Ethnobotanical Survey of Plants Used for Treating Cough Associated with Respiratory Conditions in Ede South Local Government Area of Osun State, Nigeria

Ibraheem Oduola Lawal,Basirat Olabisi Rafiu,Ikeolu Idowu Olufade,Adeyemi O Aremu

doi:10.3390/plants9050647

Ibraheem Oduola Lawal, Basirat Olabisi Rafiu + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/plants9050647

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Abstract

In many developing countries, community members depend on their local flora for treating diverse ailments including those affecting the respiratory system. This is often attributed to the high cost and limited access to health care facilities. This present study focused on the documentation of plant species used against cough associated with the respiratory diseases in Ede South Local Government Area of Osun State. The survey was conducted using semi-structured interviews among 100 participants. Information obtained was analyzed using different ethno-botanical indices including relative frequency of citation (RFC) and fidelity level (FL). A total of 87 plant species from 39 families, which was mostly represented by Fabaceae, were reported in the study area. Crinum jagus was the most popular plant used against cough and approximately 32% of the plants have been reported as cough remedies for the first time. However, some of the documented plants have been reported for the treatment of cough and related respiratory diseases in several countries. In terms of the life-form, trees constituted the highest proportion of the medicinal plants (37%), while leaves (36%) were the predominant plant part prescribed for cough. Decoction was the main method of preparing the plants, which were all administered orally. Approximately 63% of the plants were exclusively sourced from the wild. The current study revealed the richness and widespread use of plant species for managing cough associated with respiratory diseases in the study area. The generated inventory contributes to the expanding database of valuable plant resources with medicinal potential in Nigeria and Africa.

Highlights

Respiratory diseases entail conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, occupational lung diseases, and pulmonary hypertension [1]
This survey was conducted at Ede South Local Government Area of Osun State, which is located in the south-western region of Nigeria (Figure 1)
Based on the methods described by Tardío and Pardo-de-Santayana [44], we evaluated the Relative frequency of citation (RFC) for plant species mentioned in the study area

Summary

Introduction

Respiratory diseases entail conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, occupational lung diseases, and pulmonary hypertension [1]. These diseases affect millions of people across diverse ages and account for significant levels of disability and mortality especially in children less than 5 years [2,3,4,5]. The occurrence and severity of respiratory diseases remain high in both developed and developing countries. It remain one of the four major contributors to mortality and morbidity, resulting in high health cost and loss in productivity in developed countries [4]. Respiratory diseases often arise as a result of air Plants 2020, 9, 647; doi:10.3390/plants9050647 www.mdpi.com/journal/plants

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