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Assessment of traditional
medicinal plants in Endrta District, South-eastern Tigray,
Northern Ethiopia
Gidey Yirga
Biology Department, Mekelle University, P. O. Box 3072, Mekelle, Ethiopia.
E-mail:
gidey1998ec@yahoo.com.
Accepted 22 April, 2010. |
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Ethnobotanical data were collected between September and
December, 2009 on six field trips to investigate medicinal
knowledge and application of medicinal plants in Endrta
Wereda (the lowest administrative unit in Ethiopia), South-eastern Tigray, Northern Ethiopia. Semi-structured
interviews, observation and guided field walks with
informants were employed to obtain ethnobotanical data. A
total of 35 informants (24 males and 11 females) were
selected purposefully with the help of local administrators
and elderly people. A total of 27 species of medicinal
plants were collected and identified for treating 24 human
ailments. Most (62.96%) of the traditional medicinal plants
were wild and were mostly harvested for their leaves. Oral
application was the highest and most commonly used route of
application followed by dermal. Awareness creation among the
traditional healers and community at large is important in
order to preserve the indigenous medicinal plant species and
for conservation and sustainable use of medicinal plants in
the area.
Key words:
Documentation, ethnobotany, traditional medicinal plants,
Tigray.
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