ETHNOBOTANICAL STUDY OF TRADITIONAL MEDICINAL PLANTS IN DEBARK DISTRICT, NORTH GONDAR, ETHIOPIA

Abstract

Ethnobotany is the study of the relationships between plants and people with particular emphasis on traditional cultures. An Ethnobotanical study on the medicinal plant was carried out in Debark District which is found in North Gondar Zone of the Amhara National Regional State which is about 860Km away from north of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The objective of the study was to compile and document medicinally important plants in the District. The study was conducted from October to May 2017. A total of 62 informants (45 males and 17 females) between the ages of 22 and 70 were selected from ten sampled kebeles with purposive (key informants) and random sampling (general informants) techniques. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews, field observations, group discussions and market surveys. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics and detailed ethnobotanical analytical tools including preference ranking, paired comparison,direct matrix ranking, informant consensus factor (ICF) Fidelity level and Jaccard’s Coefficient of Similarity (JCS). A total of 93 plant species, wich 60 species from the wild vegetation, 27 species from home gardens and 6 from both habitat that distributed in 86 genera and 51 families were collected and identified from the study area. From these, 50 species were recorded for the treatment of human health problems, 3 species for livestock and 40 species for the treatment of both human and livestock diseases. Herbs were found the highest plant life forms. The most frequently used plant parts were leaves (33.33%) followed by roots (15.48%). The most widely used method of preparation was crushing (20%) followed by pounding and mixing (18.4 %). Oral use was the commonest (56.67. %) administration route followed by dermal use (29.63%).The most commonly used application of medicinal plant was drinking (37.57%) followed by creaming (16.76 %).Agricultural expansion, firewood collection, construction, timber, forage and charcoal were reported as major threats to plants of the study area. In order to protect medicinal plants destruction and loss of indigenous knowledge, local communities could be involved in conservation and management of plant resources and their indigenous knowledge. Keywords/phrases:Conservation,fidelity level, Indigenous knowledge,Informant consensus, traditional healers