Department of Biology, College of Natural and Computational Sciences, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia.
Department of Plant Sciences, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia.
J Ethnobiol Ethnomed. 2024 Aug 10;20(1):75. doi: 10.1186/s13002-024-00712-w.
Ethiopia is recognized as one of the centers of origin for the diversity of many plant species, including medicinal plants. Throughout the country, a large proportion of the population relies on these therapeutic plant species for primary healthcare. While such traditional medicinal knowledge has been documented in some regions, there is a lack of information from the Quara district of northwestern Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aimed to document the indigenous and local knowledge of the use of medicinal plants among three ethnic groups residing in the area.
An ethnobotanical study was conducted from August 2022 to October 2023 in ten kebeles of the Quara district. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, field walks, and focus group discussions with 286 informants using snowball, purposive, and random sampling techniques. Quantitative analyses included Rahman's similarity index (RSI), informant consensus factor (ICF), and direct matrix ranking (DMR). Descriptive statistics were used to analyze basic ethnobotanical data.
A total of 128 medicinal plant species from 112 genera and 50 families were documented and used to treat 14 disease categories. There was a 28% overlap in medicinal plant knowledge among the three ethnic groups studied. Fabaceae was the most represented family with 22 species. Trees accounted for the majority of the documented plants (37.5%), and leaves were the most commonly used plant parts (23.1%). Oral administration (56.7%) of plant extracts was the primary mode of remedy preparation and use. The highest ICF value (0.93) was recorded for circulatory and blood-related disorders. The study identified nine plants and 39 therapeutic uses not previously reported in Ethiopia. The RSI showed high overlap with neighboring areas and low similarity with distant areas. Top-ranked multipurpose plants were Ziziphus spina-christi and Terminalia leiocarpa, with agricultural expansion and fuelwood collection identified as major threats.
The findings demonstrate the rich diversity of medicinal plants and associated traditional knowledge in the Quara district. The high ethnobotanical indices warrant further phytochemical and pharmacological investigations. Integrated conservation efforts are recommended to address the challenges facing these valuable plant resources.
埃塞俄比亚被公认为许多植物物种多样性的起源中心之一，包括药用植物。在该国，很大一部分人口依赖这些治疗性植物物种来进行初级保健。虽然在一些地区已经记录了这种传统的药用知识，但在埃塞俄比亚西北部的夸拉地区却缺乏相关信息。因此，本研究旨在记录居住在该地区的三个族群使用药用植物的本土和地方知识。
2022 年 8 月至 2023 年 10 月，在夸拉区的十个 kebeles 进行了一项民族植物学研究。通过半结构式访谈、实地考察和焦点小组讨论，使用雪球、有目的和随机抽样技术，从 286 名知情者那里收集了数据。定量分析包括 Rahman 的相似性指数（RSI）、信息共识因子（ICF）和直接矩阵排名（DMR）。使用描述性统计分析来分析基本的民族植物学数据。
共记录了来自 112 属 50 科的 128 种药用植物，用于治疗 14 种疾病类别。在所研究的三个族群中，药用植物知识有 28%的重叠。豆科是记录物种最多的科，有 22 种。树木占记录植物的大多数（37.5%），而叶子是最常用的植物部分（23.1%）。植物提取物的口服给药（56.7%）是主要的药物制备和使用方式。最高的 ICF 值（0.93）记录于循环和血液相关疾病。研究发现了九种以前在埃塞俄比亚没有报道过的植物和 39 种治疗用途。RSI 显示与邻近地区有很高的重叠，与遥远地区的相似性较低。排名靠前的多用途植物是 Ziziphus spina-christi 和 Terminalia leiocarpa，农业扩张和薪柴采集被确定为主要威胁。
研究结果表明，夸拉地区的药用植物和相关传统知识具有丰富的多样性。高民族植物学指数表明需要进一步进行植物化学和药理学研究。建议采取综合保护措施，以应对这些宝贵植物资源面临的挑战。
