Survey of Ethno-Veterinary Medicinal Plants at Dale Sadi Districts of Oromia Regional State, Western Ethiopia

Abstract

The survey of ethno-veterinary medicinal plants was conducted from October 2016 to August 2017 at selected districts of Oromia Regional State, western Ethiopia. The aim of the study was to identify and document medicinal plants and the associated ethno-medicinal knowledge of the local community and to assess factors affecting its utilization. Purposive sampling technique was used to select the study districts based on the availability of practice of traditional medicine and on the recommendations of elders; religious leaders and local authorities Semi-structured interview; guided field observation, group discussion and market survey were used to collect the required data. Informant consensus method and group discussion were conducted for crosschecking and verification of the information. Both descriptive statistics and quantitative methods were used for data analysis. About 47 plant species belonging to 34 families were identified and documented based on the local claims of the plants, of which Euphorbiaceae, Solanaceae, families were the most dominant, accounting 4(11.76%) each, followed by Cucurbitaceae, 3(8.82%). Majority plant taxa were collected from the wild 24(51.06%) followed by both wild and gardens 10(21.27%), home gardens 8(17.02%), and herbal drugs sellers 5(10.6%). The most frequently used plant parts were reported to be the. Tree, 19 (40.42%) was the most commonly used habits of the plants by traditional healers followed equally by both herb and shrub, 14 (29.79%). The condition of preparation was in the fresh form (82.5%) and fresh/dry form (17.5%). Oral administration (57.45%) was the most common route of administration. In conclusion, the participants have a wealth of indigenous knowledge about plant medicines for treating their live stock but; agricultural expansion (25.5%) was the major threats to medicinal plants followed by deforestation (20.75%) in the study area. Therefore, documentation of the indigenous knowledge before it is lost forever and proving these valuable practices by further researches and scientific dissemination of the knowledge were recommended.

Keywords: Ethno-veterinary; Medicinal plants; Indigenous knowledge; Kelem Wollega Zone