Ethnoveterinary Survey on Medicinal Plants in Aleta-Chuko District of Sidama Reginal State, Ethiopia

Introduction

Domestic animal, production remains crucial and represents a major asset, in developing African countries like Ethiopia, among resource-poor smallholder farmers as sources of food traction, manure, raw materials, investment, cash income, se-curity, social and cultural identity [1]. However, the economic benefits of livestock populations remain lower due to prevailing livestock diseases which are among the principal bottle necks of livestock performance and cause of high economic losses of the resource poor farmers [2]. Disease is major constraint to livestock production and development tin rural and peril-urban communities where most of the Ethiopian livestock population is found. Most of these communities live in marginal areas af¬fected with endemic pathogens, vectors and diseases[3]. These situations have forced the majority of livestock owners in Ethi¬opia to rely chiefly on traditional animal health practice of their livestock [4]. In such circumstances ethno veterinary medicines like medicinal plants, surgery techniques and others provide readily available low-cost alternatives to the poor society of de¬veloping nations [5]. And in fact, most of the medicinal plants used in ethno veterinary medicines are derived from plants [6]. In Ethiopia, still Plants have been used for medicinal purpos¬es due to poor availability of modern health care facilities and poverty of indigenous people and sometimes the only sources of therapeutics for human and livestock population[7]. Despite their crucial role in treating and control livestock diseases and health of human population, large part of the knowledge of eth¬no-medicinal plants is on the verge of irreversible loss and de¬clining to deterioration due to oral passage of herbal heritage from generation to generation verbally rather than in writings[8]. And in most developing countries, including Ethiopian it has not yet been well documented and much effort is needed in research and integration activities [9, 10]

Ethno-veterinary medicine is in danger that this knowledge will soon be lost as traditional social patterns are increasingly dis¬turbed by globalization, environmental degradation, agricultural expansion, cultivation of marginal lands and urbanization [11-13]. As a result, to preserve this indigenous knowledge there is imperative need to document, research and integration activities to preserve them in written form for next generation. There was also no scientific study conducted on ethno-veterinary medicinal plant in the current study areas. Therefore, the objective of this study was to document the indigenous knowledge of traditional healers and to identify the ethno veterinary medicinal plant spe¬cies in the study area.

Materials and Methods

Study Area

The study was conducted from April 30, 2021to August 07/2021in Aleta-Chuko district, of Sidama national Regional State, southern Ethiopia. Aleta-Chuko is bordered on the south by Dara, on the southwest by the Oromia Region, on the west by Loka Abaya, on the north by Dale, and on the east by Aleta Wando. The administrative center is Chuko town. Aleta-Chuko was separated from Aleta Wando woreda. Aleta-Chuko, in an ab¬solute location, is found within 6460'- 6720' N and 3820'-3856'E Longitude and Latitude respectively (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Map of the study area: Source Beyene et al., [14].

Study Population

The target populations for this study ware 31 voluntary tradi-tional animal healers who participate and interview purposively based on the recommendation of local authorities of the district and agro-climatic zones and availability of practice of traditional medicine ware considered to select the study kebeles.

Data Collection Methods

Purposive sampling technique ware used to select the study district and study participants based on the availability of tra-ditional healers and recommendations of local authority. The data were collected by using semi-structured interviews and pre-tested questioner for interview, observations and field guided walks[15]. The interviews were conducted in Sidama language, the widely spoken language in the study area, data on socio-demography of informant, local names of medicinal plants used in ethno veterinary practices, parts used, preparation methods, routes of administration, sources of medicinal plants and diseases treated ware collected. Before collecting the data, written permission ware obtained from the office of the district and permission ware obtained from the administrator of each selected kebele. During the sample collection, each informant ware vested two to three times to confirm the reliability of the ethno-botanical information. The responses that are not harmo¬ny with each other ware excluded. Interviews and discussions were undertake based on interview questions prepared in En¬glish and translated to local language of Sidama ‘Sidamu-Afoo’. Likert 5 scale methods ware used to assess knowledge, attitude and practice of animal healers and farmers on Ethno-veterinary medicine.

Ethical Consultation

The traditional animal healers and elders ware consulted for eth¬ical cleared orally for the survey and identification of the plants and associated traditional knowledge’s. Person privacy of the persons to be interviewed for the questionnaires ware fully pro¬tected. For the confidentiality case, the name of specific healers and animal owners name were not listed in this study.

Data Analysis

The data collected on Ethno-veterinary medicinal plant ware entered into SPSS software version 21 and summarized using descriptive statistical methods such as frequency and percent-ages. Chi-square correlation analysis was made on the associ-ation between the demographic profile factors and perception, practice and knowledge of the traditional healers. P-value less than 0.05 were considered as cut-value of statistical significance. Representative medicinal plants were identified by local name and pictures.

Results

Socio-Demographic Characteristics of Respondents

Total of, 31 well-known traditional animal healers, Males 16(51.6%) and females15 (48.5%) were interviewed in study area. Most of the traditional healers were farmers with different ranges of educational status (Table 1). The number of healers found in the study area also varies with higher number in Guure and Falahe kebele (Figure 2).

                                                      Table 1: Demographic Characteristics of Respondents

Figure 2: Location of the Traditional Farmers across the District

The entire respondent who surveys were conducted ware ani-mal healer and majority ware work son animal healing for 20-35 years (51.6%) and the rests worked for 5 to 20 years (32.3%) respectively. Survey also conducted for traditional knowledge transition pathway and majority ware adopted their knowledge from their family member especial from their fathers (Table 2). Among the challenge they face include unavailability of the plant. Still the traditional healers think that they are still can ac¬cess with cheaper cost than drugs (Table 2).

                                                        Table 2: Survey about Medicinal Plants Used In the Study Area

Medicinal Plants and Their Uses in the Study Area

The commonly used medicinal plants identified in in the study area are listed in Figure 3A. The plants were identified by local name of which Gidincho and Hengedicho is mostly used medic¬inal plants. The top lists of disease proportion treated by medici¬nal plant in study area were recorded. Accordingly, GIT problem and FMD is most treated disease in the study district (Figure 3B). The proportion of plants part used in the study area were also identified and the highly used part for the preparation of the remedies were found to be leaves (65%) followed by bark (16%) (Figure 3C).

Figure 3: Lists of Medicinal Plants, Its Parts Used, and List of Disease Commonly Treated

To further investigate the use of each medicinal plant, compiled data on parts used, disease treated, route of administration as well as period of treatment and availability of each plant were recorded (Table 3). The pictures of commonly used identified plant (Figure 4) and detail information on all the 38 identified plants were recorded (Supplementary table).

                                Supplementary Table: Overall Lists of the Plant Identified By the Survey

                        Table 3: Commonly Used Medicinal Plants and Their Corresponding Usage Mechanism

Figure 4: Pictures of Commonly Used Plants in the Study Area

Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Animal Healer The knowledge, attitude and practice of animal healer inter-viewed in this survey also showed that traditional healers often use fresh plants (93%), given orally by grinding (67.7%). Most of the medicinal plants are found in wild but their availabilities vary (Table 4) The likert's score of agreement analysis in this study showed that 70% of the respondents agree that medicinal plants are un¬der risk of extinction, cheaper (100%) and can treat the disease. Although majority of the traditional healers agree that medicinal plant should be conserved, but there is disagreement on the doc¬umentation of knowledge on traditional medicine as well as the risk of toxicity while using medicinal plants (Table 5).

                                               Table 4: Practice of Medicinal Plants Usage in the Study Area

Furthermore, the chi sure correlation analysis showed that among the demographic factors that significantly affect the knowledge and attitude of traditional healers includes gender, occupation and localities of the healers (Table 6).

                        Table 6: Correlation Analysis of Factors Associated with Knowledge of Traditional Healers