3. MEDICINAL PLANTS

3.1 Medicinal plant resources of Ethiopia

The Ethiopian region is characterized by a wide range of ecological, edaphic, and climatic conditions that account for the wide diversity of its biological resources, both in terms of flora and faunal wealth. The plant genetic resources of the country exhibit an enormous diversity as seen in the fact that Ethiopia is one of the twelve Vavilov centres of origin for domesticated crops and their wild and weedy relatives. According to recent studies, it is estimated that there are more than 7000 species of flowering plants recorded in Ethiopia, of which 12 percent or more are probably endemic.

Medicinal plants comprise one of the important components of the vegetation. On record there are 600 species of medicinal plants constituting a little over 10 percent of Ethiopia's vascular flora. They are distributed all over the country, with greater concentration in the south and south-western part of the country. The woodlands of Ethiopia are the source of most of the medicinal plants, followed by the montane grassland/dry montane forest complex of the plateau. Other important vegetation types for medicinal plants are the evergreen bushland and rocky areas.

Over 85 percent of the rural population, plus an increasing number of the poor in urban centres, and animal husbandry employ many of the available plants, as well as products from wild animals and minerals as their primary source of healthcare in the fight against various physical and mental health problems. The value and role of these traditional healthcare systems will not diminish in the future because they are both culturally viable and expected to remain affordable while the modern healthcare service is both limited and expensive.

Ethiopia has a long history of traditional healthcare based largely on rich, though unstandardized, pharmacopoeia drawn mostly from plants used both by women in the home in self-administration and traditional health practitioners (THPs). The efficacy of a few of these plants (Hagenia abyssinica) and Glinus lotoides from the treatment of tapeworm, and Phytolacca dodecandra as a molluscicide in the control of schistosomiasis) has been scientifically determined, but the safety and efficacy of many others in the treatment of various diseases remains underdeveloped.

However, many of these plant species used in traditional systems by women and THPs are becoming rare and limited in distribution; they are threatened by several factors, both man-made and natural. Environmental degradation, agricultural expansion, loss of forest and woodlands, over-harvesting, fire, and urbanization appear to be the principal threats to the medicinal plants of the country. The danger certainly poses a significant threat to the future well being of the population which has, for generations, relied on these resources to combat the ailments of both human beings and domestic animals.

3.2 Utilization and marketing of medicinal plants and products

Collection of medicinal plants in the wild has been going on for ages in Ethiopia. Forests are still the primary source of these plants. A small part of the collected plants are used in the treatment of diseases, most of them are sold as crude herbs and mostly for domestic consumption. Trading of crude herbs goes through three channels, namely: collectors, vendors and practitioners.

Organized and documented information on use and marketing of medicinal plants in Ethiopia is fragmentary. Even though there is some literature in traditional medicine, it does not include any economic value of plant medicine that generates income for people who practice it for their livelihood.

The marketing and selling of traditional medicine forms part of the general market scene in the country. Known individuals in rural settlements, herbalist clinics, village markets, towns, etc., are major retail outlets where people buy their plant medicines.

In Ethiopia, the traditional health practitioners are categorized into herbalists, bonesetters, traditional birth attendants, spiritual healers, diviners and magicians. Though herbalists are considered to be the biggest group that use medicinal plants, all of the practitioners in one way or another use plant and plant products in their practice. Leaf of Cloisonne amisata, Lippia adoensis and Ficus sur are used by birth attendants to wash the body of pregnant women after delivery. Tables 9 and 10 below show the most common medicinal plants found in practitioners clinics and sold by vendors in the markets of rural Ethiopia.

Table 10. Medicinal plants obtained from practitioners clinics

Scientific name	Medicine used for	Part used	Price per treatment (Eth Birr)
Calendula officinal	haemorroide	leaf	150
Eucalyptus globules	skeletal musculo problem	leaf oil	250
Matricaria chamomile	headache	leaf	150
Rosmarinus officinal	nerve manipulation when partially paralyse	whole plant	300
Datura stromnium	chronic cough, asthma	seed	150
Taraxacum official, Lactuca spp., Marubium vulgaris, Cynara scolymus	hepatitis	leaf	250
Verbascum	haemorroide, eye disease	leaf, flower	250
Coriandrums sativum, Taraxacum official	hepatitis	fruit, leaf	250
Ricinus communis, Solanum giganteum	skin disease	leaf, seed and fruit	100
Marubium vulgares	chronic cough, cold	leaf, bark	150

Source: Desalegne Desissa, 1997

Table 11. Most common medicinal plants sold by vendors in the markets

Scientific name	Unit of measure	Price (Eth. Birr)
Hagenia abyssinica	kg	30
Embelia schimperi	cupful	5
Ximenia americana	cupful	10
Croton macrostachys	soup spoon	15
Euphorbia ampliphylla	tablet	50
Tamarindus indica	kg	30
Corindrium sativum	kg	10
Lupinus albus	soup spoon	15
Ricinus communis,	kg	15
Rumex abyssinicus	soup spoon	5
Rumex nervosus	soup spoon	30
Adathoda schimperiana	soup spoon	50
Asparagus africana	tea spoon	25
Bersama abyssinica	soup spoon	50
Kalenchoe petitiana	soup spoon	10
Olea africana	soup spoon	80
Doviyalis abssinica	soup spoon	5

Source: Dessalegne Dessisa, 1997.

3.3 Status of the medicinal plants

An estimate of the threat to medicinal plants can be made from the type of plant and the part used. Harvesting the root of a tree poses more of a threat than collecting the fruits and seeds, and this can be more threatening than using the leaves. The plants used, as recorded in Jensen's list, have often been confirmed from notes on specimen labels. The proportion of the plants in the list is as follows:

Part Used	Percentage
Ash	1
Bark	6
Bulb/tuber	1.7
Flower	2.5
Fruit	13
Gum/resin	2
Herb/stem	26
Leaf	43
Root	25
Sap	10
Seed	13
Smoke	2.5
Wood	0.5

It is interesting to note that a high proportion of plants are used for their leaves. This indicates that many of the medicinal plants are being used in a sustainable way. However, it has also shown that about a quarter of the plants used are harvested for their roots, tubers or bulbs. These species need special attention to determine their status and what measures should or could be taken to have them conserved.