Ethnopharmacological survey of plants used for the treatment of female infertility in Baham, Cameroon

Abstract

Infertility affects many women in Cameroon, with a rate of about 25%. This study aimed at collecting and documenting information on herbal remedies traditionally used for the treatment of women infertility in Baham subdivision (Western Region of Cameroon). Fieldwork was undertaken as an ethnopharmacological survey involving thirty-two traditional medicine practitioners interviewed in 8 villages of the Baham sub-division. Personal information on interviewees as well as issues related to medicinal use of plants were recorded using structured questionnaires. A literature investigation on the therapeutic or pharmacological properties of recorded medicinal plants was further undertaken. From this inventory, a total of 46 plant species belonging to 43 genera and 26 families have been registered. These plants are used in 32 recipes and prepared as maceration (43%) or decoction (40%) of only one plant (25%) or of the mixture of two (22%), three (28%), four (22%) or even seven (3%) medicinal plants. Globally, they are given orally during 30 days, at an average dosage of two glasses per day. The literature confirms the use of the majority of these plants for the treatment of the woman infertility and illnesses that are associated to it. This research shows that traditional healers of the Baham subdivision use various recipes of medicinal plants for the treatment of female infertility. The valorization of this potential could be important for the conservation of these plants and the improvement of women reproductive health.