AGRICULTURE AND BIOLOGY JOURNAL OF NORTH AMERICA ISSN Print: 2151-7517, ISSN Online: 2151-7525, doi:10.5251/abjna.2011.2.3.476.487 © 2011, ScienceHuβ, http://www.scihub.org/ABJNA Medicinal plants conservation and cultivation by traditional medicine practitioners (TMPs) in Aiyedaade Local Government Area of Osun State, Nigeria A.T Oladele1 G.O Alade2 and O.R Omobuwajo2 1Department of Pharmacognosy, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. [email protected], [email protected] 2Department of Pharmacognosy and Herbal Medicine, Niger Delta University, Wilberforce Island, Nigeria. ABSTRACT The contribution of Traditional Medicine Practitioners (TMPs) to conservation of medicinal plants and the acceptability of cultivated plants as alternative to wild sources were studied in Aiyedade Local Government area of Osun State, Nigeria. 55 TMPs were randomly selected for interview from 120 registered TMPs in the study area. 94.5 % of the respondents were aware of plant species which had become scarce. Results revealed that 41.3% of plants cultivated in their homesteads were herbs, Shrubs (29.3%), Trees(18.7%) and climbers(10.7%). 51.6% of plants from wild sources were trees while 44.1% of plants bought from herb markets were trees. Correlation between scarcity of medicinal plants and travel distance to collect plant materials by TMPs was positive (0.278, ρ < 0.05), problems associated with cultivation such as land and collection from the wild was equally positive (0.358, ρ < 0.01). Sustainable harvesting and deliberate cultivation have been proposed to ensure continued supply of medicinal plants to meet the health care needs of rural dwellers in the study area. Keywords: Traditional Medicine Practioners (TMPs), Medicinal plants, Conservation, Cultivation, Aiyedade LGA (Osun state). INTRODUCTION (Gupta, 1986). The demands of the majority of the people in developing countries for medicinal plants Medicinal plants play a crucial role in health care have been met by indiscriminate harvesting of needs of people around the world especially in spontaneous flora including those in forests. Over developing countries (Bekalo et al., 2009, Rao et al., exploitation of these wild sources has led to many 2004). About 80 % of the population of most species being extinct, threatened or endangered developing countries still depend on the use of (Omobuwajo et al., 2008). Indiscriminate exploitation traditional medicine derived from plants has been the trend for decades in developing (Cunningham, 1993). People living in remote areas countries and therefore generate conservation issues depend more extensively on traditional medicine as for these important plants. Population explosion in modern systems are out of reach (Mahonge et al., developing countries has exerted undue pressure on 2006, de Silva 1997, Bodeker, 1994, Sofowora, 1993, frequently used medicinal plants and natural Bhat et al., 1990). Medicinal plants play a key role in resources in general. As markets increases for the development and advancement of modern medicinal plants products, wild population are been studies by serving as a starting point for the depleted. development of novelties in drugs (Pramono, 2002). Approximately 25 % of drugs used in modern Sustainable practice of traditional medicine and Pharmacopoiea are derived from plants and many supply of plant materials for drug development are others are synthetic analogues built on prototype hinged heavily on deliberate and concerted efforts to compounds isolated from plants. It was estimated conserve these indigenous plants. Numerous that the total number of medicinal plants in medicines have been derived from the knowledge of international trade is about 2500 species (Schippman tropical forest people and clearly there will be more in et al., 2002). A large proportion of these plants are the future. This alone is reason enough for any and obtained from wild sources and the forest in particular all programmes to be concerned with the Agric. Biol. J. N. Am., 2011, 2(3): 476-487 conservation, development, and protection of tropical It has a population of 150,392 (Federal forest regions. Since human needs and problems are Government of Nigeria, 2007) and is a primary component of any conservation program. It bounded by Isokan, Irewole and Aiyedire local is therefore necessary that systematic cultivation of governments to the east and Ife North local medicinal plants be introduced in order to conserve government to the west (Fig.1). The people belong to biodiversity and protect threatened species. the Yoruba speaking tribe and are mainly peasant/subsistence farmers predominantly living in The present study was carried out to document the rural communities, which informed their dependence activities of the Traditional Medicine Practioners on plants for their healthcare needs. For the purpose (TMP’s) in conservation of medicinal plants in of the survey, five communities (Gbongan, Odeomu, Aiyedade local government area of Osun State, Wakajaiye, Orile Owu and Ogbaaga) were randomly Nigeria. selected for questionaire administration in the study area. Traditional Medicine Practitioners (TMPs) were MATERIALS AND METHODS visited in their premises for inventory and identification of plants cultivated in their home Study Area: Aiyedade local government area is gardens. located in the western part of Osun State of Nigeria. Fig. 1: Map of Aiyedaade Lga showing the study areas Registered TMPs with the Osun State Ministry of population. The process of data collection include Health, Osogbo, were randomly selected from identification and specimen collection of the Ayedaade Local Government Area. 55 of the 120 medicinal plants cultivated in the premises of the registered TMPs were selected, visited and TMPs. Information concerning the distribution, interviewed representing 45.8% of the sample propagation method, conservation strategies, uses 477 Agric. Biol. J. N. Am., 2011, 2(3): 476-487 and local names of the plant were obtained where younger generation are not many in traditional possible from TMPs. The resulting data was analyzed medicine practice due to rural urban migration. About using simple percentages (frequencies) and bivariate 47.0% did not receive any formal education in Pearson correlation analysis using SPSS 16.0, organised school setting, while 24.5% of the (2007). The plants were scientifically identified using informants attended high school and 18.9% had reference books and comparison of plant specimen primary school education. Few elites with tertiary collected with voucher specimens at the herbarium of education (13.2%) were TMPs who in most cases are Botany Department, Obafemi Awolowo University, retired civil servants that inherited the skill from their Ile-Ife, Nigeria. The research instrument was a progenitors. Most of the TMPs claimed they inherited structured questionaire administered by interpreting the healing skills from their parents or relatives who into Yoruba language which was most readily are knowledgeable and others through apprentism. In understood by the TMPs. Informed consent of the some cases the knowledge is restricted within the TMPs were obtained to make the information public family members and forbiden to share the knowledge before they were interviewed. Stipends were offered with non-family members. About 88.7% of the in appreciation of the time spent in taking us round informants have above 5 years of training/experience their homesteads and responding to our questions. which is equivalent to the minimum for training a medical doctor. Improved skill has been associated RESULTS with number of years of practice. A significant percentage (80.7 % ) of the TMPs were over the age of 40 (Table 1), this showed that the Table 1: Age, education and experience of Traditional Medicine Practitioners in Ayedaade LGA, Osun State, Nigeria Age of Frequency Percentage Education Frequency Percentage Experience Frequency Percentage TMPs % of TMPs % of TMPs % (Years) 21-30 4 7.5 No Formal 25 47.0 Inheritance 13 24.5 education (From birth) 31-40 8 14.9 Primary 10 18.9 0-5years 1 1.9 school 41-50 9 17.0 Secondary 13 24.5 Above 5yrs 34 64.2 school 51-60 7 13.2 Above 7 13.2 No 8 12.7 secondary response school Above 27 50.5 - - - - - - 60 Total 55 100 Total 55 100 Total 55 100 Table 2 showed that about 26.4% of the TMPs sellers (11.3%). The preference for self collection interviewed, treat between 21 and 40 patients per may be attributed to ensuring proper identification of day while 13.2 % have above 40 patients daily. This the plants. The major reason TMPs buy medicinal demonstrates the fact that majority of the populace in plants from herbs sellers is due to scarcity which rural areas still patronise TMPs. More than half of results from overexploitation of the forest resources the informants have no apprentices as at the time of (58.5 %) as shown in Table 3, thus, TMPs travel the interview. The reason given for this lack of great distances to get plants materials for herbal apprenticeship was that people now go for formal preparations. The frequently used plants (66.0%) education and that those that would have combined it and easily cultivated plants (17.0%) as well as easily have no time. This is corroborated with the age perishable plants (3.8%) are grown around TMP distribution of TMPs in Table 1. premises to reduce travel distance, thereby, saving time and cost. The major means of sourcing medicinal plants materials among TMPs is by self collection from the wild/home gardens (86.8 %) and purchase from herb 478 Agric. Biol. J. N. Am., 2011, 2(3): 476-487 Table 2: Daily patients call and Apprentice number per TMP in Ayedaade LGA, Osun State, Nigeria Daily patients call per TMPs Frequency Percentage % Number of apprentice per TMPs Frequency Percentage % Below 20 patients 29 54.7 Nil 31 58.5 21 – 40 14 26.4 1 – 2 07 13.2 41 – 50 2 3.8 3 – 4 05 9.4 Above 50 5 9.4 5 and above 04 7.6 No response 5 9.4 No response 08 14.9 Total 55 100 Total 55 100 Table 3: Medicinal plants sources, reasons for buying herbs and reasons for medicinal plants cultivation by TMPs in Ayedaade LGA, Osun State, Nigeria Sources of med.