Ethnobotanical Survey of Medicinal Plants Used for Wound Healing in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area Enugu State Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Due to numerous advantages derived from the use of plants, at least 70% of the indigenes of the Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area (LGA) depend on plants. Objectives: The present study was performed to survey medicinal plants used for wound healing by the indigenes of communities in Uzo-Uwani LGA, Nigeria. Methods: A survey was conducted from February to September 2022 to find out plants that are employed for wound healing by the indigenes. Information was gathered through oral interviews, including semi-structured questionnaires, with traditional medicine practitioners in each community, herbalists, and elderly villagers. Results: Overall, 33 plants belonging to 26 families were identified consisting of trees (51.51%), herbs (33.33%), and shrubs (15.15%), and 15.15%, 36.36%, and 48.48% were endangered, threatened, and neither threatened nor endangered, respectively. From the findings, 51.51%, 24.24%, and 24.24% were collected wild, wild plus cultivated, and cultivated, respectively. Fabaceae (21.21%) and Asteraceae (9.10%) families were the highest used species for wound healing, respectively, followed by Liliaceae (6.10%) and Rubiaceae (6.10%) families. Leaves (36.36%) were the most frequently used part, followed by the stembarks (27.27%), whole plant (12.12%), and roots (9.10%), seeds (9.10%), as well as shoot, fruits/pods, and aerial parts (3.03% each). Decoction (72.72%) and infusion (27.27%) were the prominent methods of use. Pycnanthus angolensis had the highest use value (1.04%), fidelity level (100%), informants’ consensus factor (0.66 %), and Rahman’s similarity index (RSI) (84.06%) but low citation. Conclusion: Our findings documented medicinal plants used as ethnomedicinal prescriptions for wound healing by the indigenes with the view to providing alternate drug sources.