Ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants used in the management of ulcers and diarrhea among the local communities of Bikonzi sub-county, Masindi district

Abstract

The present study sought to identify and document the medicinal plant species used by the local communities of Bikonzi sub-county for the management of ulcers and diarrhea. The study was conducted in Bikonzi sub-county in Masindi district. Ethnobotanical information was collected using semi-structured interviews and questionnaires. The collected raw data were entered in MS Excel for easy data management. The relative importance of a species was also evaluated. Twenty respondents were interviewed. 15 of the respondents were males. Majority were in the age group of 25-34 years (9), Catholics (7) by religion, with an O’ level education history (7), married (12) and farmers (11) by occupation. Nineteen respondents, (19) were using medicinal plants in combination to manage ulcers and diarrhea and were getting these plants mostly from gardens and bushes. Nine medicinal plants (seven herbs and two trees) belonging to eight families were reported to be used by the people of Bikonzi sub-county to manage ulcers and diarrhoea. Some of the mentioned plants include Biden pilosa L., Lantana camara L., Ipomea batatas, Carica papaya, Mangifera indica L., Aloe sp, Ocimum gratissimum L, Azadirachta indica A. Juss, and Vernonia amygdalina L. Majority of the respondents were cultivating medicinal plants in their home gardens as way of conserving medicinal plants and this was followed by those who were practicing controlled bush burning and also breeding endangered medicinal plant species. The findings of the present study are paramount as they provide a clear picture of the use of medicinal plants in combatting sicknesses such as ulcers that are being reported to be on the rise. However, there is need for experimental studies to know which particular bioactive compounds in these medicinal plants contribute to their antiulcer and antidiarrheal activities.