TITLE:
Survey of Medicinal Plants Used in the Treatment of “Ailments of Utmost Native Importance” in Cross River State, Nigeria
AUTHORS:
Vincent Tawo Ebu, Regina Ado Anoh, Raphael Ayama Offiong, Pauline Ayuk Essoka
KEYWORDS:
Medicinal Plants, Ailments, Treatment, Cross River
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Forestry,
Vol.11 No.3,
July
29,
2021
ABSTRACT: Regardless
of the high value of medicinal plants to residents of Cross River State in
health maintenance especially for the treatment of “ailments of utmost native
importance”, the major constraint is the uncertainty of the availability of the
herbs and knowledge of traditional medicine still being passed by word of
mouth. For better reliance on the plant species as medicine, this research seeks to
identify and infer on the population and distribution of the species used in
their treatment and documents them. Data were collected using field work and
oral interviews. The survey team comprised of Taxonomists, survey assistants, five trado-medical herbal practitioners and the
Authors. The status and geographical
distribution of the identified medicinal plant species was appalling, 59
percent of the medicinal plant species were distributed in 3 out of 15 sampled
plots. Causal factors included over misuse of therapeutic plant species, habitats destruction and absence of proper
conservation education of the masses. Recommendations are that
Communities should set up therapeutic plants farms, enrichment planting be made
in agricultural fields and sustainable harvesting methods used.