ETHNO-BOTANICAL STUDY OF SELECTED PLANTS USE, PREPARATION AND APPLICATION BY PEOPLE OF OJU LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF BENUE STATE, NIGERIA

A good number of medicinal and aromatic plants are used as complementary and alternative medicine in different regions of Nigeria. However, some of this valuable ethnobotanical knowledge has not been formally documented. Hence, the objective of this study was to document the ethnomedicinal plants, their preparations, and applications in managing a variety of ailments in the Oju local government area of Benue State, Nigeria. Twenty-three traditional healers (16 male and 7 female) of different ages (42–75 years) were purposively and randomly selected with the help of administrative personnel in collecting the plant species. A key informant interview guide was used to collect the data. Thirty-three plants species belonging to 26 families were collected and documented. Of the 33 species, 55% were trees, 21% shrubs, 21% herbs, and 3% climbers. Leaves were the most utilized plant part. The routes of administration are mainly internal, in which oral administration is the common one. A total of 23 different prescriptions for the individual plant and in combination were recorded for their healing properties against 20 ailments. The medicines were reputable as a remedy for the following diseases: severe stomach ache, cough and gonorrhea, cough, blood deficiency, typhoid, ear pain, high blood pressure, flariasis, eczema, and Ulcer. Informants claimed that fresh forms of the preparations were considered more powerful than dried ones to treat the ailments in humans.