Investigation on the Importance of Medicinal Plants Used in Treating Ailments in Ekiti-State, Southwest Zone, Nigeria

Abstract

The demograhic characteristcs of the respondents shown that 60 years old respondents shown better intrest in the identification and collection of medicinal plants to treat various ailments. 59.76% of the respondents were illeterates but the  vast experiences and the believe they have developed because of the effectiveness  of the medicinal plants made the use to be preffered in the study area. The study showed the identification and collection of 50 botanicals belonging to 29 families. The respondents were quiet familiar with the various diseases symptoms whereby 15 diseases such as malaria, typhoid fever, pains of divers kinds, hypertention, diabetics, dysentry, microbial diseases and several others were identified. 16 botanicals were found use as singly or an individual while 44 other botanicals belonging to 13 families were found used as a combination of two or more plants in a single herbal preparation. The  mode of preparation were mostly orally while the methods of preparation was mainly by infusion and decoction. However, the dosage and precaution were not scientifically proved.