ABSTRACT
Background: Hemorrhoids have been reported to beset human beings since the earliest history of mankind. Utilization of herbal medicines is ever increasing as the demand for natural remedies is growing. In Ethiopia, many patients commonly use herbal medicines for hemorrhoids management despite lack of organized information at country level. This systematic review was aimed to document reports about utilization of medicinal plants for hemorrhoids management in Ethiopia. Method: A web-based systematic literature search was carried out through electronic databases like PubMed, Google Scholar, Web of Sciences, Science Direct, and websites of different organizations. All studies with complete ethnobotanical information were included in this review without regard to methodology and publication year. Results: A total of 23 articles were included in this systematic review. Majority (41.7%) of studies were reported from Oromia region followed by Amhara (33.3%) regional state. A total of 50 medicinal plants have been reported where Fabaceae and Solanaceae represent the most commonly used families. Herbs were the most (38%) commonly used medicinal plants followed by shrubs (34%) and trees (26%). Leaf (44%) and root (24%) were the first and second most commonly used plant parts, respectively. Most of the medicinal remedies (36%) were prepared by pounding the fresh part of the plant. Besides, 56.1% of the herbal preparations were administered through topical route. Conclusion and recommendations: Numerous medicinal plants from various families have been documented in this review as anti-hemorrhoidal remedies. Further studies could be anticipated in the search for new, effective, and safe plant-based medications from medicinal plants discussed in this review.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Respiratory diseases affect more than one billion people worldwide. Although medicinal animals have huge importance in primary health care, limited effort applied so far been in Ethiopia to properly identify, document, and conserve these animals and the related knowledge. This systematic review was aimed to identify the medicinal animals and document reports on the use of medicinal animals for the management of respiratory disorders. METHODS: Both published and unpublished articles on the ethnozoological use of medicinal animals were searched using electronic database (Science Direct, Pub Med, Google Scholar, Scopus, hinari, and research gate) and institutional repositories. Different keywords were used separately and in combination using Boolean operators "OR" or "AND" as well as medical subject heading [MeSH] terms. Studies that did not address respiratory disorders were excluded. Data were extracted using Microsoft excel spread sheet. RESULTS: Among 211 articles obtained from database searches, nine articles were eligible and included in the review. Thirty two medicinal animals were reported for treatment of respiratory disorders. Mammals were the most commonly (43.8%) used medicinal animals. Meat was reported as the most commonly (22.6%) used medicinal remedy. CONCLUSIONS: Most of the medicinal remedies were obtained from mammals and administered orally. As the majority of the medicinal animals were obtained from wild sources, due attention should be given to conserve them. Besides, this traditional medicinal knowledge should be integrated to modern medicine to investigate the acute and chronic toxicity profile and efficacy of these remedies to identify potential lead compounds to modern drugs.
Subject(s)
Medicine, African Traditional , Phytotherapy , Animals , Ethiopia , Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice , Mammals , Respiratory SystemABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: In Ethiopia, many ethnic communities use traditional/indigenous medicine for primary health care. However, this indigenous medicinal practice is being neglected and continued to be lost due to poor documentation as they are transferred from generation to generation through oral tradition. Therefore, this ethnozoological study aimed to assess and document the medicinal use of animals and animals' products used by traditional medicinal practitioners and indigenous people in Motta city administration and Hulet Eju Enessie Districts, East Gojjam Zone, Ethiopia. METHODS: Cross-sectional ethnozoological survey was conducted using a Semi-structured questionnaire among purposively selected respondents in Motta city administration and Hulet Eju Enessie District, East Gojjam Zone, Ethiopia from September 2020 to June 2021 GC. The ethnozoological data were analyzed using SPSS version 26 and Microsoft Excell Spreadsheet. Fidelity level, use-value, and informant consensus factor were determined. RESULTS: A total of 25 animal species were reported to be used for the treatment of different ailments by 33 informants. The majority of animals (64%) were mammals followed by birds (16%). The fidelity level ranged from 18.2 (Hyena for bad spirit) to 100% (stingless be for asthma, Tiger for rabies virus, Whisper for nightmare). CONCLUSION: This study showed the wide use of medicinal animals and their parts/products for meeting the primary healthcare needs of the community in the study area. Therefore, this ethnozoological medicinal knowledge needs to be integrated with modern medicine to use animals/animals' products as a potential source of effective drugs for different ailments.
