Ethnobotanical Study of Medicinal Plants Used by Indigenous People in Ticho District, Arsi Zone, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia

A cross-sectional study was conducted from December ۲۰۲۲ to February ۲۰۲۳ in Ticho District, Arsi Zone, Ethiopia. An ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants was conducted to document and investigate medicinal plants used to treat human and livestock ailments before people’s knowledge of traditional medicinal plant use vanishes. Ethnobotanical data was collected using semi-structured interviews, field observation, group discussion, guided field work, and market surveys. In this study, ۸۲ informants participated in collecting ethnobotanical. Descriptive statistics and other ethnobotanical indices such as preference ranking, informant consensus, and direct matrix ranking were employed to quantify and analyze the collected data. The study revealed that ۷۸ medicinal plant species belonging to ۷۷ genera and ۴۷ families were identified to treat human and livestock ailments. The highest number of medicinal plant species has contributed by Family Fabaceae ۷ (۹%). Most of these plants, ۶۴ (۸۱%) were used to treat human ailments followed by ۱۲(۱۵.۲%) were used to treat livestock ailments alone. Most medicinal plants of species ۴۸ (۶۱.۵%) were collected from the wild. Herbs constituted the largest growth form ۲۸ species (۳۵.۹%) followed by shrubs ۲۵ species (۳۲%). The leaf was the most commonly used plant part, accounting for ۳۸ (۴۸.۶%), followed by root ۱۴ (۱۷.۹۵%), and bark. Oral administration was the more common route (۶۱.۵%), followed by the topical route (۳۲%). The analysis of direct matrix ranking showed that Ficus sycomorus and Podocarpus falcatus are the most widely used multi-purpose plant species by the local community. It is possible to conclude that plants are still valued for their medicinal uses in the Ticho district, and the local community has rich indigenous knowledge of herbal medicinal plant uses. However, the availability of medicinal plants is at risk due to various activities such as agricultural expansion, construction use, firewood production, and charcoal production.  Therefore, the concerned body should apply in-situ and ex-situ conservation strategies for the sustainable use of herbal resources and to prevent species from extinction.

کلیدواژه ها:

Ethnobotany ، Human and Livestock ailments ، indigenous knowledge ، Preference Ranking ، Tradition-al medicine