Ethnomedicinal Plants Used for the Treatment of Rabies in Ethiopian Traditional Medical Practices: a review

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.

Ethnobotanical Study of Medicinal Plants Used to Treat Human and Livestock Ailments in Hulet Eju Enese Woreda, East Gojjam Zone of Amhara Region, Ethiopia

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.

Ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants in Yilmana Densa and Quarit Districts, West Gojjam, Western Ethiopia

Background: Traditional herbal preparations for addressing human diseases and ailments have been applied in Yilmana Densa and Quarit Districts, Ethiopia, for generations. However, the medicinal knowledge of the community and the plants are subjected to loss without being scientifically documented due to anthropogenic factors. Hence, this study aims at providing a comprehensive documentation on medicinal plant knowledge of the people to conserve the knowledge and medicinal plants of the areas.Methods: Semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, participant observation, field observation and market survey were used to collect ethnobotanical data. All semi-structured interviews were followed by independent walk in the woods exercises. Field observations were performed with the help of local guides. The data analysis methods were informant consensus factor and fidelity level, frequency and cultural significance indices, preference and direct matrix ranking exercises. Results: A total of 112 medicinal plants were reported. Fabaceae was represented with highest species. Leaves were the primary source of remedy. Most remedy was prepared by pounding and administered orally. Miscellaneous, central nervous and digestive system diseases were recorded with highest informant agreements while Dodonia angustifolia, Dovyalis abyssinica, Hagenia abyssinica, Nigella sativa and Urtica simensis were recorded with highest healing potential for malaria, tapeworm, cough, stomach ulcer respectively. Phytolacca dodecandra, Trigonella foenum-graecum, and Carissa spinarum and Croton macrostachyus were recorded with highest frequency, use, and cultural values respectively. Verbascum sinaiticum was the most preferred to treat blood pressure Conclusion: The study indicated that indigenous knowledge on medicinal plant use is still rich and active in the Districts. Species with recorded highest consensus for curative role are a useful pool for further phytochemical and pharmacological validation for better utilization. Declining medicinal flora of the area calls for implementation of a coordinated complementary in situ and ex situ conservation strategy.

Triterpenoid and saponin rich Phytolacca dodecandra L’Herit(Endod): A review on its phytochemistry and pharmacological properties

: Phytolacca dodecandra L’Herit (Endod) is the most extensively studied plant among 35 known species in the genus Phytolacca (Family: Phytolaccaceae). The plant has been used as a viable treatment for various ailments, such as malaria, rabies, ascariasis, and skin disorders, in many parts of Africa. In Ethiopia, the dried and powdered Endod berries have been used for a long period of time as a detergent to clean clothes. Since the discovery of the molluscicidal activities of its berries more than five decades ago, P. dodecandra has been a research focus worldwide and several phytochemicals mainly of triterpenoids and saponins were reported. Additionally, various biological activities, including larvicidal, insecticidal, antibacterial, antifungal, and anti-inflammatory activities of its isolated compounds and crude extracts were investigated. Furthermore, some of the findings from pharmacological and phytochemical investigations were patented to be used in various medicinal formulations. The plant is still the subject of many investigations and hence, a thorough up-to-date review is required to provide comprehensive information needed for future exploitation of the plant. In this review, the phytochemical compositions and pharmacological activities are comprehensively addressed and discussed in details.

Pharmacology, Phytochemistry, and Toxicity Profiles of Phytolacca dodecandra L’Hér: A Scoping Review

Introduction: Phytolacca dodecandra L’Hér. is a native plant of sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar which is traditionally used for various ailments. Concerned with the scope of the available evidence, we designed a scoping review to critically analyze scientific evidence on P dodecandra’s pharmacology, toxicity, and phytochemistry to validate its ethnomedical use. Methods: We searched without language restriction in MEDLINE, Google Scholar, Scopus, Embase, and Web of Science through December 2019. Both published and unpublished articles were assessed for relevance and reviewed. Results: Of 600 articles retrieved through database search, a total of 48 articles were finally included. The butanol extract of berries was more potent molluscicidal than aqueous extract. The berries had also miracidial, anthelmintic, antifungal activity, and antibacterial effect against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Salmonella spp. The methanol extracts of roots had an antifungal effect against Candida albicans, Cryptococcus neoformans, Microsporum gypseum, and Trichophyton mentagrophytes. Phytolacca dodecandra was toxic to aquatic invertebrate and fish. The fishes were up to 4 times more sensitive than snails. Saponins were the main phytoconstituent isolated from berries. Terpenoid and phenolic were abundant in leaves and bark extracts. Conclusions: Studies validated the traditional use of P dodecandra against snails, worms, and various bacterial and fungal infections. Limited phytochemical data call for future research to focus on isolation of compounds; test their toxicity and activity; and establish mechanism of action.

Study on ethnobotany, phytochemistry, toxicity and effectiveness of herbal remedies against Boophilus decoloratus in Suba, Kenya

Onyango AO, Kokwaro JO, Onyango DW, Yusuf AO. 2018. Study on ethnobotany, phytochemistry, toxicity and effectiveness of herbal remedies against Boophilus decoloratus in Suba, Kenya. Asian J Ethnobiol 2: 38-50. Plants have been found to have a variety of biological activities against insect pests, some of which have been confirmed. The ethnobotany, phytochemistry, toxicity, and acaricidal behavior of crude extracts of three selected plants against blue-tick in Suba Sub-County, Kenya were investigated as part of this study. In Suba Sub-County, a total of 32 herbalists, ranging in age from 28 to 87, were interviewed using a questionnaire about their knowledge of acaricidal plants. The name of the area, the component used, the conventional method of planning, and the administration method were all recorded. The number of medicinal plant citations was highly correlated with the age of the informants. Based on independent researches (IR), the study described 16 plants distributed among 13 families. For phytochemical tests, Phytolacca dodecandra, Cissus quadrangularis, and Ipomoea kituiensis were collected and extracted in methanol, dichloromethane (1:1 v/v), and distilled water separately. Terpenoids, tannins, saponins, flavonoids, and alkaloids were all present in the three plants, with the exception of flavonoids, which were absent in P. dodecandra.To test the efficacy of crude extracts of these selected plants, larvae of the Boophilus spp. tick were used in an in vitro acaricidal activity analysis. The effects of 2.5, 5 and 10 mg/mL concentrations of water and methanol in DCM (1:1 v/v) crude extracts of P. dodecandra (leaves), C. quadrangularis (whole), and I. kituiensis (leaves) were compared to that produced by the standard reference acaricide, almatix® (12.5 percent amitraz) as positive control. The extracts' activity against larvae was tested, and the extracts were most active at 10 mg/mL concentration. The death rate was determined within 24 hours. The extracts of Cissus quadrangularis (100 kills at 10 mg/mL) and P. dodecandra (100 kills at 5 and 10 mg/mL) were the most potent compared to that of almatix, while I. kituiensis methanol/DCM (1:1v/v) extract was the least potent. The variance analysis revealed significant differences in the acaricidal activity of plant extracts at all concentrations tested (2.5, 5, and 10 mg/mL) (P?0.05). The LC50 of Boophilus decoloratus larvae was determined if methanol: DCM (1:1 v/v) extracts of I. kituiensis showed mild toxicity, whereas those of P. dodecandra and C. quadrangularis showed high toxicity. This study concluded that C. quadrangularis (whole), I. kituiensis (leaves), and P. dodecandra (leaves) extracts are acaricidal and as potent at high concentrations as almatix. The mortality of the larvae increases with increasing extract concentration, indicating that the extracts of the top three study plants are effective in blue-tick control. It is recommended that isolation and purification of crude compounds and bioassay of these isolated compounds be performed on the same blue-tick larvae to achieve highly efficacious conventional acaricides