Medicinal plants used by the people of Nsukka Local Government Area, south-eastern Nigeria for the treatment of malaria: An ethnobotanical survey

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dc.contributor.authorOdoh UE
dc.contributor.authorUzor PF
dc.contributor.authorEze CL
dc.contributor.authorAkunne TC
dc.contributor.authorOnyegbulam CM
dc.contributor.authorOsadebe PO
dc.date.accessioned2022-07-23T10:38:07Z
dc.date.available2022-07-23T10:38:07Z
dc.date.issued2018
dc.descriptionJournal of Ethnopharmacology
dc.description.abstractEthnobotanical relevance Malaria is a serious public health problem especially in sub-Saharan African countries such as Nigeria. The causative parasite is increasingly developing resistance to the existing drugs. There is urgent need for alternative and affordable therapy from medicinal plants which have been used by the indigenous people for many years. Aim of study This study was conducted to document the medicinal plant species traditionally used by the people of Nsukka Local Government Area in south-eastern Nigeria for the treatment of malaria. Methods A total of 213 respondents, represented by women (59.2%) and men (40.8%), were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire. The results were analysed and discussed in the context of previously published information on anti-malarial and phytochemical studies of the identified plants. Results The survey revealed that 50 plant species belonging to 30 botanical families were used in this region for the treatment of malaria. The most cited families were Apocynaceae (13.3%), Annonaceae (10.0%), Asteraceae (10.0%), Lamiaceae (10.0%), Poaceae (10.0%), Rubiaceae (10.0%) and Rutaceae (10.0%). The most cited plant species were Azadirachta indica (11.3%), Mangifera indica (9.1%), Carica papaya (8.5%), Cymbopogon citratus (8.5%) and Psidium guajava (8.5%). Conclusion The present findings showed that the people of Nsukka use a large variety of plants for the treatment of malaria. The identified plants are currently undergoing screening for anti-malarial, toxicity and chemical studies in our laboratory.
dc.identifier.citation10.1016/j.jep.2018.02.034
dc.identifier.issn0378-8741
dc.identifier.urihttps://nerd.ethesis.ng/handle/123456789/155
dc.language.isoen
dc.subjectEthnobotanical survey
dc.subjectEthnopharmacology
dc.subjectNsukka
dc.subjectAnti-malarial compounds
dc.subjectAnti-plasmodium
dc.subjectMalaria
dc.titleMedicinal plants used by the people of Nsukka Local Government Area, south-eastern Nigeria for the treatment of malaria: An ethnobotanical survey
dc.typeArticle
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