ABSTRACT
Viral etiologies especially viral hepatitis B remain an area of concern sub-Saharan Africa with a variable prevalence between countries. Ethnobotanical knowledge of medicinal plants used in the treatment of viral hepatitis, in particular, viral hepatitis B, was conducted in the District of Dakar (Senegal). Forty-two participants were surveyed, which included 18 herbalists, 19 Traditional medicine practitioners (TMPs)and 5 resource persons. Fifty-one plant species were documented from forty-seven genera and thirty families. The most frequently mentioned families were; Fabaceae (11 species); Meliaceae, (4 species); Rubiaceae and Combretaceae (3 species each); Annonnacaea, Malvaceae, Rutaceae and Asteraceae (2 species each). All other families were represented by a single species. The decoction was the most common method of préparation (66.66%). Leaves and trunk bark were the plant parts of the plant most used. The most commonly used species were: Tinospora bakis (85.71%), Gardiena ternifolia (73.8%), Calotropis procera (71.42%), Carica papaya (66.66%), Citrus aurantifolia (64.28%) and Cochlospermum tinctorium (61.9%). It is concluded that the hepatoprotective properties of these plants are certainly induced by chemical compounds that will have to be identified later through phytochemical research.