Herbal medicine used by the community of Koneba district in Afar Regional State, Northeastern Ethiopia

Background: Pastoral communities of the Afar people in northeastern Ethiopia use medicinal plants for various health problems. However, very limited scientific documents are found addressing ethnomedicinal knowledge of the community. Objective: This study aimed at documenting herbal medicine and the associated knowledge from Koneba district of Afar Regional State, Ethiopia. Methods: Purposive sampling method was used to select study sites and key informants. General informants were selected through simple random sampling methods. Semi-structured interviews and guided field walk were used to collect data while Informant Consensus Factor (ICF), Fidelity Level (FL) and Preference Ranking were used to analyze and verify data. Results: A total of 67 medicinal plant species used to treat humans and livestock ailments were recorded and collected. Thirteen medicinal plant species were mentioned as effective medicine against snake bite (ICF; 0.68) while nine species used to treat malaria, common cold and fever (ICF: 0.67). Cyphostemma adenocaule (Steud. ex A.Rich.) Desc. ex Wild & R.B.Drumm. was the most preferred species used to combat snakebite, which was prevalent in the area. Conclusion: Snake bite, malaria, common cold and fever are common health problems in the study area. Efficient use of herbal medicine has minimized the impact of these diseases.

Automated summary

This study documented 67 medicinal plant species used by the Afar people in Ethiopia, with 13 species effective against snake bites and 9 species for treating malaria, common cold, and fever. Efficient use of herbal medicine has minimized the impact of these diseases in the area.