Ethnobotanical Survey of Medicinal Plants Used in the Treatment of Cough in Akinyele Local Government Area, Oyo State, Nigeria

Abstract

Majority of people in developing countries rely on Traditional Medical Practitioners (TMPs) or herbalist, hunters and community elders for the treatments of various diseases and illness due to their vast knowledge of medicinal plant usage. There is need to protect the flora and fauna and also the knowledge database often stored in the memories of elders, ancestral and traditional healers. Ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants used in the treatment of cough was carried out in Akinyele Local Government with the aim to document plants and indigenous knowledge of local people in the treatment of cough. Eight villages were selected purposively due to the relics of forest in those villages. The villages are Ijaye, Onidundu, Otunagbakin, Moniya, Idi- ose, Apapa, Aroro and Olanla. Respondents were stratified into 2 strata in each of the villages, namely Traditional Medical Practitioners (TMPs) or herbalist and hunters. Within each stratum, a random selection of 10 respondents were carried out thereby making 20 respondents in each village and total number of  160 respondents as sample size. Semi structured questionnaire was used to obtain information from the respondents. The interview was conducted one-on-one using the local language (Yoruba). The data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics. The result showed that a total number of 16 plants belonging to 13 families were recorded and enumerated along with their botanical name, family and local name. Information on methods of preparation of the recipes, plant part used, form in which plant part is used, mode of administration, dosage and shelf life were also documented. There is need for domestication and conservation of these plants to prevent their extinction. The bioactive compound in some of these plants can be synthesized together to produce conventional drugs for cough. Further studies should also be carried out on these plant species to obtain more information on their bioactive properties.