Full Length Research Paper

Ethnobotanical uses of some plants of two ethnoecological regions of Cameroon

T. Jiofack^{1, 2}*, C. Fokunang², N. Guedje², V. Kemeuze¹, E. Fongnzossie³, B. A. Nkongmeneck³, P. M. Mapongmetsem⁴ and N. Tsabang⁵

¹Millennium Ecologic Museum, P. O. Box 8038 Yaounde – Cameroon.

²Department of Pharmacy and African Phytotherapeutic, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Science, University of Yaounde I, Cameroon.

³Organisation pour l’Environnement et le Développement Durable (OPED), Cameroon.

⁴ Department of Plant Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Ngaoundere, Cameroon.

⁵Medical Institute of Medicinal Plants Research, Yaounde – Cameroon.

*Corresponding author. E-mail: renbernadin1@yahoo.fr. Tel: (237) 99 32 41 85.

 Abstract

This paper presents the result of a study on the herbal drugs that are used in two ethnoecological regions of Cameroon, namely littoral and south-west and Sudano-sahelian zones. The data were collected through direct interviews with herbalists, traditional healers and customers between 2006 and 2007 and the popular medicinal plants used to cure several diseases were inventorized. An inventory of 614 plants species belonging to 84 families was prepared along with their local and Latin names. The present study also gave details about the herbal cures of different disorders, based on the information provided by local herbalists or traditional healers. In all, 68% of the plants were used in the two regions to treat more than twenty important diseases.

Keys words: Herbal drugs, medicinal plants, ethnoecological zone, Cameroon.