica Nicotiana Ducrosia anethifolia Ducrosia Phoenix dactylifera Azadirachta indica A.Juss. indica Azadirachta List of medicinal plants used in traditional medicine by the Kababish tribe El-Gaab Oasis (Dongola). Cymbopogon procerus (R.Br.) Domin (R.Br.) procerus Cymbopogon Salvadoraceae Meliaceae Compositae Lythraceae Arecaceae Apocynaceae Solanaceae Xanthorrhoeaceae Leguminosae Leguminosae Apiaceae setaceum Pennisetum Poaceae Euphorbiaceae Table 1: Table 95 NYAME AKUMA No. 82 DECEMBER 2014 the medicinal plants with their corresponding use in conformity with findings of many authors. values. There is widespread belief in the effectiveness Table 3 summarizes the ailments categories, of many traditional treatments for treating many the informant consensus factor, preferred species ailments (Abeb et al. 1993; Addis et al. 2001; and their corresponding fidelity level (FL%). Most Asfaw et al. 1999). The informants’ consensus of the informants use the traditional system of factor (ICF) reported for the 13 categories shows health care including medicinal plants alone or in high accounts for dysentery, anemia, hypertension, combination with modern pharmaceuticals. This is and anti-malaria. The medicinal plants preferred or

Family name and species name Use value 1 Leguminosae Acacia ehrenbergiana Hayne 0.9 2 Leguminosae Alhagi maurorum Medik. 0.9 3 Apocynaceae Pergularia tomentosa L. 0.9 4 Cucurbitaceae Citrullus colocyntheis(L.) Schrad 0.9 5 Salvadoraceae Salvadora persica L. 0.9 6 Leguminosae Trigonella foenum-graecum L. 0.9 7 Leguminosae Mill. 0.8 8 Poaceae Cymbopogon procerus (R.Br.) Domin 0.8 9 Leguminosae Acacia nilotica (l.) Delile 0.8 10 Leguminosae Acacia seyal Delile 0.7 11 Apocynaceae Calotropis procera (Aiton) Dryand Ait. 0.7 12 Tamaricaceae Tamarix aphylla (L.) H.Karst. 0.7 13 Apiaceae Ducrosia anethifolia (DC.) Boiss 0.7 14 Zygophyllaceae Balanites aegyptiaca (L.) Delile . 0.6 15 Zygophyllaceae Fagonia indica Burm.f. 0.6 16 Euphorbiaceae Euphorbia adjurana P.R.O.Bally &S.Carter 0.6 17 Lamiaceae Ocimum basilicum L. 0.6 18 Arecaceae Phoenix dactyliferaL. 0.6 19 Apocynaceae Solenostemma argel (Delile) Hayne 0.6 20 Apiaceae Foeniculum vulgare Mill. 0.5 21 Capparaceae Capparis decidua (Forssk.) Edgew. 0.5 22 Arecaceae Hyphaene thebaica (L.) Mart. 0.5 23 Meliaceae Azadirachta indica A.Juss. 0.4 24 Compositae Pulicaria undulata (L.) C.A.Mey. 0.4 25 Poaceae Pennisetum setaceum(Forssk.) Chiov. 0.4 26 Apiaceae Coriandrum sativum L. 0.3 27 Zygophyllaceae Tribulus terestrisL. 0.3 28 Solanaceae Nicotiana rustica L. 0.3 29 Xanthorrhoeaceae Aloe sinkatana Reynolds 0.3 30 Euphorbiaceae Chrozophora plicata (Vahl) A.Juss. ex Spreng 0.3 31 Lythraceae Lawsonia inermis L. 0.2 32 Amaranthaceae Cornulaca monacantha Delile 0.1

Table 2: Medicinal plants with their corresponding use values.

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Ailment categories Informant Preferred species Fidelity level consensus factor (FL) (%) (ICF) Skin disease 0.86 Citrulluscolocyntheis 80 Renal pathology 0.88 Pulicariaundulata 80 Digestive pathology 0.34 Alhagimaurorum 90 Dysentery 1.00 Trigonellafoenum-graecum 100 Anti-rheumatism 0.79 Tamarix aphylla 66.6 Anti-venomous 0.59 Pergulariatomentosa 95.2 Hypertension 1.00 Hyphaenethebaica 100 Anemia 1.00 Phoenix dactylifera 100 Anti-malaria 1.00 Azadirachtaindica 100 Respiratory system 0.83 Acacia nilotica 92 Toothache 0.97 Calotropisprocera 93.3 Eye infection 0.89 Ocimumbasilicum 60 Injuries and 0.95 Acacia nilotica 86.9 wounds

Table 3: Ailments categories, the informant consensus factor, preferred species and their corresponding fidelity level (FL%). believed to be effective in treating certain diseases Bibliography have higher records for both informants consensus factor (ICF) and fidelity level (FL %).

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