ETHNOBOTANICAL STUDY OF MEDICINAL PLANTS IN MORETNAJIRU DISTRIC, NORTH SHEWA, AMHARA REGIONAL STATE ,ETHIOPIA.

Abstract

Ethnobotany is the study of interaction between people and medicinal plants.This research was done to document the medicinal plants and associated indigenous knowledge of the local people in Moretna jiru district of Amhara Region, Ethiopia.Ethnobotanical data were collected by preparing semistructured interview.Guided field work was performed.Informant consensuses factors , fidelity level, preference ranking, direct matrix ranksing and paired comparision were applied. A total of 90 medicinal plants belonging to 87 genera and 49 families were collected to treat human ailments.The majority of medicinal plants were collected from the wild habitat. Data were analyzed using basic analytical tools and descriptive statistics. The family Lamiaceae occupied the first rank with eight species followed by Fabaceae with seven species,Asteraceae with six species and Solanaceae with four species.The most frequently used plant parts were leaves (49.77%)followed by seeds (17.32%) and roots (15.02%).Freshly harvested plant parts (69.06%) were mostly used for remedy preparation compared to dried forms (29.28%).Crushing( 47.71%) and powdering (19.3%) were the most widely used methods of remedy preparation.Oral routes of administration was the most common used routes of administration which accounts 49.01%,followed by dermal routes of administration (24.5%) in the study area. Allium sativum is the most commonly used medicinal plants to treat different human ailments,which cited by 65(86.66%) informants.Informant consensus factor analysis indicates that fibril illness ranked first was treated by 11 medicinal plants.Fidelity level analysis indicates that Linum ustitatissimum ranked first and the most effective medicinal plants to treat herps zoster.Preference ranking analysis indicates that Clerodendrum myricoides ranked first to treat rabies.Paired comparison analysis also indicates that Allium sativum ranked first to treat wound.There were multi purpose and marketed medicinal plants in the study area.The principal threatening factors for medicinal plants were farm land expansion(83.3%),followed by fire wood(74.6%) and charcol production(72%).