Medicinal plants used for treatment of domestic animal diseases and their threats in Guraferda District, Bench-Sheko Zone, South West Ethiopia

Abstract

Background: In the study area, ethnoveterinary medicinal plants are frequently used to treat a variety of domestic animal diseases. However, these plants face significant threats primarily from deforestation driven by agricultural extension, material culture, and the impacts of modernization. This study seeks to identify and document the traditional uses of medicinal plants for treating domestic animals diseases in the Guraferda district, as well as to highlight the key challenges these plants are currently facing.

Methods: To gather ethnobotanical data, researchers conducted interviews with 96 informants, comprising 80 males and 16 females. Quantitative methods were employed, including the informant consensus factor (ICF), fidelity level (FL), plant part value, preference ranking, and direct matrix ranking. Furthermore, the study compared the ethnobotanical knowledge among different informant groups using various statistical analyses, such as Independent t-tests, one-way ANOVA, correlation, and regression, utilizing R software version 4.3.2.

Results: The ethnobotanical study identified a total of 31 medicinal plant species across 31 genera and 20 families in the Guraferda district. Notably, the Asteraceae and Solanaceae families each accounted for 4 species (13%), while the Euphorbiaceae family contributed 3 species (9.7%), indicating their prevalent use in the area. A significant difference (P < 0.05) was found in the number of medicinal plants reported by respondents based on various informant characteristics. The Informant Consensus Factor (ICF) was calculated to assess the consistency of the information gathered and the overall agreement regarding the treatment of various animal health disorders. The category of dermal diseases recorded the highest Informant Consensus Factor (ICF) value of 0.90. On the other hand, the musculoskeletal and nervous system category had the lowest ICF value of 0.33. Fidelity level index (FL) indicates the key informants’ most preferred plant species used for treating particular domestic animal diseases. The highest fidelity level was observed for Ehretia cymosa Thonn, which reached 100% for treating febrile illness. On the contrary, Datura stramonium L. was documented as having low FL (0.26, 26%) for managing mastitis. Medicinal plants are currently threatened by several factors, including deforestation, invasive alien species, overharvesting, material culture, and charcoal production.

Conclusions: The study found that the Gurafarda district still possesses a wealth of knowledge regarding ethnoveterinary medicine. However, residents in the area do not engage in the cultivation of medicinal plants. To secure the future availability of these vital resources, it is crucial to implement conservation measures and sustainable harvesting practices. Additionally, further research is necessary to explore the potential applications of these plants in modern medicine.

Key words: Guraferda, Ethnobotany, Domestic animal, Threats, Medicinal Plants