Medicinal plant use practice in four ethnic communities (Gurage, Mareqo, Qebena, and Silti), south central Ethiopia

Background : Ethnic groups throughout the world have developed their own cultures expressed in the form of customs, taboos, and traditional healthcare systems. Traditional medicine system is one of the widespread cultures known throughout the world which is very much tied to cultural practices of the community or ethnic group. Medicinal plant treasure found in Gurage and Silti zones remained poorly characterized and understood. Therefore, this study was conducted in four ethnic groups: three from Gurage zone (Gurage, Qebena, and Mareqo) and one from Silti zone (Silti) which have lived in close proximity and contact for many centuries in the respective zones. In the present study, unique and shared cultural elements in connection to traditional herbal medicine were examined through investigation of the diversity of medicinal plants. Moreover, attempts have been made to determine similarities among the society in the medicinal plants they have used in general and in medicinal plant species considered culturally most important. Methods: In a study that involved 320 randomly sampled informants, semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, and participant observation were used and qualitative and quantitative data were collected. Descriptive statistics, rank order priority (ROP), informant consensus factor, Jaccard similarity coefficient, and clustering were used for data analysis. Results: A total of 244 medicinal plant species and a fungal species used to treat human and/or livestock ailments were documented. The number of plants (80 plants, 33 %) with ROP value greater than 50% were considerably fewer than that of plants with ROP < 50% (164, 67 %). Jaccard similarity index and clustering analysis for all cited plants, among the respective studied districts, indicated that grouping generally followed the existing ethnic origin. On the contrary, clustering based on culturally important medicinal plant species (80 plant species, score ROP ≥ 50%) showed the influence of proximity and geographical orientation rather than ethnic relation. Conclusions: Culturally, most important plants (80 spp.) are widely used and best shared with nearby communities and this could imply current (new) knowledge being practiced in the communities. This knowledge must be documented and better utilized in a modern way including modernized use of traditional medicinal plants

In vitro antimicrobial activity of plants used in traditional medicine in Gurage and Silti Zones, south central Ethiopia

Background: To overcome the escalating problems associated with infectious diseases and drug resistance, discovery of new antimicrobials is crucial. The present study aimed to carry out in vitro antimicrobial analysis of 15 medicinal plant species selected according to their traditional medicinal uses in Gurage and Silti Zones, south central Ethiopia. Methods: Ethanol extracts of various plant parts were investigated for their antimicrobial activity against 20 bacterial and one yeast strains. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was determined by broth microdilution method. Results: Asparagus africanus, Guizotia schimperi, Lippia adoensis var. adoensis and Premna schimperi were active against Candida albicans, Enterococcus faecalis and Staphylococcus aureus at a concentration of 512 mu g/ml or lower. Strong antibacterial activity (MIC >= 128 mu g/ml) was observed for G. schimperi extract against 17 resistant and sensitive Staphylococcus strains, at a concentration comparable to standard antibiotics. Moreover, this extract showed higher antibacterial activity for the test against S. aureus ATCC 33591, ATCC 33592, SA3 and SA5 strains (128-256 mu g/ml) than oxacillin (512 mu g/ml). Conclusions: The study revealed in vitro antibacterial activity of plants used in folk medicine in south central Ethiopia. The usefulness of these plants, in particular of G. schimperi, should be confirmed through further phytochemical and toxicity analyses

The antiviral properties of edible medicinal plants: potential remedies against coronaviruses

SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) is an unparalleled challenge for the international community. Subsequently, an extraordinary effort has been made to contain SARS-CoV-2. However, this has been largely limited to behavioral changes and vaccination. To make the containment strategies effective, behavioral changes and vaccination need to be complemented with alternative prevention methods and curative treatments. This work reports the antiviral properties of some of the commonly known edible medicinal plants that can be used as potential remedies to suppress coronaviruses. A growing body of evidence substantiates that edible medicinal plants with antiviral properties that have been proven effective against sibling coronaviruses likely contain the spread of SARS-CoV-2, and they may also suppress the fatality of COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019). The secondary metabolites found in herbal medicines do not cause pathogens to develop drug resistance, which is a common problem in conventional medicines. The use of edible medicinal plants is much safer and causes less panic, thereby avoiding the fear associated with the use of herbal medicines. Right dosages and mixtures of edible medicinal plants need to be rigorously investigated to circumvent unanticipated side effects and chronic health risks

Ethiopian Medicinal Plants Used for Respiratory Tract Disorders: Ethnomedicinal Review

Respiratory tract infections (RTIs) refer to infections in any part of the respiratory tract, which are common, with most of the world’s population contracting at least one infection annually. These infections are becoming important causes of death and morbidity due to the rapid development of antimicrobial resistance that has resulted in reduced efficacy of existing drugs. Different local societies residing in Ethiopia have been reported to use traditional medicinal plants to treat RTIs. Nevertheless, up-to-date summarized data on the diversity of plants used in the traditional medicine system to treat RTIs in Ethiopia are lacking. The purpose of this review was to assess plant species used in traditional medicine to treat respiratory tract infections in Ethiopia. It attempts to compile available data required for undertaking further scientific investigations. The data were collected by searching for published scientific articles and other grey literature. Following this, medicinal plant (MP) diversity, growth forms, plant parts used, modes of remedy preparation and application, sources and distributions, and frequently treated respiratory disorders were examined. An Excel spreadsheet and SigmaPlot software were used to summarize and present the data. Two hundred twenty-nine (229) plant species that have been used to treat respiratory disorders in Ethiopia were documented. Lamiaceae was the most cited family (27 species), followed by Asteraceae (23 species), and Fabaceae (18 species), whereas cough was primarily cited as being treated by MPs and scored the highest frequency of citation (FOC = 243), followed by the common cold (FOC = 151) and asthma (FOC = 63). The top-cited plant species used in the treatment of RTIs were Eucalyptus globulus (6.8%), Allium sativum (5.5%), Zingiber officinale (4.2%), Ruta chalepensis (3.8%), and Ocimum lamiifolium (2.8%). Herbs were the dominant plant growth form (46%) used to treat respiratory diseases, and the most commonly used MP parts were leaves (37%). The leading traditional method used for preparation was decoction (25.5%), and the remedies were usually administered orally (64.6%). The MP origin reported was mainly from the wild (59%). High diversity of medicinal plants was reported as being used to treat various RTIs in Ethiopia. Information obtained from this review could be used as a reference for the selection of plants for further pharmacological, phytochemical, and toxicological investigations for their possible therapeutic applications and the development of new plant-based drugs

Traditional medicinal plant use of indigenous communities in Gurage Zone, Ethiopia

Background: The traditional use of medicinal plants for curing and preventing illnesses has been paramount and widely practiced in Ethiopia for generations. This study was carried out in Gurage zone, Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region, Ethiopia. The study aims to document the state of traditional knowledge related to local plant uses for medicine and examine how the communities’ value and relate to medicinal plants. Methods: Ethnobotanical data were collected using semi-structured interviews, in which 240 informants were involved. For data analysis, descriptive statistics and ethnobotanical indices, including informant consensus factors (ICF) and use preference were used. Results: A total of 200 medicinal plant species that are used to treat human ailments were documented. Plant families Asteraceae (13%) and Lamiaceae (10%) were predominant whereas the most frequently used plant parts were the leaves, accounting to about 43.8% followed by roots (14%). Indigenous knowledge distribution in the community showed significant differences (p < 0.05) in the study groups for factors of age and educational level. The ICF value obtained which ranges between 0.49 and 0.92 indicates the presence of good agreement among the informants regarding therapeutic uses of reported medicinal plant species. More than 50% of the respondents prefer to use traditional medicine as the first line of treatment. For eight health problems traditional herbal medicines remain dominant and highly preferred treatment, irrespective of the presence of modern health services within short distance from their residence. Conclusions: The richness of medicinal plant species recorded from the study area reflects the dependence of the communities on plant resources of their natural surroundings. Combined effect of various threatening factors are posing threat as a result widely used medicinal plants are becoming locally rare which calls for protecting and developing the resource for wider and better use

In Vitro Antistaphylococcal Effects of Embelia schimperi Extracts and Their Component Embelin with Oxacillin and Tetracycline

Bacterial infections are in less-developed countries traditionally treated by remedies prepared from medicinal plants. Embelia schimperi (Vatke) is a plant used as a taenicide or disinfectant in Ethiopia, very often taken mixed with another plant species. In the present study, we examined two extracts prepared from seeds and twigs with leaves of E. schimperi and its main present secondary metabolite embelin for their antibacterial combinatory effect with oxacillin and tetracycline against sensitive and resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains. Minimum inhibitory concentrations were determined through the broth microdilution method, whereas the combinatory effect was evaluated through fractional inhibitory concentration sum (Sigma FIC) indices. Results show many positive interactions and synergy occurring in embelin and oxacillin combinations against 4 out of 9 strains (Sigma FIC 0.203-0.477) and for embelin and tetracycline combination against 3 out of 9 strains (Sigma FIC 0.400-0.496). Moreover, the resistance to oxacillin has been overcome in 2 strains and to tetracycline in 3 strains. According to our knowledge, this is the first study showing antimicrobial combinatory effect of E. schimperi as well as of embelin. These findings can be used for the further research targeted on the development of new antistaphylococcal agents