Role of traditional medicine practitioners in the conservation of medicinal plants in Kwara State, Nigeria

Abstract

Traditional healers use plant resources in the treatment of diseases throughout the world, however, there is little or no attention to the regeneration of these important medicinal plants used by them. This study was conducted to evaluate traditional medicine practices and the role of traditional medicine practitioners in the conservation of medicinal plants in Kwara state. A Multistage sampling technique was adopted in selecting the communities while referral sampling method was used to select the respondents in the study area. A semi-structured questionnaire was administered to 90 selected respondents. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The result shows that majority (82.2 %) of the respondents are married male (84.4 %) of over 40 years (74.5 %) old with over 30 years (58.8 %) of experience. The study shows that majority 54.9 % who inherits the profession from their parents specializes as herbalist (38.4 %). Sixty-nine plant species were identified with leaf been the part mostly used while the most common method of harvesting was by cutting. The study revealed that difficulty in propagation (19.6 %), perishable nature (18.5 %) and herdsmen activities (16.3 %) are some of the challenges faced by the respondents. While selective harvesting (21.0 %), retention on farmland (19.7 %) and backyard planting (18.2 %) among others are measures put in place for conservation purpose. It is therefore recommended that government should urgently embark on establishment of medicinal plant farms in designated communities to ensure stable supply and conservation of medicinal plant in the study area.