Valorization of the Endogenous Knowledge of Plants Used in the Treatment of Female Infertility in the District of Abomey-Calavi in Benin

Abstract

The child is the foundation for the consolidation of a couple's home in the world. Thus, the absence of the fruit of the union (child) in the couple is subject to criticism and is a source of problems between the spouses. The first cause cited is female infertility. This study aims at solving the problems of female infertility through the knowledge and valorization of plants used for its treatment. The methodology used consisted of an ethnobotanical survey based on a pre-established questionnaire and complemented by individual semi-structured interviews with the target group. A total of 96 people were interviewed. Correspondence Factorial Analysis (CFA) using R software was used to establish the relationships between ethnic groups and their knowledge of female infertility. The calculation of ethnobotanical indices allowed the diversity and importance of plants to be assessed. The study population has specific knowledge about the symptoms of the causes of a woman's infertility. A diversity of 61 plant species belonging to 35 botanical families was identified. The most represented families are: Anonnaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Leguminoseae-Mimosoideae and Rubiaceae. Also, the plants: Xylopia aethiopica, Monodora myristica, Syzygium aromaticum, Allium cepa and Hybanthus enneaspermus are frequently used in recipes for the treatment of female infertility symptoms. This work constitutes a database for other studies on pharmacology, toxicology of useful plants and their valorisation.