In the first century ad, dioscorides wrote a compendium of more than 500 plants that remained an authoritative reference into the 17 th century. The study showed that 325 species and 95 families of medicinal plants were recognized as being used by most of the people in nigeria for the treatment of various common diseases. Introduction increasing role of the who monographs on selected medicinal plants over the past two decades, there has been a tremendous increase in the use of herbal medicine. Medicinal plants in nigeria are plants used for making home remedies and traditional medicines or what we all know as herbal medicine. The attention of industries in tropical rain forest especially in nigeria have moved their interest in herbal medicine rather than orthodox medicine due to the economic predicament of the people in west africa, new orthodox drugs are not affordable hence more use of herbs of medicinal plants. Many of the medicinal plants, especially in nigeria have been documented 4. The growing economic importance of medicinal plants and the. Medicinal plants naturally synthesize and accumulate some secondary metabolites, like alkaloids, sterols, terpenes, flavonoids, saponins, glycosides, cyanogenics, tannins, resins. A agbelusi department of ecotourism and wildlife management, federal university of technology, akure. There is no way we will write about medicinal plants without mentioning. Herbal medicine, sometimes referred to as herbalism or botonical medicine, is the use of herbs for their therapeutic or medicinal value. Continuous usage of herbal medicine by a large proportion of the population in. There is useful information for researchers and students in various disciplines of medicine, pharmaceutical sciences, biological sciences, traditional medicine, veterinary medicine and.
Medicinal plants used for management of hypertension in nigeria. The study showed that 325 species and 95 families of medicinal plants were recognized as being used by most of the people in nigeria for. Plants provide food, clothing, shelter, and medicine. The tree is usually harvested from the forest for local use. A traditional method of preparing phytomedicines in southwestern nigeria.
Studies on most of the plants are still at the rudimentary stage but results observed from these studies are noteworthy. List and uses of medicinal plants in nigeria in 2019 legit. Nigeria is richly endowed with indigenous plants, which are used in herbal medicine to cure diseases and heal injuries. In europe, some 1500 species of medicinal and aromatic plants are widely used in albania, bulgaria, croatia. The diversity of uses of medicinal plants in nigeria.
Medicinal plants play a golden role not only as traditional medicine but also as trade. Page 103 combination, as antidotes for snake envenomation by rural populations in india and in many parts of the world3. Ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants in metropolitan kano, nigeria. Screening of medicinal plants native to kano and jigawa. The tropical rainforest of which nigeria is a part has been described by sofowora24 as a reservoir of phytomedicines. Although the paper is on africa, references are drawn around the world to buttress the growing demand for traditional medicine. Traditional medicine and the future of medicinal plants in nigeria. History of traditional remedies with plants the oral tradition.
Herbal medicines in african traditional medicine intechopen. Primitive men observed and appreciated the great diversity of plants available to them. A textbook of medicinal plants from nigeria book, 2008. Ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants used in curing some.
Surely the search of some remedy was something that occurred simultaneously in all the cultures, fruit of the desire of the man to heal, for magicalreligious reasons or because of some preparation that provided a great temporary happiness. Nigerian medicinal plants i donatus ebere okwu department of chemistry michael okpara university of agriculture, umudike p. Traditional medicine and the future of medicinal plants in nigeria emmanuel c. Medicinal plants also can be poisonous, affecting the entire spectrum of organ systems, with some plants containing several toxic principles that affect different systems. Department of pure and industrial chemistry, bayero university, kano nigeria. Use of herbal medicines in developed countries has expanded sharply in the latter. Page 6 india has one of the richest plant medical traditions in the world. The origin and history of traditional medicine in health care delivery as far as.
It is the tradition that is of remarkable contemporary relevance. Feyisola abstract the use of traditional medicine in developed as well as developing countries as basis for the treatment of many ailments has been in existence for thousands of years and there is no doubt that their importance. In this case, these plants, whole or parts, which have medicinal properties, are referred to as crude drugs of natural or biological origin. Herbs plants produce and contain a variety of chemical substances that act upon the body. While in particular plants only some parts are used. Herbalists use mainly herbs, that is, medicinal plants or. Plants synthesise hundreds of chemical compounds for functions including defence against insects, fungi, diseases, and herbivorous mammals.
The compound drugs comprised medicinal plants along with drugs of animal and plant origin. Trends and challenges of traditional medicine in africa. Awai 1, john o igoli 2 1 center for sustainable development, university of ibadan, oyo state, nigeria 2 department of chemistry, university of agriculture makurdi, benue state, nigeria. Over the past decade, herbal medicine has become a topic of global importance, making an impact on both world health and international trade. A herb is a plant or plant part valued for its medicinal, aromatic or savory qualities. Qualitative and quantitative phytochemical screening of six plants used in ethnomedicine in the niger delta region of nigeria was carried out to identify and quantify the bioactive compounds present in these highly medicinal plants. A medicinal plant is a plant that is used with the intention of maintaining health, to be administered for a specific condition, or both, whether in modern medicine or in traditional medicine. Toxic principles can be found in different parts of medicinal plants. Medicinal plants in nigeria were considered by several researchers gbile9 and iyamabo to form an important component of the natural wealth of the country. Odugbemi was awarded the highest honour of a distinguished fellow of the medical college of nigeria dfmc by the national postgraduate medical college of nigeria for his outstanding contributions to the medical profession. The food and agriculture organization estimated in 2002 that over 50,000 medicinal plants are used across the world. Wild lettuce is a widely used medicinal plant used in traditional medicine not only in nigeria but almost every part of the world where it can be found. Implication for health policypracticeresearchmedical education. This book contains very interesting writeups on medicinal plants.
History has it that medicinal herbs were found in the. Medicinal plants used in antenatal and perinatal care among the tiv people of benue state, nigeria erdoo p. The parts of the medicinal plants selected for this study were washed, air dried under shade, and pulverized to fine powder using a hand blender. The plants studied were phyllanthus amarus schum and thonn, euphorbia heterophylla linn. The importance of medicinal plants, and the contribution of phytomedicine to the wellbeing of a significant number of the worlds population. In pakistan it is estimated that a 80% of its population depend on plants to cure themselves, a 40% in china. Ajayi faith and the uses of medicinal plants taiwo ipaye and tolu odugbemi, jnr. Dacheng hao, in ranunculales medicinal plants, 2019. Traditional medicine and the future of medicinal plants in. Functional food plants of africa, prof maurice iwu, told the guardian that the body has committees in so many thematic areas.
A compiled check list of these plants including their latin names, families, parts used, medicinal uses, and name in different nigerian states is the main purpose of this study. The name of cuscuta was reported in the chinese constitution of medicinal plants that was used in the treatment of liver disease, kidney and sexual vulnerability through direct eating of plant. Fabaceae has the largest number of species 42, followed by asteraceae 22, euphorbiaceae 20, acanthaceae and apocynaceae 12. Tolu odugbemi, 2008 materia medica, vegetable 628 pages. Indigenous people have long history and expertise in the use of medicinal plants, but information on these plants and their uses is mainly passed from one generation to the other orally and even to date is poorly documented g uribfakim, 2006.
Traditional healers over the years have used plants to treat and prevent a wide range of illnesses. The connection between human and their search for drugs in nature dates from the far past, of which there are enormous evidence from different sources written documents, preserved monuments, and even original plant medicines. The growing economic importance of medicinal plants and the need for developing countries to harness from it. Pdf use of medicinal plants for the treatment of measles. While the old peoples used medicinal plants primarily as simple pharmaceutical formsinfusions, decoctions and macerationsin the middle ages, and in particular between 16th and 18th centuries, the demand for compound drugs was increasing. There are a variety of different species of plants that are native to the west african nation of nigeria, a country which is situated along the gulf of guinea.
Healing with medicinal plants is an old treatment method as old as mankind itself. Screening of medicinal plants native to kano and jigawa states of northern nigeria, using artemia cysts brine shrimp test. Antipyretic activity of some nigerian medicinal plants in rats. Qualitative and quantitative phytochemical screening of. Medicinal plantsscience tracer bulletlibrary of congress. While we define herbal medicines as the use of plants parts for medicinal purposes, other studies defined herbal medicines as finished, labeled medicinal products of plant or non plant origin. In some plants, almost every part can be used in one home remedy or another. These plants exhibit a wide range of biological and pharmacological activities such as anti cancer, antiinflammatory, diuretic, laxative, antispasmodic, antihypertensive, anti. Depending on the medicinal purpose, alstonia boonei is used in different forms. All available information about either the traditional medicinal plants or ethnobotanical surveys in nigeria was consulted.
Abstract medicinal plants have been observed to be very effective in the treatment of ailments in both rural and urban areas in developing countries. Herbal medicine use among urban residents in lagos, nigeria. Medicinal plants of nigeria and their uses ital is vital. Pdf traditional medicine and the future of medicinal plants in. International journal of herbs and pharmacological research. Indigenous knowledge, medicinal plants, nigeria, local communities and conservation. Currently, medicinal plants continue to play an important role in the management of dm, especially in developing countries, where. An enugu, nigeriabased nonprofit organization, the association for scientific, identification, conservation and utilization of medicinal plants of nigeria asicumpon, of which the writer is a member, is committed to highlighting the usefulness of medicinal plant resources and scientific assessment, preparation and application of these for. The african continent has a long history with the use of plants for medicinal purposes. Herbal medicines, extracts, interactions, practice in nigeria. In vitro antiviral activity of twentyseven medicinal.
A member of the arso committee and author of food as medicine. Malaria is a common public health problem in nigeria that. Pdf the present study represents an attempt to document information on the traditional medicinal plants that used in nigeria. Ethnomedicinal plants used by the idoma people benue state, nigeria macdonald idu, joseph o. The use of medicinal plants is an important part of nigeria s culture. The medicinal plant garden of the indiana medical history museum offers the opportunity to remember that plants were the original source of most medicines. Species were scientifically identified with the aid of the useful plants of west tropical africa6, nigerian weeds4 nigeria trees16 and medicinal plants of nigeria booklet3. The aim of the study was to assess the activity of hydromethanolic extract of these plants in bakers yeast. We have also developed standards of four plants so far in the entire continent but we are taking it one step further by now having nigeria as a country propose ten plants, which have been accepted. Twentyseven different morphological parts from 26 plants table 1, selected based on their ethnobotanical use in the treatment of infectious diseases, were collected from various locations in ibadan, southwest nigeria, identified and authenticated at forestry herbarium ibadan fhi. The medicinal plants have been used for treatment of illnesses and diseases, since the dawn of time.
Medicinal plants, also called medicinal herbs, have been discovered and used in traditional medicine practices since prehistoric times. The growing economic importance of medicinal plants and. Use of medicinal plants for the treatment of measles in nigeria. Identification and traditional uses of some common medicinal plants in ezinihitte mbaise l. Dept of biotechnology2 okere slyvester and nwoko magnus c. History and benefits of herbal medicine the guardian. The use of plants for medicinal remedies is an integral part of the african cultural life, and this is unlikely to change in the years to come. Orthodox medicine was not formally introduced into nigeria until 1860s when sacred heart hospital was established by the roman catholic missionaries in abeokuta bekalo. Identification and traditional uses of some common medicinal. The importance of medicinal plants becomes more patent at the present time in developing countries. Jul 03, 2011 this paper examines the trends and challenges of traditional medicine in africa.
Erhabor and oghale ovuakporieuvo department of plant biology and biotechnology, university of benin, pmb 1154, benin city, nigeria abstract content and purpose of study an ethno medicinal survey of plants used by the idoma people of benue state. Traditional medicine was the only source of health care in nigeria in historical times. Many of the miracle drugs of today are molecules or variations on compounds that were originally available from plant medicines. Medicinal plants have long been utilized in traditional medicine and worldwide ethnomedicine. Antipyretic activity of some nigerian medicinal plants in. Traditionalherbal medicine, traditional medical practitioners, medicinal plants. Nigerian medicinal plants aspilia africana, bryophyllum pinnatum, garcinia kola, spondias mombim and uvaria chamea are used in herbal medicine to cure. Plants and their secondary metabolite constituents have a long history of use in modern western medicine and in certain systems of traditional medicine, and are the sources of important drugs such as atropine, codeine, digoxin, morphine, quinine and vincristine. This information will be beneficial in public health, research and. Ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants used in the. Plants continue to be a major source of medicines, as they have been throughout human history. Aug 01, 2019 nigeria s varied plant species are used in construction, food, medicine, and decoration. These parts include the leaves, stem, fruits, seeds, flower and roots.
Significance of medicinal plants in human life sciencedirect. Department of biological sciences, ahmadu bello university zaria, kaduna state, nigeria. This paper aims at highlighting the importance of adopting proactive measure through education and local communities participation in order to conserve the medicinal plant wealth in nigeria. A textbook of medicinal plants from nigeria tolu odugbemi on. Throughout northern nigeria and elsewhere, it is known in hausa as sanya or uwar magunguna the latter meaning the mother of all medicines.
The present study points out the fact that, medicinal plants have continued to play vital roles in the nigerian healthcare sector, although traditional. Ethnomedicinal plants used by the idoma people benue. Medicinal plants used in antenatal and perinatal care. Some medicinal plants, such as the opium poppy, have long been recognized and widely used, while others, such as the pacific yew, the original source for the cancer drug, taxol, are relatively new arrivals to mainstream medicine. Herbal medicine involves the use of different parts of the plant. This chapter presents a glimpse of the current status of and future trends in medicinal plant. Journal of medicinal plants studies medicine cam in both rural and urban areas across nigeria has increased, but there is a great concern for its safety, efficacy as well as control and this poses a great challenge for health authorities and the general public. To my delight and i am sure of anyone who picks up. The impact of colonialism on african traditional medicine is also examined. History showed that medicinal plants have been used in traditional healing around the world for a long time to treat diabetes. The use of medicinal plants as a fundamental component of the african traditional healthcare system is perhaps the oldest and the most assorted of all therapeutic systems. Nobody knows exactly where medicinal plants were used for the first time. The information provided here is from the research paper traditional medicine and the future of medicinal plants in nigeria by emmanuel c. Medicinal plants are densely distributed in the tropical rainforest zones of the world of which nigeria fall into.
An illustrated, scientific and medicinal approach appears to be a medical compendium of plants intended as a guide and reference resource for professionals in the field. Mar 19, 2019 the importance of medicinal plants becomes more patent at the present time in developing countries. Moringa plant moringa oleifera moringa is a popular flowering tree. Uguru1 1department of pharmacology, university of jos, jos, nigeria 2department of clinical pharmacy and pharmacy administration, university of jos, jos, nigeria. Available evidence does show that many pharmaceutical classes of drugs include a natural product prototype gilani et al. Qualitative and quantitative phytochemical screening of some. In africa, the healers are variously addressed as babalawo, adahunse or oniseegun among the yoruba speaking people of nigeria. It is majorly used to treat malaria, to reduce fever, and skin problems. A compiled check list of these plants including their latin names. Total alkaloids, tannin content, and antiulcer assay of. Plant parts used were airdried, pulverized and extracted by maceration in.
As most toxic substances are volacharring medicinal plants. Medicinal plants have been used since ancient times for the treatment and management of diabetic mellitus dm in traditional medicine systems of many cultures throughout the world 1,2. This is a typical tropical country with rare vegetations the site provides for unique photographs and database of medicinal plants found in nigeria. Nigeria is a country stepped in the use of and belief in traditional medicines in which plants play a major role. Clearly, medicinal plants for treatment of malaria, diabetes, tetanus, and pneumonia were recognized by over 40% of the local community members, while plants treating arteriosclerosis, meningitis. This paper provides a brief snapshot or overview to several indigenous medicinal nigeria plants. The contributions of african traditional medicine to nigerias health.
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