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A Brief Ethnbotanical Survey of Some Medicinal Plants Used by the Kanjoo Community in Meru County, Kenya

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A Brief Ethnbotanical Survey of Some Medicinal Plants Used by the Kanjoo Community in Meru County, Kenya Research Article Adv Biotech & Micro - Volume 5 Issue 1 July 2017 Copyright © All rights are reserved by Amuka O DOI: 10.19080/AIBM.2017.05.555654 A Brief Ethnbotanical Survey of Some Medicinal Plants Used by the Kanjoo Community in Meru County, Kenya Amuka O1*, Mulei JM2 and Gatwiri BP3 1Department of Applied Plant Sciences, Maseno University, Kenya 2Department of Biological Sciences, University of Eldoret, Kenya 3Kibirichia, Kenya Submission: June 15, 2017; Published: July 28, 2017 *Corresponding author: Amuka O, Department of Applied Plant Sciences, Maseno University, Private Bag Maseno 40105, Kenya, Email: Abstract Medicinal plants in Kenya are not adequately documented despite their widespread use. The threat of complete disappearance of the knowledge on herbal medicine warrants an urgent need to document the information. An ethno botanical study on traditional use of medicinal diseases treated, plant part used, preparation methods, administration route and other plant uses. Data collection involved semi-structured interviewsplants was withconducted 30 purposively between selectedJanuary andtraditional February healers. 2015 Twentyin Kanjoo eight location plant Meruspecies County. distributed The study in 26 focused genera, on22 familiesidentification and three of the different plants, non-medicinallife forms were uses identified of the asplants being were useful also for recorded. treating 17The human study aliments.reveals that Majority the Kanjoo of the area species is rich were in medicinaltrees and shrubs;plants and leaves the wereknowledge the most on herbaldominant medicine plant part is still used; part oral of the route cultural of administration heritage in the was community. commonest Preservation and hot water of this decoction knowledge most is preferred important method and phytochemical of preparation. analysis Various of the plants may provide some useful leads for the development of new drugs. Keywords: Kanjoo; Meru; Herbal medicine; Traditional healers; Ethno botany Introduction increasingly visible in regard to medicine, food, material, social Plants form an integral part of human life. They have been uses, construction and fuel. Although ethnobotanical studies used from time immemorial by humans as medicines [1]. Ancient have been conducted in many parts of Meru County [11,12] civilizations’ in the world thrived on use of plants for their little has been done in the Kanjoo Community. Traditional livelihood [2]. In the recent past to date medicinal plants have practitioners are regularly consulted by the community as they generated lots of interest [3-5]. Several compounds currently have a rich indigenous knowledge base and are always available. in use as drugs or templates for synthesis of allopathic drugs There is limited documentation of the medicinal plants used have been derived from plants such as Vincristine, Vinblastine, by the Kanjoo people as well as their pharmacological and Emetine, Quinine, Morphine, Codeine, and Artemisinin among phytochemical properties. The fragile forest ecosystems are others. There is need for new drugs to manage emerging and getting disseminated due to population pressure and accelerated re-emerging diseases [6]. Currently microorganisms have a reduction in the biodiversity in these areas. There is fear of loss tendency of developing resistance to antibiotics in the market of valuable information due to acculturation of the present [7-9]. Large population in the world (80%) use traditional forms generation. Ethnic cells in the African set-up in most may give of treatment [10]. a completely monolithic cultural distinction with gradual The Ameru are indigenous inhabitants in sub–Saharan succession into the neighbors. The Meru is one such group Africa. They are Farmers and forest products users. The use which the Kanjoo may serve as a representative. The study was of wild and cultivated plants in this part of Kenya is becoming undertaken to explore the Ethno medicine of the Kanjoo people, specifically to Adv Biotech & Micro 5(1): AIBM.MS.ID.555654 (2017) 0025 Advances in Biotechnology & Microbiology A. Document some medicinal plants used in folklore semi structured questionnaires. The study focused on plant medicine. preparation, route of administration and other uses of the plant. identification, disease(s) treated, plant part used, methods of and non-medicinal uses. The collected specimens were prepared following standard B. Identify the plants; part used, pharmacological profile Materials and Methods [13,14]. Descriptive statistics was used to analyze the data. herbarium procedures and identified using various floras Study area and data collection Results and Discussion The study was conducted amongst Kanjoo Community Twenty eight plant species distributed in 26 genera and in Meru County, Kenya, which is located at 0°07’ N latitude 22 families and encompassing four different life forms were and 37°43’ E longitude, about 80km from Meru town, 1600m above sea level. It has a population of about 9,806 people. The 1). Most of the plants used in the area are well known and are identified as being useful for treating 17 human aliments (Table community live is next to the Meru national Reserve. They have indigenous to the area. The knowledge correlates with uses a lot common with wildlife hence are used to live in harmony reported elsewhere, for example, the leaves of Ajuga integrifolia with nature. The area receives about 380-1000mm rainfall in and Senna didymobotrya are used for the treatment of malaria in two seasons. Vegetation varies from typical tropical savanna to grassland interspersed with shrubs and small trees. The nature knowledge is uniformly spread rural societies. The dominant other parts of Kenya [15]. Furthermore, it confirms the fact that of the environment therefore accommodates a diverse variety of families of Ethnobotanical importance were: Asteraceae 4 species, Fabaceae 2 species and Lamiaceae 2 species. Other floraEthno and fauna. botanical data was collected between January and studies have recorded Asteraceae as being among the families February 2015. Thirty traditional healers, 13 males and 17 with high number of medicinal species [16,17]. females were purposefully sampled and interviewed using Table1: Plant species based on traditional their reputation for use as medicine. Preparation/ Preparation/ Disease Family Species Local Name Habit Part Used Treated Administration Administration Route Route Amarathus Amarathus palmeri S. Leaves used as Terere L Diarrhea palmeri S. Wats. Wats. vegetables Hot water Herb Amaryvidaceae Allium sativum L. Kubuturu W/P Ulcers Decoction; Oral Used as spice Malaria, Apocynaceae Apocynaceae Kamuria ShrubHerb RB Infusion; Oral Fruits edible relieves pain Hot water Crushing and Bidens pilosa L. Muratha ngii W/P Fresh wounds decoction; Oral Fodder Sckhuriapinnata(Lam.) Herb Malaria, Gakuinini W/P squeezing; Dermal O.Kunte. diarrhea Asteraceae Vernonia auriculifera Herb Malaria, loss of Infusion; Oral Leaves used as Muthakwa Shrub L Hiern appetite vegetables Infusion; Oral Dry sticks used Vernonia lasiopus Mwatha Shrub L/RB Malaria for honey O.Hoffm harvesting Infusion; Oral Making Bignoniaceae Kigelia Africana Lam. Muratina Tree L Malaria traditional beer Hot water Caricaceae Carica papaya L Mubabai Tree Seeds Amoeba decoction; Oral Fruits edible Catha edulis Leaves used as Muraa Shrub RB Stomachache Chewing; Oral (Vahl) Forssk. stimuli Cerastraceae Hot water Maytenus undatus Malaria, Muthithio Shrub L/ RB decoction; Oral Fruits edible (Thunb.)Blakelock syphilis Hot water Fungal decoction; Oral infection, decoction, Leaves and Cucurbitaceae Cucurbita maxima L. Kirenge L healing of Hot water fruits edible Herb umbrical cord dermal infusion; Oral, Neoboutonia Euphobiaceae Mutuntuki Tree SB Malaria Building Neoboutonia Hot water decoction; Oral How to cite this article: Amuka O, Mulei JM, Gatwiri BP. A Brief Ethnbotanical Survey of Some Medicinal Plants Used by the Kanjoo Community in Meru 0026 County, Kenya. Adv Biotech & Micro. 2017; 5(1): 555654. DOI: 10.19080/AIBM.2017.05.555654 Advances in Biotechnology & Microbiology Acacia mearnsii Building, ethno Muthanduku Tree L Measles De Wild. veterinary Building Hot water Senna didymobortrya Malaria, decoction; Dermal Ethno Murao Shrub L/ RB Fres. chicken pox veterinary Hotdermal water decoction; Oral, Ajuga integrifolia Buch.- Kirurite W/P Malaria Ham. Lamiaceae Plectranthus barbatus Herb Infusion;Crushing Oraland Fencing, home Kijara Shrub L Fresh wounds Andrews tissue Malaria, Liliaceae Aloe secundiflora Engel. Cukurui Shrub L squeezing; Dermal Poultry wounds dermal Infusion; Oral, Malvaceae Malva verticillata L. Muganjo RB Wounds Ornamental Malaria Azadirachta indica Herb Grinding; Dermal Meliaceae Mwarubainne Tree L toothache, A. Juss stomach pain Hot water Loss of decoction; Oral Moringa oleifera appetite, Leaves used as Moringaceae Moringa Tree L Lam. diabetes, high vegetables blood pressure Hot water decoction; Oral Oleaceae Olea europaea L. Mutero Tree SB Malaria For building Hot water Prunus Africana Rosaceae Mwiria Tree SB Malaria decoction; Oral For building Hook.f. Hot water Vangueria decoction; Oral Fencing, fruits Rubiaceae madagascariensis Mubiru Tree SB Malaria edible J.F. Gmel. Hot water Rutaceae Citrus limon (L) Burm. f. Muriimo Tree Fruits Common cold decoction; Oral Fruits edible Solanum incanum Stomachache, Solanaceae Mutongu Shrub RB Infusion; Oral L. malaria Hot water Common cold, decoction; Oral Leaves used as Urticaceae Urtica massaica L. Kithaa
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