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Ethnobotanical Study of Medicinal Plants Used by Traditional Healers to Treat Cancer-Like Symptoms in Eleven Districts, Ethiopia.

ABSTRACT: There is no ethnobotanical study conducted specifically on medicinal plants traditionally used to treat cancer in Ethiopia. Yet, traditional herbalists in different parts of the country claim that they have been treating cancer-like symptoms using herbal remedies. The objective of this study was to document medicinal plants traditionally used to treat cancer-like symptoms in eleven districts, Ethiopia. Traditional herbalists were interviewed using semistructured questionnaires, and field visits were also carried out to collect claimed plants for identification purpose. Seventy-four traditional herbalists, who claimed that they knew about and/or had used medicinal plants to treat cancer-like symptoms, were selected using the snowball method and interviewed. Herbalists used their intuition and relied on the chronicity, growth of external mass, and spreading of the disease to other parts of the body, as a means to characterize cancer symptoms. Furthermore, in some of the study districts, herbalists reported that they treat patients who had already been diagnosed in modern healthcare institutions prior to seeking help from them. The inventory of medicinal plants is summarized in a synoptic table, which contains the scientific and vernacular names of the plants, their geographical location, the parts of the plants, and the methods used to prepare the remedies. A total of 53 traditionally used anticancer plants, belonging to 30 families, were identified during the survey. The most frequently reported anticancer plants were Acmella caulirhiza Del (Asteraceae), Clematis simensis Fresen. (Ranunculaceae), Croton macrostachyus Del. (Euphorbiaceae), and Dorstenia barnimiana Schweinf. (Moraceae). Organizing traditional healers, documenting their indigenous knowledge, and scientifically validating it for the development of better cancer therapeutic agents constitute an urgent and important task for policymakers and scientists.

SUBMITTER: Tesfaye S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7191438 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Ethnobotanical Study of Medicinal Plants Used by Traditional Healers to Treat Cancer-Like Symptoms in Eleven Districts, Ethiopia.

Tesfaye Solomon S Belete Anteneh A Engidawork Ephrem E Gedif Teferi T Asres Kaleab K

Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM 20200421

There is no ethnobotanical study conducted specifically on medicinal plants traditionally used to treat cancer in Ethiopia. Yet, traditional herbalists in different parts of the country claim that they have been treating cancer-like symptoms using herbal remedies. The objective of this study was to document medicinal plants traditionally used to treat cancer-like symptoms in eleven districts, Ethiopia. Traditional herbalists were interviewed using semistructured questionnaires, and field visits ...[more]

PMID: 32382303

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Project description:Introduction: Plants have formed the basis of traditional medicine (TM) systems, which have been used for thousands of years. According to reports, one-quarter of the commonly used medicines contain compounds isolated from plants. This study aims to identify and document the plants for ethno-pharmacological use by the indigenous communities of West Shoa Zone, Oromia region, Ethiopia. Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted from November 2020 to November 2021 in West Shewa Zone, Oromia Region, Ethiopia. The ethnobotanical data was collected from Ejere District, Ada Berga District, Dandi District, Ambo District, Ambo Town, Toke Kutaye District, and Bako Tibe District. A descriptive statistical method (percentage and/or frequency) was employed to summarize ethnobotanical data. Moreover, the informant consensus factor was computed. Microsoft Excel spreadsheet software (Microsoft Corporation, 2016) and SPSS (version 25) were used to organize and analyze the data. Result: In the study area, a total of 51 families of medicinal plants with 108 Species were identified. Fabaceae 8 species, Asteraceae, Solanaceae and Lamiaceae each with 6 species and Cucurubitacieae 5 species were the frequently reported medicinal plants. The leaf (57.2%) was the most widely used medicinal plant parts, and oral administration (56.5%) was the most cited route of administration. In the present study, most of the medicinal plants were used fresh, which was (75%) and the most common disease the healers treated was gastrointestinal disease, followed by skin disease and febrile illness. The major threat to medicinal plants in the study area was agricultural expansion, which was reported by 30.6% of the respondents. The study area was rich in medicinal plants, Fabaceae which commonly used family. Conclusion: Most of the medication prepared by the traditional healers was taken orally and derived from the leaf part of the medicinal plant. Since this research is a preliminary study which will be used as a base for further study. The efficacy and safety of the medicinal plant claim should be studied in the future.

Project description:IntroductionMalaria is an important parasitic disease that affects mostly the African continent. Traditional medicine is very important in Mozambique and traditional healers play a key role in the primary health care services, particularly in rural areas. We aim to report the results of an ethnobotanical survey undertaken in Mogovolas district, northern region of Mozambique. We recorded and identified the medicinal plants used by traditional healers for treatment of malaria, as well as the mode of preparation and administration.MethodsThe study was conducted in 14 villages from Mogovolas between June and August 2015. Sixteen traditional healers were interviewed using semi-structured questionnaires. Under their guidance, we collected medicinal plants and prepared herbarium specimens that were sent and kept at Eduardo Mondlane University Herbarium for scientific identification. We searched for information on the in vitro and in vivo studies of the cited plants for antiplasmodial activity.ResultsTraditional healers from Mogovolas district reported the use of 37 plants to treat malaria, belonging to 22 families. The most used species are Ochna kirkii Oliv. (5 citations), Ehretia amoena Klotzsch and Pteleopsis myrtifolia (M.A.Lawson) Engl. & Diels (both with 3 citations). These plants belong to Ochnaceae, Boraginaceae and Combretaceae families, respectively. The herbal remedies are prepared using leaves (22/37), roots (18/37), stem barks (16/37) and stems (3/37). The administration of the herbal remedies was made essentially by oral route and bathing.ConclusionThe ethnobotanical data resulted from this study can be the starting point for further chemical and pharmacological studies aiming to identify medicinal species with antimalarial activity, thus, open the insights for the discovery of new antimalarial substances, as well as better integration of the traditional medicine into the national health systems, particularly in developing countries, as the health system coverage is limited.

Project description:Indigenous people of a given community have their own local specific knowledge on plant use, management, and conservation. The objective of this study was to document medicinal plants used to treat human and livestock ailments in Hulet Eju Enese Woreda. The data were collected using semistructured interviews, focus group discussions, and field observations with local people. A total of 100 informants over the age of 20 years were selected to collect information on medicinal plant use. Descriptive statistics (percentage and frequency), Jaccard's similarity index, independent sample t-test and analysis of variance, informant consensus factor, fidelity level, preference ranking, and direct matrix ranking were computed. A total of 80 medicinal plant species belonging to 75 genera and 52 families were documented. In terms of species diversity, Solanaceae stood first with 5 species followed by Euphorbiaceae and Malvaceae with 4 species each. Out of eighty medicinal plants, 53 species were used to treat only human ailments, 8 species were used to treat only livestock ailments, and the remaining 19 species were used for treating both human and livestock ailments. From the total medicinal plant species, shrub constitutes the largest number with 42.5% species. The most frequently used plant parts were leaves, accounting for 28.9%. The major routes of administration were oral accounts, 81 (57%), followed by dermal, 45 (31.7%), nasal, 6 (4.2%), and others, 10 (7%). In the disease category with the highest informant consensus factor (0.83) value was sudden sickness. There was highest preference (49) for Phytolacca dodecandra to treat rabies. Cordia africana was shown to be the top multipurpose species. This study revealed that the study area was rich in medicinal plants. Agricultural expansion, charcoal making, and firewood collection were considered major threats to medicinal plants. Therefore, awareness creation to the youth and training to the healers play a pivotal role to prevent the loss of indigenous knowledge.

Project description:Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by a loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta and the presence in surviving neurons of Lewy body inclusions enriched with aggregated forms of the presynaptic protein ?-synuclein (aSyn). Although current therapies provide temporary symptomatic relief, they do not slow the underlying neurodegeneration in the midbrain. In this study, we analyzed contemporary herbal medicinal practices used by members of the Lumbee tribe to treat PD-related symptoms, in an effort to identify safe and effective herbal medicines to treat PD.The aims of this study were to (i) document medicinal plants used by Lumbee Indians to treat PD and PD-related symptoms, and (ii) characterize a subset of plant candidates in terms of their ability to alleviate neurotoxicity elicited by PD-related insults and their potential mechanisms of neuroprotection.Interviews of Lumbee healers and local people were carried out in Pembroke, North Carolina, and in surrounding towns. Plant samples were collected and prepared as water extracts for subsequent analysis. Extracts were characterized in terms of their ability to induce activation of the nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) antioxidant response in cortical astrocytes. An extract prepared from Sambucus caerulea flowers (elderflower extract) was further examined for the ability to induce Nrf2-mediated transcription in induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived astrocytes and primary midbrain cultures, to ameliorate mitochondrial dysfunction, and to alleviate rotenone- or aSyn-mediated neurotoxicity.The ethnopharmacological interviews resulted in the documentation of 32 medicinal plants used to treat PD-related symptoms and 40 plants used to treat other disorders. A polyphenol-rich extract prepared from elderflower activated the Nrf2-mediated antioxidant response in cortical astrocytes, iPSC-derived astrocytes, and primary midbrain cultures, apparently via the inhibition of Nrf2 degradation mediated by the ubiquitin proteasome system. Furthermore, the elderflower extract rescued mitochondrial functional deficits in a neuronal cell line and alleviated neurotoxicity elicited by rotenone and aSyn in primary midbrain cultures.These results highlight potential therapeutic benefits of botanical extracts used in traditional Lumbee medicine, and they provide insight into mechanisms by which an elderflower extract could suppress neurotoxicity elicited by environmental and genetic PD-related insults.

Project description:BackgroundMedicinal plants are the integral part of the variety of cultures in Ethiopia and have been used over many centuries. Hence, the aim of this study is to document the medicinal plants in the natural vegetation and home gardens in Wonago Woreda, Gedeo Zone, Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Regional State (SNNPR).Materials and methodsThirty healers were selected to collect data on management of medicinal plants using semi-structured interview, group discussion, and field observation. The distribution of plant species in the study areas was surveyed, and preference ranking, direct matrix ranking, priority ranking of factors and Informant consensus factor (ICF) were calculated.ResultsThe informants categorized the vegetation into five community types based on plant density and associated landform: 'Raqqa', 'Hakka cadanaba', 'Mancchha', 'Bullukko', and 'Wodae gido'. 155 plant species were collected from the natural vegetation and 65 plant species from the home gardens ('Gattae Oduma'). Seventy-two plant species were documented as having medicinal value: Sixty-five (71%) from natural vegetation and 27 (29%) from home gardens. Forty-five (62%) were used for humans, 15(21%) for livestock and 13(18%) for treating both human and livestock ailments: 35 (43.2%) were Shrubs, 28(34.5%) herbs, 17 (20.9%) trees and 1(1.2%) climbers. The root (35.8%) was the most commonly used plant part. The category: malaria, fever and headache had the highest 0.82 ICF. Agricultural expansion (24.4%) in the area was found to be the main threat for medicinal plants followed by fire wood collection (18.8%). Peoples' culture and spiritual beliefs somehow helped in the conservation of medicinal plants.ConclusionTraditional healers still depend largely on naturally growing plant species and the important medicinal plants are under threat. The documented medicinal plants can serve as a basis for further studies on the regions medicinal plants knowledge and for future phytochemical and pharmacological studies.

Project description:The burden of neoplastic diseases is a significant global health challenge accounting for thousands of deaths. In Uganda, about 32,617 cancer cases were reported in 2018, accompanied by 21,829 deaths. In a view to identify some potential anticancer plant candidates for possible drug development, the current study was designed to compile the inventory of plants with reported anticancer activity used in rural Uganda and the evidences supporting their use in cancer therapy. An electronic survey in multidisciplinary databases revealed that 29 plant species belonging to 28 genera distributed among 24 families have been reported to be used in the management of cancer in Uganda. Anticancer plants were majorly from the families Bignoniaceae (7%), Caricaceae (7%), Fabaceae (7%), Moraceae (7%), and Rutaceae (7%). Most species occur in the wild (52%), though some are cultivated (48%). The growth habit of the plants is as trees (55%) or herbs (45%). Anticancer extracts are usually prepared from leaves (29%), bark (24%), roots (21%), and fruits (13%) through decoctions (53%), as food spices (23%) or pounded to produce ointments that are applied topically (10%). Prunus africana (Hook.f.) Kalkman, Opuntia species, Albizia coriaria (Welw. ex Oliver), Daucus carota L., Cyperus alatus (Nees) F. Muell., Markhamia lutea (Benth.) K. Schum., and Oxalis corniculata L. were the most frequently encountered species. As per global reports, Allium sativum L., Annona muricata L., Carica papaya L., Moringa oleifera Lam., Opuntia species, Prunus africana (Hook.f.) Kalkman, and Catharanthus roseus (L.) G. Don. are the most studied species, with the latter having vincristine and vinblastine anticancer drugs developed from it. Prostate, cervical, breast, and skin cancers are the top traditionally treated malignancies. There is a need to isolate and evaluate the anticancer potential of the bioactive compounds in the unstudied claimed plants, such as Cyperus alatus (Nees) F. Muell., Ficus dawei Hutch., Ficus natalensis Hochst., and Lovoa trichilioides Harms, and elucidate their mechanism of anticancer activity.

Dataset Information

Ethnobotanical Study of Medicinal Plants Used by Traditional Healers to Treat Cancer-Like Symptoms in Eleven Districts, Ethiopia.

Publications

Ethnobotanical Study of Medicinal Plants Used by Traditional Healers to Treat Cancer-Like Symptoms in Eleven Districts, Ethiopia.

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