2023/11/04 by Odol, Belimi, Kenea, Oljira, Regasa, Tena
#Gambella #Indigenous knowledge #Jor District #Malaria #medicinal plants
paper · doi:10.20372/star.v11i3.01
A study on traditional medicinal plants and practices for malaria prevention and treatment was conducted in Jor District from April to October 2021. The objective of the study was to record and document the plant species used to prevent and treat malaria and identify the traditional practices of local people for medicinal plants and major threats against traditional plants and practices that have been used for malaria prevention and treatment in the jor district. Data were collected from 89 (55.09%) female and 78 (44.9%) male respondents. The informants were selected using systematic sampling, and traditional healers were obtained by the snowball sampling method by asking friends of friends. The traditional medicinal plants documented by this study were 22 plants that prevent and treat malaria in humans. Most of the plant parts used were leaves, followed by roots, stems, and bark bulbs, respectively. The routes of administration were oral, followed by smoking the plant parts. The major plants used to prevent and treat malaria in the study were trees (40%), shrubs (31.2%), climbers, runners, and bulbs (4.5%), respectively. The dominant plants used by local people were Achekea momordica foetida (Cucurbitaceae), which was ranked first, followed by Jiiw Dodonea angustifolia (Sapindaceae) and Orotea (Cordia africana Lam (Boraginaceae), respectively. The major threats in the study area were a lack of awareness of marketability and support from the regional health office in encouraging traditional medicinal plants to link them with the modern health system. Therefore, further study to empower traditional healers and elders to change their attitude to work freely without any fear to transmit their indigenous knowledge not to lose out on exotic influence is needed to be prioritised.