Ethnomedicinal review of plants utilized by the Abagusii people of Western Kenya

Abstract

The Abagusii people of Western Kenya have rich traditional medicine practices which have remained scantly documented. The current study sort to review relevant ethnomedicinal information which was extracted from relevantbooks, journals and theses that were published before March 2021. Also, online electronic databases accessed between April 2020 to March 2021 were used. After identifying potential literature sources, an inventory of medicinal plants used by the Abagusii community was created using Excel Spreadsheet (Microsoft 365) and analyzed qualitatively. Informant Consensus Factor values were computed as a measure of homogeneity. Two hundred and fifteen plant species, mostly belonging to Asteraceae, Fabaceae, Lamiaceae, and Solanaceae families, were identified and 870 use reports were documented. Further, our findings revealed that most plants were used to treat intestinal/gastric diseases, skin infections, disorders, musculoskeletal disorders, and syndromes. Plant parts and forms used commonly were the leaves and herbs, respectively. The Abagusii people mostly prepare plant medicines as decoctions, often for drinking orally to treat diseases. It was noted that there was substantial sharing of ethnomedicinal information on various diseases among the people of Kisii and Nyamira Counties, except for anthrax, cancer, cardiovascular disorders, and evil eyes conditions, which lacked homogeneity. Our study revealed the integral role of medicinal plants in promoting health among the Abagusii community of Kenya in managing various diseases. Our study lays a framework for empirical studies towards validating medical plants of the Abagusii people managing various ailments and potential development of alternative, efficacious, affordable, accessible, and safe therapeutic remedies.