Ethnobotanical Study on Medicinal Plant Species Uses against Human Ailments in Lay Armachiho District, Northwest Ethiopia

Abstract

Indigenous peoples have developed their knowledge of plant use and conservation strategies. But less emphasis was given to scientific studies of them. Therefore, an ethnobotanical study on traditional medicinal plants was carried out in Lay Armachiho District to document their uses and management practices. Nine study kebeles with good vegetation cover and the number of healers were purposively selected. Eighty informants, 18 key and 72 general informants were selected purposive and stratified random sampling techniques, respectively. Ethnobotanical data were collected between February and March 2020 using semi-structured interviews, group discussions, and guided field walks with informants. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistical analysis and ethnobotanical data verification methods. A total of 78 plant species distributed in 47 families were documented. Majority of the medicinal plants (47, 60.3%) were distributed in the wild habitat and shrubs were the dominant habit (28, 35.9%). About 66 human ailments have been identified that can be treated with many medicinal plants. The most commonly used plant part was leaf (41, 35.04%), and crushing (35, 31.8%) was the main preparation method. Most medicinal plants were used in fresh form (79, 71.8%) and administered orally 52(47.17%). Allium sativum, Hagenia abyssinica, and Croton macrostachyus had high informant consensus values. Ximenia americana and Croton macrostachyus were the best-scoring multipurpose species, and Zehneria scabra was with the highest fidelity level (98%) for treating febrile ailments. Agricultural expansion (29.82%) was the most important threatening factor to medicinal plants. The study area is rich in medicinal plant diversity and has a wealth of indigenous knowledge about its uses, which calls for prudent use and appropriate conservation measures.