Assessments of medicinal plant usage for the traditional treatment of skin diseases in Akinyele Local Government Area, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria O.C. Ariyo, M.B. Usman, D.O. Adelani and M.O. Ariyo Research was by decoction and the major route of administration of recipes was oral. Abstract Conclusion: The study concludes that medicinal Background: Skin diseases is one of the major health plants have great potentials to treat different kind of concerns worldwide because it affects people of all skin diseases and the respondents have vast ages and gender from neonates to the elderly and knowledge of their usage. However, government constitute one of the five reasons for medical should ensure a synergy between the manufacturers consultation. The study was designed to assess of herbal medicine, professional in the field of medicinal plants used for traditional treatment of skin traditional and alternative therapies with the aim to diseases in Akinyele Local Government Area, Oyo synthesis them into the healthcare delivery system of State, Nigeria Nigerian. Methods: A total number of 320 respondents Correspondence comprising of herbalist, herb sellers, hunters and farmers were selected randomly from eight villages 1, 3*, 2, 3* 3,4 within the study areas. Information on the medicinal O.C. Ariyo M.B. Usman , D.O. Adelani and 4,5 plant used for traditional treatment of skin diseases M.O. Ariyo was collected by semi-structured questionnaires 1 administered to the respondents one-on-one in the Department of Entrepreneurship and Innovative local language (Yoruba) of the people. The data Agriculture, Federal College of Forestry collected were analysed using descriptive statistics Mechanization, P. M. B. 2273, Afaka, Kaduna State, such as tables, percentages, pie charts, bar charts, Nigeria. 2 Frequency of Citation (FC), Relative Frequency of Federal College of Forestry Mechanization, P. M. B. Citation (RFC), Family Importance Value (FIV) and 2273, Afaka, Kaduna State, Nigeria. 3 Plant Part Value (PPV) Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria, Idi Ishin Jericho Road, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. 4 Results: The study revealed that 41 plant species Department of Forestry Technology, , Federal from 25 families were used to treat 10 different types College of Forestry Mechanization, P. M. B. 2273, of skin disorders in the study area. The most Afaka, Kaduna State, Nigeria. 5 represented families are Fabaceae and Rubiaceae. Department of Horticultural Technology, Federal RFC ranged from 0.009 to 0.391.The most cited College of Forestry Mechanization, P. M. B. 2273, plant species are Jatropha curcas Linn. (RFC = Afaka, Kaduna State, Nigeria * 0.391), Ricinus communis L. (RFC = 0.313) and Corresponding Author: [email protected] Entandrophragma cylindricum (Sprague) Sprague (RFC = 0.284). Trees are the most used plant form Ethnobotany Research & Applications while bark is the most widely used plant parts (PPV 21:37 (2021) = 0.373). The most common method of preparation Manuscript received: 21/04/2021 - Revised manuscript received: 02/06/2021 - Published: 10/06/2021 http://dx.doi.org/10.32859/era.21.37.1-18 2 Key words: Medicinal plants, Herbal medicine, inflammatory, antimicrobial, anti-viral, cicatrizant, Traditional treatment, Skin diseases hemostatic, analgesic effects that require pharmacological confirmation (Barboza et al. 2009). Background Several plants have been investigated for treatment The skin which covers the body is an external and of skin diseases ranging from itching to skin cancer. the largest human organ. It performs different Various studies have also reported plants used in the functions such as percutaneous absorption, organ treatment of skin infections like wound/ sore, protection, fluid preservation, body shape scabies, swellings, boils etc (Anisuzzaman et al. maintenance, temperature regulation and 2007, Gebre et al. 2006, Gorsi 2005, Houghton et al. eliminating toxins from the body by sweat excretion 2005, Kumar et al. 2006). According to Adebayo et (Abbasi et al. 2010). One of the major health al. (2010), the following plants are used by traditional concerns worldwide is skin diseases (Abbasi et al. medical practitioners in Western Nigeria, Khaya 2010). Skin diseases come in different forms, senegalensis bark are used against various fungal basically classified as non-contagious and infections. The bark of Ceiba pentandra are used in contagious diseases, the primary which is bacteria, curing sores, ulcers, cancerous sores while the bark fungi, viral and parasites diseases. These diseases of Parkia biglobosa (Jacq.) used to cure ringworms, occur all around the world but are prevalent in the localized skin eruption, measles, chicken pox, rural and tropical regions (Kamal et al. 2003). It is the wound, athlete’s foot and fungal infections. most common disease among rural people, and it Azadirachta indica are used to cure small pox and forms about 34% of all the ailments in the rural areas chicken pox. Plants such as Rhaphiostylis (Yadav et al. 2012). They affect people of all ages beninensis, Perquetin nigrescens,Colocynthis and gender from neonates to the elderly and citrullus, Funtumia elastica, Butyrospetmum constitute one of the five reasons for medical paradoxum, Curculigo pilosa, and Setaria caudula consultation (Helene De Wet et al. 2013). Recently, are used for local treatment of bacterial infections, skin disease has been of major concern due to their septic sore, heat rashes wound and snake bites in association with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus Nigeria. Skin infections such as eczema, pimples, and Acquired Immunity Deficiency Syndrome and rashes are treated by rubbing the leaves of (HIV/AIDS) (Njoronge & Bussmann, 2007). Jatropha gossypiFolia, Borreria Spp., Hymensocardia acida and Allamanda cathartica on The causes of skin disorders are common in the infected part of skin. Acalypha hispida is known developing countries, where living conditions are to confer antibacterial as well as anti-fungal poor (Helene De Wet et al. 2013). Overcrowding, properties and therefore leaf decoction is mal-nutrition and humidity, heat, food, and administered to infants for skin rashes. medication allergies cause some of these skin diseases, especially among the school children in The deforestation in Africa and in Nigeria in particular urban and rural settings (Dewhirst et al. 2010). is at alarming rate and the loss of traditional According to Helene De Wet et al. (2013), high indigenous knowledge of medicinal plants of various humidity, heat and lack of sanitation are associated communities is fast disappearing from the face of the with an increased risk of fungal and bacterial skin earth due to deforestation, advent of modern infections Skin ailments such as boils, itching, technology and transformation of traditional culture. rashes, ringworm, chicken pox, small pox, skin Moreover, various research on medicinal plants used disorders, leprosy, wound, dermatitis, eczema, for the treatment of skin diseases, skin related scabies, skin allergy swelling and psoriasis are infections and or of dematologic importance in caused by a variety of microorganisms (Gonzalez et Nigeria were carried out in Edo state (Egharevba & al. 2015). The largest group of skin diseases that Ikhatua 2008, Erhenhi et al. 2016), Keffi state occur in most of the countries are wound/ sore, (Mowobi et al. 2016), Lagos state (Francis 2007) and eczema, dermatitis, fungal diseases, pyoderma, Oyo state (Borokini et al. 2013). To the best of our scabies, and skin allergies (Malik et al. 2019). knowledge no previous research has addressed the Although the mortality for skin infection is relatively subject matter in Akinyele Local Government Ares. low, the infection affects the quality of life (Malik et In view of this, the research was undertaken to al. 2019). document information on medicinal plants used in the traditional treatment of skin diseases in Akinyele Currently one of the strategies used to treat skin Local Government area, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. diseases is the use of natural products from plant The new information gained from this study might origin. Plants showing dermatological qualities are initiate further studies to aim at exploring the anti- essential to human health and have the ability to skin disease potentials of the plants, supporting the arrest bleeding, cure wounds and cuts (Lewis & sustainability of traditional herbal medicine in the Elvin-Lewis 2003). Plants that are used to treat skin study area, and conserving plants diversity. diseases may have additional properties like anti- 3 Materials and Methods raining season begins in April and last till October Study area while the dry season commences in November and The study was conducted in Akinyele Local last till March. The average annual rainfall is about Government Area of Ibadan Oyo State, Nigeria 1200 mm and ecological zone type is forest savanna. (Figure 1). It is one of the eleven local governments Akinyele Local Government is highly heterogeneous that make up Ibadan metropolis. Its headquarters is and metropolitan in nature especially in areas like located at Moniya. It has latitude of 70 28` and 70 31` Ojoo, Orogun, Sasa, Moniya and Akinyele where and longitude 30 53` and 30 57` (Yekinni & Oguntade Nigerians from different tribes and foreign nationals 2014). The whole Local Government Council area is reside. This development is evident of the friendly five hundred and seventy five square kilometres and accommodating nature of the people of the local (575km2) with twelve