IMPACT OF TRADITIONAL PRACTICES ON MEDICINAL PLANT TRADE IN THE RAINFOREST OF NIGERIA

A cross-sectional survey was used to assess the impact of traditional practices on trade in traditional plants within the rainforest of Nigeria. A questionnaire survey and market-based observations were used to derive data from 110 stakeholders including: plant collectors, sellers, middlemen and traditional healers. Results of data analyses indicate that: (i) plants not suitable for cultural practices were not usually used for traditional medicine. (ii) Traditional management of the forests based on open access, restricted access and closed access rights could no longer protect habitats of medicinal plants. (iii) Breakdown of management practices in the forests was common because of a twin factor: violators of regulations were not being punished; and there were increasing disputes over land boundaries among communities. (iv) Medicinal plants on regular trade were in decline. Stakeholder participation in species rehabilitation in the forests and establishment of ex situ gardens may sustain the medicinal plant trade

Can the Rain Forests of Nigeria Sustain Trade in Medicinal Plants

Abstrac

Can Food Crop Medicine Reduce Pressure on Forest Harvest in Nigeria?

Awareness created in the social media through smart phones had popularized the practice of using food crop parts such as leaves, fruits, roots and seeds to treat common illness which had hitherto been treated with herbs from the wild. This study investigated whether the use of food crops for medicine can reduce pressures of harvesting medicinal plants from the forest. A combination of three research methods: structured questionnaire survey; informal discussions with stakeholders in food crop medicines and observations on collection and preparation of food crop medicines were used to collect data. Simple random sampling method was used to select 62 respondents for questionnaire survey and discussion groups in Ota Ogun State, Nigeria. Data were presented in tables and percentages. A Chi-square analysis was used to test the research hypothesis. Results derived from data analyses indicated that food crop medicine (FCM) was: (i) widely used; (ii) fully accepted; (iii) gradually reducing pressures in natural forests; and (iv) used to compliment indigenous traditional medicine. A conclusion was reached that FCM had come to stay as a major primary health delivery. Moreover, FCM has found a place in herbal treatments of diseases. Keywords: Food crop medicine, Traditional medicine, Traditional plants, Natural forests, Herbs