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Article Title:
EVALUATION OF THE USES OF MEDICINAL PLANTS AMONG RURAL HOUSEHOLDS IN EJIGBO LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, OSUN STATE, NIGERIA
| Abstract: A survey of medicinal plants used in the treatment of diseases in rural households in Ejigbo Local Government Area of Osun state, Nigeria was carried out. Data were collected with the aid of pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire. Twenty villages out of thirty-three villages in the study area were randomly selected. Ten rural household heads were then randomly selected in each of the sampled village to make a total of 200 respondents. The result showed that 31 medicinal plants from 26 families are commonly used by the households to treat cough, malaria, sore, diarrhea and typhoid, among others. 30% of the respondents use medicinal plants because they are natural and 47% use medicinal plants because they are cheap. The result also showed that age group of 41-60years is the age group that mostly prefers to use medicinal plants while 75% of the uneducated prefer to use medicinal plants. This shows that the direct use of plant for curing and healing which is as old as man is still being used in many communities today. Problems faced by respondents in the use of medicinal plants in the study area include unfavourable weather condition, insect/snakebite, time wastage, high energy usage and unpleasant odour and taste. The state forestry Department will do well to encourage establishment of communal woodlots to increase the supply of fuel wood needed to prepare medicinal plants. |
| Keywords: medicinal plants, non timber forest products, rural households, osun state, Nigeria |
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