Ethnobotanical Study of Medicinal Plants Used to Treat Human Diseases in Gura Damole District, Bale Zone, Southeast Ethiopia

ASIAN JOURNAL OF ETHNOBIOLOGY Volume 4, Number 1, May 2021 E-ISSN: 2580-4510 Pages: 42-52 DOI: 10.13057/asianjethnobiol/y040105 Ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants used to treat human diseases in Gura Damole District, Bale Zone, Southeast Ethiopia BEHAILU ASSEFA1, MOA MEGERSA1,♥, TILAHUN TOLOSSA JIMA2 1Department of Biology, School of Natural Science, Maddawalabu University. P.O. Box 247, Robe, Ethiopia. ♥email: [email protected] 2Department of Biology, College of Natural and Computational Sciences, Ambo University. P.O. Box 19, Ambo, Ethiopia Manuscript received: 8 November 2020. Revision accepted: 5 April 2021. Abstract. Assefa B, Megersa M, Jima TT. 2021. Ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants used to treat human diseases in Gura Damole District, Bale Zone, Southeast Ethiopia. Asian J Ethnobiol 4: 42-52. Many countries in the world including Ethiopia use medicinal plants for their primary health care system. Plants have been used as a source of medicine to treat human diseases in Ethiopia. The aim of this study was to document medicinal plants used to treat various human diseases in Gura Damole District of Oromia Regional State, southeast Ethiopia. Ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants was carried out from August 05 to November 06, 2019. A total of 90 informants were selected to collect ethnobotanical information from 6 kebeles. Ethnobotanical data were collected using semi-structured interviews, focus group discussion with informants and field observation. Various ethnobotanical ranking indices were used to analyze the importance of some plant species. A total of 30 medicinal plants belonging to 21 families were identified. These medicinal plants comprised shrubs (36.6%), trees (26.6%), herbs (23.3%) and lianas (13.3%). The plant families with the highest medicinal plants in the study area used for various diseases treatment were Asteraceae and Solanaceae (3 species each). Leaves (46.7%) were the dominant plant part used in the preparation of remedies, followed by roots (36.7%). Powdering (50%) and oral route of administration (59%) were commonly mentioned methods of preparation and administration, respectively. Carissa spinarum was the most preferred medicinal plant to treat evil eyes and is also ranked highest as the most preferable medicinal plant for various purposes. Although the current study revealed the existence of indigenous knowledge of medicinal plants to treat human ailments, agricultural expansion became the major threat to medicinal plants. Hence, different conservation methods should be applied to conserve those mostly preferred, frequently used medicinal plants for various purposes. Keywords: Gura Damole, indigenous knowledge, medicinal plants, preparations, traditional medicine INTRODUCTION multi-cultural and floral diversity in Ethiopia (Bekele and Reddy 2015; Chekole 2017). The ethnomedicinal People in many parts of the world use medicinal plants knowledge varies even in the same ethnic group as various as traditional treatments for various human ailments authors reported different medicinal plants and use. For (Palombo 2011). According to the World Health instance, in Oromo ethnic group of Ethiopia, different Organization, between 65% and 80% of the populations of research groups reported diverse use of medicinal plants to the world use medicinal plants as remedies (WHO 2011) cure their ailments. Among the studies on medicinal plants and the use of traditional medicine continues to expand used for human diseases treatment in Oromia region rapidly across the world (Kumar et al. 2013). According to include; Lulekal et al. (2008) in Mana Angetu district, the WHO, around 21,000 plant species can potentially be Demie et al. (2018) in Dirre Sheik Hussen, Jima and used as medicinal plants (Lucy and Edgar 1999). Megersa (2018) Barbare district, Yineger and Yewhalaw In Africa, up to 80% of population relies on medicinal (2007) in Sokoru district. plants for their primary healthcare (WHO 2002). The These studies reported remarkable number of medicinal dependence of the population on traditional medicine plants used by local communities for their primary linked with poverty, the inadequacy of health services and healthcare. However, disinterest of the young generation on a shortage of drugs (Birhan et al. 2011; Agbor and Nidoo indigenous knowledge, various threats and minimal effort 2015). Local people of Ethiopia, use traditional medicinal of conservation became major concerns of medicinal plants plants to get relief from numerous diseases. Nearly 80% of (Yineger and Yewhalaw 2007, Jima and Megersa 2018). the Ethiopian population use traditional remedies in which The knowledge of medicinal plants is transferred orally and about 95% of the preparations are of plant origin (Abebe et important information on plants is discarded in the process al. 2001). In order to assess the medicinal values of these (Kassa et al. 2020). plants, various ethnobotanical studies have been conducted Like other communities living in different parts of in Ethiopia. The majority of the studies were carried out in Ethiopia, local people living in Gura Damole District use the Oromia, South Nation and Nationalities of Peoples many plant species in human disease treatments. However, (SNNP), and Amhara regions (Alebie et al. 2017; Muluye the knowledge may be vanished before proper and Ayicheh 2020). However, the reported medicinal documentation as it was evidenced by various studies. plants are still minimal when they are compared with the Therefore, the first objective of this research was to ASSEFA et al. – Medicinal plants used in southeast Ethiopia 43 document medicinal plants and associated indigenous translated to the local language (Afaan Oromoo). The data knowledge of local people of Gura Damole district. were carefully documented during an interview with Second, the study aimed to assess threats to medicinal participants. The checklist includes medicinal plants, plants of the study area. The findings of this study may informants’ use to treat human ailments, the plant parts serve as a stepping stone for further phytochemical and used, the method of preparation of the remedy, method of pharmacological studies. administration and uses other than medicine. Field observations were performed with the help of key informants on the habit and habitat of medicinal plants. MATERIALS AND METHODS Letter of consent was taken from Madda Walabu University, before the data collection. Before collecting Description of the study area any data, willingness of informants were asked to The study was conducted from August 5 to November participate in the study and via their oral consent, all data 6, 2019, in Gura Damole District, Bale Zone, Oromia were gathered. Regional State, Southeast Ethiopia. Gura Damole district Key informants checked the local names of the voucher (07°05' N and 40° 12'E) is located about 575 km from the specimens of medicinal plants. The pressed and collected capital city, Addis Ababa. The district possesses a total specimens were identified by comparing them with already population of 38, 125, of whom 19, 479 are male and 18, identified specimens in a mini herbarium of Madda Walabu 646 female (CSA 2007). The altitude range is 900 to 2200 University. Various volumes of the Flora of Ethiopia and m a.s.l Gura Damole District Agricultural Office (GDDAO Eritrea (Bekele-Tesemma 2007; Edwards et al. 1995; 1997; 2019). The annual mean temperature and rainfall is 22 °C; 2000; Fichtl and Admasu 1994; Hedberg and Edwards and 1600 mm respectively. Gura Damole district possesses 1989, 1995; Hedberg et al. 2004, 2006) were also used in two major rainy seasons which are autumn (‘Arfasa’) in the identification of the collected specimens. Afaan Oromo which extends from September to February and winter (‘Genna’) from March to August which covers Data analysis 60 and 40% respectively. The dominant vegetation types in Descriptive statistical tools such as percentage and the area are trees, shrub and herbaceous species. The frequency were used to analyze and summarize data on dominant tree species include Acacia abyssinica, Cordia medicinal plants and their uses and other related africana, Croton macrostachyus, Erythrina brucei, information using MS Excel 2010. Moreover, these Hagenia abyssinica, and Juniperus procera. The livelihood ethnobotanical data were analyzed using informant of the local people in the study area depends on mixed consensus, preference ranking, direct matrix ranking and farming, but pastoralism predominates over crop Jaccard’s coefficient of similarity. production. The common domestic animals are Camel, Cattle, Goat, and Donkey. The study was carried out in six Preference ranking kebeles selected from 15 rural kebeles of the district based Preference ranking was conducted for five important on the availability of traditional healers, agro-climatic medicinal plants used to treat evil eyes. The 12 key zone, recommendation from elder people and local informants were participated in this exercise to identify the authorities. The six kebeles selected were ‘Sado best preferred medicinal plants for the treatment of evil eye Werke‘,‘Raytu‘,‘Shabo Retebo‘,‘Engoye ilani‘,‘Yedi‘ and following Martin’s (1995) procedures. The highest value ‘Jibri‘ (Figure 1). was given to the medicinal plant thought to be the most effective in the treatment of the evil eye (5), while the Sampling methods and techniques for informants’ lowest value was given to the least effective plant (1). The selection value of each species was summed

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