Exploring traditional healthcare practices: Ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria

Abstract

An ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants used in traditional health care delivery system in some selected
towns of Ogun State, Nigeria was carried out to obtain useful information on their uses and potentials.
Ethnobotanical data were collected by oral interview with the aid of a semi-structured questionnaire administered
to 50 respondents made up of traditional medical practitioners (TMPs), herbalists and herb sellers. A total of 58
plant species belonging to 34 families were found to be useful in the treatment of various ailments such as asthma,
cough, yellow fever, tuberculosis, measles, malaria, ringworm, boil, eczema, typhoid and diabetes. Recipes used in
the treatment of these ailments were documented. Herbal remedies were either prepared from dry or freshly
collected plants while the traditional solvent of choice included water, pure honey, lime, alcohol and aqueous
extracts from fermented maize. The main methods of preparation are decoction and infusion while method of
administration ranges from 3 to 5 cl of drinking cup, 2 to 3 times daily. The survey revealed that the leaves
component accounted for the majority of the part used for herbal preparations. Residents in the study areas find
the traditional medicine cheaper as compared to orthodox medicine. It is therefore implicated that conscientious
efforts should be made to conserve medicinal plant genetic resources to ensure continued access to these plant
materials while efforts should be made to reduce pressures on the remaining germplasm.