Ethnobotanical Study on Medicinal Plants Used by the Local Communities of Ameya District, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia

Abstract

In the present study, the diversity of medicinal plants and associated traditional medicinal knowledge of the rural community in the Ameya district in Ethiopia was assessed and documented. A survey was conducted through semistructured interviews, guided field walks, focus group discussions, and field observations. The snowball and purposeful sampling techniques were employed to select general and knowledgeable informants, respectively. Accordingly, a total of 210 respondents, 156 (74.3%) males and 54 (25.7%) females, were participated in this study. The informants were selected from seven kebeles (the lowest administrative units) following the recommendations of the local community for the availability of traditional medicinal plant use practice. Descriptive statistics, preference ranking, fidelity level, informant consensus factor, and direct matrix ranking were used to analyze and present the data. A total of 78 medicinal plants represented in 70 genera and 40 families were identified. <i>Croton macrostachyus</i> and <i>Dodonaea viscosa</i> were the most preferred species used to treat wounds, whereas <i>Cucumis ficifolius</i> and <i>Phragmanthera macrosolen</i> were the most popular species applied to treat stomachache. Leaves (38%) and roots (20%) were the most predominantly used plant parts for remedial preparation to treat 42 human ailments. The informant consensus factor (ICF) value ranged between 0.45 and 0.81, with the respiratory diseases category scoring the highest ICF value. The fidelity level (FL) value for the medicinal plants ranged from 24 to 95%. Considerable proportions (55.5%) of the medicinal plants were collected from wild habitats. Higher ICF (0.81) and FL (>90%) scores indicate the presence of rich traditional knowledge in the community. This knowledge can be used to select medicinal plants (such as <i>Croton macrostachyus</i>, <i>Cucumis ficifolius</i>, <i>Dodonaea viscosa</i>, and <i>Phragmanthera macrosolen</i>) for further pharmacological and phytochemical studies.