Ethnobotany Of Medicinal Plants In Erob And Gulomahda Districts Eastern Zone Of Tigray National Region Ethiopia

This thesis reports the ethnobotanical study conducted on the medicinal plants, between Augustrn2010 and October 2012, in Erob and Gulomahda districts in Tigray Region of Ethiopia.rnEthnobotanical information on plants of local medicinal was gathered through semi-structuredrninterviews involving 382 informants representing different social groups, group discussion, fieldrnobservation, guided field walk and market survey. A total of 121 medicinal plant species,rnbelonging to 100 genera and 52 families, used to treat 75 human and 27 livestock ailments wererndocumented from both districts. In Erob, 85 plant species in 72 genera and 42 families claimedrnfor treating 58 human and 24 livestock ailments were recorded while 102 medicinal plants in 88rngenera and 48 families were documented from Gulomahda, which were claimed to treat 67rnhuman and 18 livestock ailments. The Asteraceae, Solanaceae and Lamiaceae had 11 speciesrneach. The herb category was the dominant growth form in the study area. Plant species collectedrnfrom the wild were the highest in both districts. The most frequently used plant part forrnpreparation of remedies in both districts was the leaf. The local people of the study districtsrnfrequently engage their eloquent proverbs to accentuate the importance of plant species forrnmedicinal purposes including the saying “a drug can kill, and a drug can save”, which survivedrnfor generations. Jaccard’s Coefficient of Similarity of Erob and Gulomahda for the reportedrntraditional medicinal plants was 0.55 indicating some trend of using common plants. Therninsignificant mean number of plant species used to treat human (p (0.17) > 0.05) and those forrnlivestock ailments (p (0.26) > 0.05) between the two districts showing that the local people usernsimilar plant species to cure ailments. The insignificant different of χ2 test for the relation ofrngender on conservation of traditional medicinal plants in Erob (p (0.27) > 0.05) and Gulomahdarn(p (0.23) > 0.05) showing that conservation of medicinal plants was not affected by genderrndifferences. The computed Pearson’s Correlation Coefficient for the knowledge among differentrnage levels was 0.84 for Erob and 0.77 for Gulomahda showing a stronger positive (direct) linearrnrelationship between age and knowledge in both districts and this relation was significant inrnErob (p (0.00) < 0.05) and Gulomahda (P (0.00) < 0.05). A negative linear relationship for thernknowledge among different educational leveles was 0.44 for Erob and 0.47 for Gulomahdarnindicating modern education affects the knowledge on medicinal plants and the relation wasrnsignificant in Erob (P (0.00) rn0.05) and Gulomahda (p (0.08) > 0.05) indicating that males and females were equallyrnresponsible for primary healthcare of the members of their families. The significant difference forrnmean knowledge between Saho and Tigrigna speakers in Erob (p (0.02) < 0.05) indicating thatrnthe mean knowledge of Saho speakers is significantly greater than the mean knowledge ofrnTigrigna speakers for the reported medicinal plants in this District. The significant difference forrnthe mean knowledge between Catholic and Orthodox followers in Erob (p (0.02) < 0.05)rnindicating that the mean knowledge for the reported medicinal plants by the Catholic followers)rnwas significantly greater than those of Orthodox followers in this District. There was no widelyrnobserved trade on medicinal plants in the markets studied. Threats on medicinal plant speciesrnincluded drought, fuel wood collection, construction material extraction and civil unrest whilernrehabilitation of degraded areas, replanting, homegardening and provision of alternative energyrnsources are suggested as plausible actions to protect the medicinal plant resources and thernassociated indigenous knowledge.rnKey words Ethnobotany, ethnomedicine, ethnovetrinary medicine, Erob, Gulomahda,rnTigray, Ethiopia

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