Ethnomedicinal Plants Used for the Treatment of Rabies in Ethiopian Traditional Medical Practices: a review
Abstract Background Rabies is a zoonotic disease affecting a wide range of wild and domestic animals, including livestocks.It is a major public-health problem which presents huge economic and health burdens in most parts of the developing world. The objective of this review was to prepare a compiled checklist of medicinal plants used traditionally for the management of rabies from various ethnobotanical, ethno pharmacological, and related studies in Ethiopia. Methods A website-based search strategy was employed. Databases (PubMed, Google Scholar, Research Gate, Medline, Scopus, Web of Science) were searched for published studies. The search items used were“medicinal plants”, “traditional medicines”, and “Ethiopia or Indigenous people.” A descriptive statistical method, percentage and frequency were used to analyze ethno-botanical data on reported medicinal plants and associated indigenous knowledge. The results were presented using charts and tables. Results Eighty medicinal plant species which belong to 43 families and 68 genera were found to be used in the treatment of rabies in Ethiopia. Those medicinal plants were distributed in Amhara, Oromia and Southern nation, nationalities and peoples of Ethiopia.Cucurbitaceae and Euphorbiaceae, represented by 7 species (8.75%), Solanaceae represented by 6 (7.5%) species. Phytolacca dodecandra and Justicia schimperianawere the most used/cited plant species. The habit forms of the plant species were herbs 18 (22.5%), shrubs 17 (21.25%) and while the most commonly used parts of the plant were 42% roots and 15% leaf. Conclusions According to the review there are many medicinal plants for the treatment of rabies. It is recommended to perform phytochemical screening for most reported plants.Ethiopia requires an enforceable policy that protects wild medicinal plants and policy incentives for the cultivation of medicinal plants to reduce overexploitation.