ETHNOBOTANICAL SURVEY AND PHYTOCHEMICAL STUDIES ON SOME PLANTS USED IN TRADITIONAL TREATMENT OF MALARIA NIGERIA
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- NGN 5000
ABSTRACT
An Ethnobotanical survey was carried-out among the Bajju speaking community of Kaduna state Nigeria from May 2015 to January 2016, to discover and identify plants used in the treatment of Malaria. Respondents in the survey included; Traditional medical practitioners, herbal sellers and farmers. In all 352 respondents were interviewed out of a slated 500, of which 60% of the respondents were male while 40% were female. It was also recorded that 26% of respondents were between ages 18 and 30, 36% between 31 and 45, 26% between 46 and 59, while 12% were 60 years and above. The research also revealed that only 6% of the surveyed population were traditional medical practitioners, 20% were herbal sellers, with the bulk of respondents being farmers with 34%, other occupations made up the remaining percentage. Fourteen (14) different species representing twelve (12) families of plants used in the treatment of malaria were obtained. These plants include; Citrus limon (L.) Burm.f. (Rutaceae), Azadirachta indica A. Juss (Meliaceae), Vitellaria paradoxa Gaertn. F (Sapotaceae), Psidium guajava L. (Myrtaceae), Detarium microcarpum Guill &Perr (Caesalpinaceae) Sterculia setigera . Delile (Sterculiaceae) Senna occidentalis L (Fabaceae), among others. The most common plant part used for preparation of herbal malaria remedies are the leaves, where they are mostly taken orally as a water decoction or concoction. Plants obtained from the survey also have other medicinal uses ranging from Stomach ache, Acne, Typhoid, Diarrhea, Rheumatism, and Hypertension. Phytochemical studies of selected plants reveal the presence of Saponins, Flavonoids, Anthraquinones and Alkaloids all of which have been linked to be effective against the malaria parasite. In conclusion the survey revealed that medicinal plants are used extensively in the treatment of malaria among the Bajju people, and most of these plants have been domesticated for easy access
