Ethno-Veterinary Survey and Quantitative Study of Medicinal Plants with Anthelmintic Potential Used by Sheep and Goat Breeders in the Cotton Zone of Central Benin (West Africa)

Christian Cocou Dansou,Oriane Songbé,Kisito Babatoundé Arigbo,Pascal Abiodoun Olounladé,Latifou Lagnika,André Boha Aboh,Basile Saka Boni Konmy,Sylvie Mawulé Hounzangbé-Adoté

doi:10.3390/j4040040

Christian Cocou Dansou, Oriane Songbé + Show 6 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/j4040040

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Abstract

This study presents the diversity of anthelmintic plants in the cotton zone of Central Benin. The aim was to identify the medicinal anthelmintic plants used by small ruminant breeders in cotton zone of Central Benin to treat gastrointestinal parasites. Three hundred and sixty breeders were selected during individual semi-structured face-to-face interviews. Different quantitative indices of cultural importance were calculated in order to determine the level of use of plant species. Jaccard similarity index (JI) was calculated and Pearson’s correlation was determined for Use Value (UV) and Relative Frequency of Citation (RFC). In this study, a total of 99 medicinal species, of which 63 have anthelmintic potential, were listed, including Khaya senegalensis, Launaea taraxacifolia, Napoleonaea vogelii, Momordica charantia and Vernonia amygdalina, which all had UV and RFC above 20%. Each of them had a Fidelity Level above 50% and an Informant Agreement Rate (IAR) value close to one. Pearson’s correlation showed a significant correlation between RFC and UV with r = 0.94, and the studies were clearly independent (IJ < 50%). This study showed that the cotton zone of Central Benin represents 4% of the total flora of Benin, with many anthelmintic plants such as Launaea taraxacifolia and Napoleonaea vogelii that require further investigation.

Highlights

Each of the respondents was questioned by face-to-face interviews to collect data on their breeding practices and the use of medicinal plants to treat diseases, in particular gastrointestinal parasitosis in small ruminants
This study was conducted in the 12 communes of the cotton zone of Central Benin, and provided a database on the ethno-veterinary approach to medicinal plants used by the local population to treat small ruminants
No study has been carried out on medicinal plants used in the treatment of small ruminant gastrointestinal parasitosis disease in all the communes of the study area, even though this zone is the largest and is considered to be dominated by small ruminant breeding practices compared to other area [2,10]

Summary

Introduction

Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. The development of small ruminant breeding and the improvement of their zootechnical characteristics constitute a major global challenge. One of the West African countries where small ruminant farming is one of the main activities of rural populations, to satisfy their needs for meat products and money, shares these concerns. With a surface area of 114.763 km , it is a country located on the coastal strip of the Golf of Guinea between the parallels 6◦ 100 and 12◦ 250 of northern latitudes and the meridians 0◦ 450 and 3◦ 550 of eastern longitudes, and is bounded to the north by Niger, to the south by the Atlantic

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