Utilization of Indigenous Plant-Based Veterinary Medicines among Saasiggaa Oromo of South West Ethiopia: A Case Study

Abstract

This ethnographic research attempted to describe indigenous healing practices of veterinary medicinal plants with particular references to Saasiggaa Oromo of Eastern Wallaga Zone. Data were collected using key informant interviews, field observations and focus group discussions. Besides a whole of 23 informants (13 males and 10 females) between the ages of 23 and 76 were carefully chosen to gather data on indigenous veterinary medicine utilization. The key informants were purposively chosen according to reference from elders and culture and tourism officers. The rest participants were selected randomly. Data obtained from both key informants and FGDs discussants show that majority of local people in the study area favor the indigenous healing practices rather than the formal one. According to data generated from key informant's interview, the supreme commonly utilized indigenous veterinary medicines are prepared from medicinal plant species (25%). In addition, crushing, squeezing and burning are the largely utilized way of preparation in healing practices. Oral, dermal, nasal is the well-known and practice administration among the Saasigga Oromo. And they use obaasuu drinking, dibuu painting, it kudhaamuu tying on and dhiquu washing as an application of indigenous veterinary medicine. In biomedicine healing, the patient is always vulnerable to high monetary prices such as drug charges, transport cost, fees for getting treatment and food rent costs of livestock owner. However indigenous veterinary medicine has been facing challenges from modern religion and expansion of biomedicine, the welfare indigenous healing delivers for the people preferred their stability