ABSTRACT
Medicinal plants are an important element of Ethiopian traditional medicine. This questionnaire survey examined the extent and type of medicinal plants used in self-care by rural Ethiopian community. Six hundred mothers were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire. The prevalence of the use of herbal drugs in self-care was found to be 12.5%. Twenty-five plant species belonging to 21 families were reported, each with local names, methods of preparation and parts used. This study showed that self-care using medicinal plants is a major part of health care options in Butajira community.
Subject(s)
Medicine, Traditional , Phytotherapy , Plants, Medicinal , Self Medication/statistics & numerical data , Adolescent , Adult , Child , Drug Utilization , Ethiopia , Female , Humans , Infant , Infant, Newborn , Male , Middle Aged , Plant Preparations/chemistry , Plant Preparations/therapeutic use , Plant Structures/chemistry , Rural Population , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To study the utilization patterns of herbal drug use in urban Ethiopia. METHODS: A cross-sectional community-based survey was conducted in Addis Ababa, capital city of Ethiopia, using a pretested semi-structured questionnaire. The questionnaire was administered to 600 heads of households, largely mothers, selected using a multi-stage systematic random sampling technique, where the final sampling units were households. RESULTS: The prevalence of herbal drugs use was found to be 37%. The main reasons given for choosing herbal medicine as the first line medication option were: dissatisfaction with the services of modern health institutions due to their time consuming nature, cost considerations and perceived efficacy. CONCLUSION: This study showed that in spite of the geographic accessibility of modern health institutions in urban areas, the use of traditional medicine, particularly herbal drugs, remains a major form of health care option. Hence health planners should give appropriate consideration to this sector.
Subject(s)
Plant Preparations/therapeutic use , Adolescent , Adult , Child , Child, Preschool , Cross-Sectional Studies , Drug Utilization , Ethiopia , Female , Humans , Infant , Infant, Newborn , Male , Middle Aged , Self Medication , Socioeconomic FactorsABSTRACT
Key informant interviews of herbalists were conducted to document the traditional management of malaria in Ethiopia. The perceptions of the cause and symptoms of malaria, the use of plants, their preparation and administration were recorded. Interviews were performed in rural Butajira and Addis Ababa (the main city). The result showed that 33 (75%) of the interviewed healers treat malaria using herbal drugs. Sixteen plants were reported to have been used of which eight were used as a single remedy and the rest as composite remedies with other plants. The ethnopharmacological data generated in this study on antimalarial plants is useful for further evaluations of the traditional claims of antimalarial plants in Ethiopia.
