The Ethnoveterinary Study of Medicinal Plants Utilized in Treating Animal Diseases in Ensaro District, North Shewa Zone of Amhara Regional State in Ethiopia.

Abstract

An ethnobotanical study was conducted to document the plant-based indigenous knowledge of the people on the utilization of these medicinal plant resources in Ensaro District, North Shewa Zone, Ethiopia. A total of 100 informants were sampled from four study sites, and a variety of ethnobotanical methods were applied, including semistructured interviews, field observations, and direct matrix rankings. The vast source of traditional healing knowledge of plant species conveyed from one generation to the next by word of mouth was in a family member. Totally 47 plant species were identified from the study site. These 47 medicinal plants belong to 44 genera and 31 families. Of these, 21 species are used for the treatment of livestock ailments only, and 26 species are reported for the treatment of both human and livestock ailments. These medicinal plants are used to treat about nine types of animal ailments and eight types of animal and human ailments. Family Solanaceae, Lamiaceae, and Asteraceae were represented by the highest number of five medicinal plant species, followed by the Fabaceae with three, Rutaceae two, and the remaining family representing one species. Of the total medicinal plant species, 24 species (51%) were shrubs, 16 species (34%) were herbs, and 2 species (4%) were trees, whereas 4 species (9%) were climbers. Most of them have medicinal properties in their leaf, bark, root, stem, flower, seeds, and fruits. Medicine from these plant parts is prepared in fresh, dried, and both fresh and dried states. Data showed that retained placenta had the highest informant consensus factor (ICF) value (1.00), followed by anthrax and eye infection (0.9), diarrhea (0.896), rabies (0.888), leech infestation (0.808), and snake poisoning (0.750). The highest fidelity level (FL) values were obtained for the plants Sideroxylon oxyacanthum treating leech infestation, Inula confertiflora used to treat eye infection, and Nicotiana tabacum also for leech infestation. Therefore, further phytochemical investigations need to be conducted on the above-listed plants with the highest FL values, which may indicate their higher potential against the respective ailments. Due to high population growth, the expansion of urban areas, and the need for more farming lands, there are significant challenges in conserving ethnoveterinary medicinal plants. The existing conservation efforts undertaken by the local community are insufficient to address the loss of plant species from their natural habitats. Therefore, it is imperative to implement both in situ and ex situ conservation strategies based on the nature of medicinal plants.