Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Botany Department, Nairobi, Kenya.
J Ethnobiol Ethnomed. 2010 Aug 16;6:22. doi: 10.1186/1746-4269-6-22.
Mwingi District lies within the Kenyan Arid and Semiarid lands (ASALs) in Eastern Province. Although some ethnobotanical surveys have been undertaken in some arid and semiarid areas of Kenya, limited studies have documented priority medicinal plants as well as local people's awareness of conservation needs of these plants. This study sought to establish the priority traditional medicinal plants used for human, livestock healthcare, and those used for protecting stored grains against pest infestation in Mwingi district. Further, the status of knowledge among the local people on the threat and conservation status of important medicinal species was documented. This study identified 18 species which were regarded as priority traditional medicinal plants for human health. In terms of priority, 8 were classified as moderate, 6 high, while 4 were ranked highest priority species. These four species are Albizia amara (Roxb.) Boiv. (Mimosacaeae), Aloe secundiflora (Engl. (Aloaceae), Acalypha fruticosa Forssk. (Euphorbiaceae) and Salvadora persica L. (Salvadoraceae). In regard to medicinal plants used for ethnoveterinary purposes, eleven species were identified while seven species were reported as being important for obtaining natural products or concoctions used for stored grain preservation especially against weevils. The data obtained revealed that there were new records of priority medicinal plants which had not been documented as priority species in the past. Results on conservation status of these plants showed that more than 80% of the respondents were unaware that wild medicinal plants were declining, and, consequently, few of them have any domesticated species. Some of the species that have been conserved on farm or deliberately allowed to persist when wild habitats are converted into agricultural lands include: Croton megalocarpus Hutch., Aloe secundiflora, Azadirachta indica A. Juss., Warburgia ugandensis Sprague, Ricinus communis L. and Terminalia brownie Fresen. A small proportion of the respondents however, were aware of the threats facing medicnal plants. Some of the plants reported as declining include, Solanum renschii Vatke (Solanaceae), Populus ilicifolia (Engl.) Rouleau (Salicaceae), Strychnos henningsii Gilg (Loganiaceae) and Rumex usambarensis (Dammer) Dammer (Polygonaceae). Considering the low level of understanding of conservation concerns for these species, there is need therefore, to build capacity among the local communities in this area particularly in regard to sustainable use of natural resources, conservation methods as well as domestication processes.
姆温吉区位于肯尼亚东部的干旱和半干旱土地（ASALs）内。尽管在肯尼亚的一些干旱和半干旱地区进行了一些民族植物学调查，但有限的研究记录了优先药用植物以及当地人民对这些植物保护需求的认识。本研究旨在确定用于人类、牲畜保健的优先传统药用植物，以及用于保护储存谷物免受虫害侵害的药用植物。此外，还记录了当地人民对重要药用物种面临的威胁和保护状况的知识状况。本研究确定了 18 种被认为是人类健康的优先传统药用植物。就优先级而言，8 种被归类为中度，6 种为高度，4 种为最高优先级物种。这四个物种是 Albizia amara（Roxb.）Boiv.（含羞草科）、Aloe secundiflora（Engl.）（百合科）、Acalypha fruticosa Forssk.（大戟科）和 Salvadora persica L.（豆科）。关于用于民族兽医用途的药用植物，确定了 11 种，而报告了 7 种作为获得天然产品或混合物的重要物种，这些混合物用于储存谷物的保存，特别是用于防治象鼻虫。获得的数据显示，有一些新的优先药用植物记录，这些植物过去没有被记录为优先物种。这些植物的保护状况表明，超过 80%的受访者不知道野生药用植物正在减少，因此，他们中很少有人有任何驯化的物种。一些在农场中保存的物种，或者在野生栖息地转化为农业用地时故意允许其继续存在的物种包括：Croton megalocarpus Hutch.、Aloe secundiflora、Azadirachta indica A. Juss.、Warburgia ugandensis Sprague、Ricinus communis L.和 Terminalia brownie Fresen. 然而，一小部分受访者意识到药用植物面临的威胁。一些报告称正在减少的植物包括 Solanum renschii Vatke（茄科）、Populus ilicifolia（Engl.）Rouleau（杨柳科）、Strychnos henningsii Gilg（马钱科）和 Rumex usambarensis（Dammer）Dammer（Polygonaceae）。考虑到对这些物种保护问题的理解程度较低，因此需要在该地区的当地社区中建立能力，特别是在可持续利用自然资源、保护方法以及驯化过程方面。
