Abstract
A total of 128 medicinal plant species belonging to 71 genera and 46 families were identified and used to treat 42 human ailments. Euphorbiaceae was the leading family with 14 species, followed by Rubiaceae and Leg-Caesalpiniaceae with 12 and 8 species, respectively. Seven species (Coffea stenophylla, Garcinia afzelii, Mitragyna stipulosa, Irvingia gabonensis, Milicia regia, Nauclea diderrichii and Nesogordonia papaverifera) are of conservation concern. Herbs are the highest followed by shrubs, trees, climbers and epiphytes. Leaves are the most used parts, followed by roots, fruits, stems, flowers, nuts, tubers and seeds. The highest calculated Relative Frequency of Citations Index (RFC) was for Musa sapientum, followed by Zingiber officinale, Anisophyllea laurina, Cola nitida, Nauclea latifolia, Tetracera potatoria Allophylus africanus, Cassia sieberiana and Termitomyces microcarpus. The highest Use Value index (UV) was calculated for Cola nitida (1.9) followed by Nauclea latifolia (1.56), Zingiber officinale (1.55) Ficus exasperata and Tetracera potatoria (1.44) respectively. Medicinal plants knowledge is strongly associated with the elderly in secret societies which are structured along gender lines. Plant use for medicinal reason actually addresses a significant part of the way of life and customs of the people living in this area and other rural locations in Sierra Leone. Key word: Medicinal plants, ethnobotany, indigenous technical knowledge, Sierra Leone forests.
Highlights
Traditional medicine in Africa relies very heavily on plants the continued use of which depends on connected cultural and economic factors (Birhan et al, 2011; Diaz et al, 2013)
Lebbie and Guries (1995) made similar observations about the Kpaa Mende tribe in the Moyamba District of Sierra Leone where they found ethnobotanical information about medicinal plants frequently dwelling with specific individuals or families, often women
The current investigation demonstrates that traditional medicinal plants still form a fundamental part of health care in remote rural locations in Sierra Leone
Summary
Traditional medicine in Africa relies very heavily on plants the continued use of which depends on connected cultural and economic factors (Birhan et al, 2011; Diaz et al, 2013). The world health organisation (WHO) has urged African member states to advance and coordinate traditional medical practices in their health system (WHO, 2008). In many places medicinal plants are the most accessible health resource accessible to the community. They are regularly the favored choice for the patients (Opara and Osayi 2016; Stangeland et al, 2011).
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