Ethnobotanical Study of Medicinal Plants and knowledge of Traditional healers in Bedele District, Buno Bedele Zone, Southwest Ethiopia

Abstract

Plants have been shown very effective medicinal value for some ailments of human and domestic animals. Those medicinal plants and knowledge of their use provide a vital contribution to human and livestock health cure throughout the country. The major reason why medicinal plants demanded in Ethiopia are due to culturally linked traditions, the trust the communities have in the medicinal value of traditional medicine and relatively low cost in using. The purpose of the study was to assess the ethnobotanical use of medicinal plant in Bedele district, BunoBedele Zone. The area leis between 80 27’N 360 21’E and 8045’N 360 35’E of longitude and latitude with an altitude rangeof 2, 012-2,162 asl. The study includes three Gandas (Qollo-Siri, Secho and Bita-mute) which were purposively selected depending on the presence of traditional healers. From each Gandas 10 traditional healers were purposively making and the total traditional healers were thirty. The study involves traditional herbalist, local leader and selected assistant. The study was conducted from September to August 2017 and data and plant specimen collection was from April to June 2017. Varies technique were used to collect and analyse data, semi structure interview, focus and group discussion preference ranking and paired comparison was employed. voucher specimen were brought to Jimma university herbarium and identified. Total of 60 medicinal plant species belonging to 39 families and 52 genera were identified as medicinal plants from the study area. The most commonly used plant families were Fabaceae, Lamiaceae, Solonaceae, Asteraceae, Rutaceae and Euphorbiaceae. Trees and shrubs have 74.6% of medicinal plants. Leaf was most widely parts use 46% followed by root 36.6%and application in fresh and dried forms. 29 human and 16 livestock disease were recorded and treated by reported plant species. In the study area method of preparation were pounding ,crushing chewing boiling and squeezing respectively .Rout of administration oral, nasal and dermal, dosage determination were counting the life and seed, figure length for bark, root and steam. The majority medicinal plants (70%) were collected from wild. The leaves were widely used parts (45%) of medicinal plants. The major threat to medicinal plants in the study area were agricultural expansion and burning of forest. So, proper conservation measures are needed to practice sustainable use of plants.