Medicinal Plants Used for the Management of Skin Diseases in Odigbo Local Government Area, Ondo State, Nigeria

Abstract

The vast diversity of plants in Nigeria is a promising source of novel compounds that are still relatively unexplored. The major health concerns which affects people of all ages and gender from neonates to the elderly and constitute one of the five reasons for medical consultation is skin diseases. Medicinal plants used traditionally for management of skin diseases in Odigbo Local Government Area of Ondo state was assessed. A total number of 120 respondents comprising of herb sellers, hunters, traditional medicine practitioners, farmers and ordinary community members were selected randomly from six villages within the study areas. The information on several medicinal plants used for traditional management of skin diseases was collected by semi-structured questionnaires administered to the respondents in the local yoruba language. The data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics. The study revealed that 28 plant species from 19 families were used to treat 9 different types of skin diseases either by Topical application, decoction and or oral route. The most represented families are Fabaceae, Euphorbiaceae and Meliaceae. RFC ranged from 0.01 to 0.850. The most cited plant species are Cassia alata Linn. (RFC = 0.850), Ricinus communis L. (RFC = 0.5916) and Tetrapleura tetrapetra (RFC = 0.5083). The least significant family is Annonaceae (FIV= 0.005) while the most significant is Euphorbiaceae (FIV=0.943). Trees are the most used plant form while bark is the most widely used plant parts (PPV = 0.373). Decoction is the most common method of preparation.  In conclusion, it was observed that the respondents have vast knowledge of the uses of the medicinal plants and that the aspect of traditional method of managing skin diseases is completely neglected and should be streamlined into the healthcare delivery system of Nigeria.