Ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants used for the treatment of typhoid fever in Kaduna Metropolis, Nigeria

Abstract

Typhoid fever had become one of the most serious infectious diseases among the urban populace of Kaduna metropolis, Northern Nigeria due to its escalating cost of treatment via the conventional system, current economic melt-down, and drug-resistant strategy of the Salmonella spp. People, therefore, resorted back to the use of medicinal drugs that are cost-effective with no side effects. An ethnobotanical survey was conducted to identify the medicinal plants used for the treatment of typhoid fever in Kaduna metropolis to establish a check-list of the pharmacognostic activity of the most frequently used plant. Self-structured questionnaires were administered among herbalists and individuals representing the consumer population. Plant specimen were also collected along the line, identified and authenticated at the herbarium of the Department of Botany, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria. The results obtained revealed that 40 different plant species representing 29 families of plants were used in the treatment of typhoid fever in Kaduna. Among the most frequently used species include Alchornea cordifolia, Balanites aegyptiaca, Blighias apida, Datarium microcarpum, Gardenia aqualla, Grewia mollis, Lawsonia inermis, Morinda lucida, Nanclei latifolia, Ocimum gratissimum, Plumeria rubra, and Mangifera indica. It was found that the leaves and stem were the major parts used for herbal preparation and were administered orally in the form of decoction and infusion. Furthermore, need for incorporating the traditional herbalists in the management of typhoid fever by orienting them through seminars and workshops on how to formulate standard doses for the treatment strategies. Thus, medicinal herbs are effective in the treatment of typhoid fever.