Abstract

*Dinka Dugassa, Ginenus Fekadu, Chaltu Hinkosa, Habte Gebeyehu, Firomsa Bekele

ABSTRACT

Background:- Traditional uses of ethno pharmacological plant or medical plants descended from one generation to the next generation in our country Ethiopia orally without sufficient documentation. There should be an enthusiastic initiative to identify locally available medicinal plants and list them in order to pass (hand over) to the next generation so that these plants escape extinction from urbanization, drought, deforestation and losses due different other destructions. Therefore, this study was conducted to document locally available medicinal plant used by the study area Nekemte town. Objective:-To conduct ethinomedical survey on resident of Nekemte town, East Wolleg zone, West Oromia, Ethiopia. Methods:- a cross-sectional ethnopharmacological survey of medicinal plants was conducted in Nekemte town, eastern Wollega zone, Oromia, west Ethiopia to document commonly used medicinal plants used to treat disease/ailments. The study was conducted from February to march 2014 using systemic sampling method. A semi-structured questioners were used to record the interviewee information on personal data of respondents, their traditional medicinal knowledge and on medicinal plants. The results were analyzed, compiled and documented. Result and discussion:- sixty (60) medicinal plants were collected and identified which were used for the treatment of different kinds of diseases as single species prescription. Only 9 ofthen were used as poly-herbal prescription. List of the plants together with an ethnopharmacological survey was presented. The study indicated that leaves (43.4%) are the most commonly used roots, (20.0%) followed by fruits (8.0%) as a source of medicine. Majority (62.2%) of them had a single for their use. The rest (38.3%) of the collected medicinal plants species had more than one part of the plant parts as a source of medicine. Few (29.9%) needed other ingredients either for test preference or as a portion of medicine while most (70.1%) were used without additive.