Wondimu Tigist, Asfaw Zemede, Kelbessa Ensermu
Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Addis Ababa University, P.O. Box 3434, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
J Ethnopharmacol. 2007 May 30;112(1):152-61. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2007.02.014. Epub 2007 Feb 20.
A study aimed at identifying plant species used and manipulated by the community for medicine was carried out around 'Dheeraa' town, Arsi Zone, Oromia Region, Southeast Ethiopia. The data were collected through a series of fieldworks conducted from October to December 2002. Random and systematic sampling methods were employed to select the study sites as well as the informants. Ethnobotanical methods using semi-structured interviews were employed and a total of 83 species of medicinal plants were recorded. The natural environment yielded larger proportion (76 species, 92%) of the total records followed by home gardens of the area. The studied medicinal plants were those used in traditional health care of humans and livestock. However, only very few individuals of each species were found in the area and this might be attributed to the ongoing habitat modification and loss of natural vegetation. Therefore, it is important to create awareness on sustainable use of the natural vegetation. Paying special attention to the medicinal plants found in the area may help to amplify the role that these plants play in healthcare, poverty alleviation as well as environmental protection.
在埃塞俄比亚东南部奥罗米亚地区阿尔西佐区的“德埃拉”镇周边开展了一项研究，旨在确定该社区用于医疗且加以利用的植物物种。数据是通过2002年10月至12月进行的一系列实地调查收集的。采用随机和系统抽样方法来选择研究地点及 informant（信息提供者）。运用了采用半结构化访谈的民族植物学方法，共记录了83种药用植物。自然环境产生的记录占总数的比例更大（76种，92%），其次是该地区的家庭菜园。所研究的药用植物是用于人类和牲畜传统保健的植物。然而，在该地区发现的每种植物个体都非常少，这可能归因于正在进行的栖息地改变和自然植被丧失。因此，提高对自然植被可持续利用的认识很重要。特别关注该地区发现的药用植物可能有助于扩大这些植物在医疗保健、减贫以及环境保护方面所发挥的作用。
