Medicinal plants used and the perception of plant endangerment by the traditional medicine practitioners of Nasarawa State, Nigeria: A pilot study

Abstract

The growing role of traditional medicine practice in the health care delivery system of most countries of the world cannot be over emphasized. Needless to say, more than 90% of the remedies used by the practitioners of traditional medicine are medicinal plant based. The growing demand for these plants for medicinal use and the subsequent unsustainable harvesting, livestock browsing and infrastructural development has led to the endangerment of some of the species. A pilot study was conducted to document the medicinal plants used by traditional medicine practitioners (TMPs) and those they perceived to be scarce or endangered in Nasarawa State, Nigeria. Sixty TMPs were interviewed orally with the use of structured questionnaire. A total number of 120 medicinal plant species were identified from the 158 specimens surveyed for treatment of various ailments. Forty eight percent of the respondents did not agree that wild collection of medicinal plants without replacement can increase extinction risk of such plants. Of the medicinal plants mentioned by the TMPs to be scarce, only 33 were identified taxonomically and 75% of them are trees, while 3% are herbs. The study reveals the urgent need for raising of awareness level of the TMPs on plant endangerment, training on good collection practice, sustainable collection, and as well as sensitization on sustainable biodiversity conservation practice.