The use of TM in Kenya is widespread particularly in rural areas. They don’t allow strangers inside the forest without the elders’ consent. The study will help conserve traditional medicinal plant knowledge that is valuable for the development of modern medicine. “Communities are increasingly encroaching on forests due to climate change and to expand their agricultural land, thus putting pressure on forests and medicinal plants,” says Joseph Mungai, a technical consultant with USAID who is advising the Kenyan government on forest conservation and climate change resilience. A mother of four and grandmother of a dozen, Lentula is a Yiaku. Data were collected through interviews with seven traditional healers and 157 questionnaires for local community members. Despite her frail appearance and failing eyesight, Lentula doesn’t plan to retire from her calling as an herbalist any time soon. 1). Root for arthritis, roasted seed for conjunctivitis. Plant biogeography determines the abundance and availability of medicinal plants which in turn determine their use by local communities. Most species were used to treat health conditions in the categories gastrointestinal and respiratory system disorders. Of the documented 48 plant species, some, such as W. ugandensis, Tagetes minuta L. and A. indica were already confirmed medicinal plants that had been studied for their use in ethnoveterinary medicine [7,9,28,30,33,40]. “The encroachment by outsiders in search of herbs could put us on a collision course with the authorities and affect our livelihoods,” says Matunge Manasseh, a Yiaku elder. He also says it should be added to school curricula to keep it alive. There, find links to more plants belonging to the same family. Relevant information on medicinal plants used by the Maasai of Kenya was extracted from journals, books, M.Sc., and Ph.D. dissertations. This is due to the secretive nature of herbalists’ knowledge. “We are now becoming cautious about who we share this knowledge with and for what purposes,” he says, adding that the community must focus on protecting rare tree species that are most sought after by outside herbalists. Entada abyssinica. The forest suffered the longest spell of intrusions in recent memory this past year. With just 15 doctors per 100,000 people, “The conventional system provides for only 30 percent of the population, implying that more than two-thirds of Kenyans depend on traditional medicine for their primary health care needs,” the brief states. In fact, the Yiaku are the only indigenous group to whom the Kenyan government has given full responsibility for managing its ancestral forest. SELECTED MEDICINAL PLANTS IN MERU CENTRAL DISTRICT, KENYA Joseph Kisivo Musau, (B.Sc. However, the guards couldn’t say how many arrests they had made or when, and the provincial administration chief and Kenya Forest Service (KFS) conservator both denied having received the alleged culprits. From the electronic survey in multidisciplinary data-bases, 44 reports on medicinal plants used for manage-ment of symptoms of TB in East Africa were retrieved. The antimicrobial effects of selected medicinal plants commonly used by herbal practitioners in central province Kenya was evaluated on different bacterial strains- Staphylococcus aureus (Gram +ve cocci)-ATCC 20591, Salmonella typhi (Gram –ve rod)-ATCC 2202, Escherichia coli (Gram-ve rod)-STD. Fruit for worms , stem bark for cramps. Major local Kenyan and Tanzanian Medicinal Plants: Commiphora molmol. Medicinal plants are an important motivation for the Yiaku to conserve Mukogodo. “We are yet to kick off the process,” Atsali tells Mongabay. Erythrina senegalensis. This despite the country’s adoption, in 2016, of the Protection of Traditional Knowledge and Cultural Expression Act, which specifically mandated the establishment of the database and gave the national government powers to consult with county governments to make it happen. Moreover, there has been a steady increase in the number of scientific work that continues to validate therapeutic claims on medicinal plants made by TM practitioners in Kenya. The most frequently utilized families of plants by herbal practitioners as both biopesticides and medicinal in Meru district of Kenya were Asteraceae (10%), Euphorbiaceae (8.6%), Lamiaceae(8.6%), Fabaceae (8.6%), Caesalpiniaceae (5.7%), Rubiaceae (5.7%), Rutaceae (5.7%), Liliaceae (4.3%), Apocynaceae (2.9%), Flacourtiaceae (2.9%), Verbenaceae (2.9%). Manasseh tells Mongabay that the Yiaku community has been generous with information about medicinal plants, but that in return the recipients have ended up using it to damage the forest. However, the development and utility of TM remain low on account of the many challenges it faces. Data were obtained using semi-structured forms to record topics related to the medicinal use of specific plants and ... medicinal plant resources, destructive harvesting techniques, overexploitation, habitat loss, and Kenya National Park and other forest reserves. The rapid development of infrastructure in Sub Saharan Africa including Kenya threatens to destroy cultural lands where medicinal plants are cultivated. Traditional medicinal knowledge in Meru is in the custody of old people and the younger generation is less involved in the herbal practice. “I have been using these shrubs for medication and used their fruits and tubers as food all my life,” she says. Her concoction includes the boiled bark of several tree species, mixed with fresh goat blood and honey — an instant cure for diarrhea, she says. It is unclear how many other arrests the guards made recently. Mount Kenya University (MKU) main campus in Thika. Traditionally hunter-gatherers, the Yiaku have embraced pastoralism in recent decades. There are more than 300 plants (trees, shrubs, flowers and weeds) growing wild across the country which are integral to health and well being of the Ugandan people. By continuing you agree to the use of cookies. P O BOX 29053, 00625, Kangemi, Nairobi, Kenya. This page presents a representative sample of a very few Kenya plant species. Problems related to regulation, low appreciation and acceptance and plummeting plant resources are some of the impediments to the development of TM. Currently there only two remaining elders who can fluently speak the Yiaku language. “We have very good laws [and policies] on paper but implementing them remains a challenge.”. Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. or its licensors or contributors. 2. In addition to regular small-scale disturbances like the one Lentula observed, community members say outsiders in search of medicinal plants felled several cedar and olive trees in the last year. Traditional medicinal plants play a central role in primary health care in most African communities, including that of the Maasai. Several medicinal plants can be used to complement established Western medicine treatments in reducing the effects of heart attacks, stroke, and high blood pressure. The most used plant parts were the leaves (52.8%) and bark (19.4%). One of the unit’s main initiatives was to establish a comprehensive national database of traditional knowledge, in partnership with various Kenyan research institutions, according to Stanley Atsali, a patent examiner with the KIPI. Forest encroachment is a politically sensitive issue nationally, and especially in Laikipia county, where Mukogodo is located, and it’s common for conflicting accounts to emerge. Traditional controls on harvesting herbal medicine ensured that medicinal plants were not destroyed. Malaria was the commonest disease in Mbeere and Embu districts and could be treated with at least twenty-five medicinal plants, either singly or in combination with other medicinal plants. At the top left of each page the user should find a hierarchal menu including a link to the family classification of the plant discussed. 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This work, therefore, will look at the status of TM in Kenya in the context of the past and current challenges and will evaluate what needs to be done to ensure the sustainability and development of TM in Kenya. It is noteworthy that information on the challenges and status of traditional medicine in Kenya is not available. He has published in local and international media outlets, including the Mail and Guardian and Thomson Reuters Foundation News. plant origin (Ali 2008). Edmund Barrow, an independent community conservation and governance consultant based in Nairobi, says the traditional knowledge of indigenous communities is crucial to sustainable land and natural resource management. Root for toothache, venereal diseases. That reliance is taking a toll on the country’s forests. Kokwaro, J.O., 1994, Flowering plant families of East Africa, East African Educational Publishers, Nairobi. Like many elderly Yiaku, Lentula is a walking encyclopedia of traditional medicinal plants. It has now grown to become a metropolis with over 3 million people. The medicinal plants used by herbalists in Kenya have not been well documented, despite their widespread use. Early this year, the community’s forest guards arrested three intruding herbalists, turning them over to the council of elders for disciplinary action, which typically results in the imposition of curses. 25922, Klebsiella pneumoniae (clinical isolate) and Pseudomonas aeroginosa (Gram-ve rod)-ATCC 25852. Mpaga (Adenia Globosa) The plant is native to tropical Africa and is found in Kenya, as well as Tanzania, Ethiopia, and Somalia.The mpaga plant belongs to the passionflower family. x Medicinal Plants of East Africa To combat incursions from herbalists, the Yiaku have become more vigilant. In addition, many people around the world depend on plants to soothe their respiratory systems, with plants that act as cough suppressants, bronchodilators, and mucus-membrane balms, such as camphor, eucalyptus, and … Image: John Kamau Mount Kenya University has won an international grant for restoration of … Like other Yiaku, Lentula has made it her sacred duty to monitor the 302-square-kilometer (117-square-mile) forest and ensure it remains intact. © 2020 The Author(s). “This is the work of encroachers,” she says bitterly, then neatly sets the shrubs back to rights with the help of her walking stick. In Kenya for the resin , an oral antiseptic. Embelia schimperi. Since 2009 Kenya has enacted progressive laws and taken other steps to protect and conserve indigenous and local communities’ intellectual property rights over their traditional knowledge, skills and practices, including traditional medicines. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sciaf.2020.e00360. What pains Yiaku elders most is that some of these were highly treasured trees in a sacred shrine that serves as a water source for the community. Relevant information on medicinal plants used by the Maasai of Kenya was extracted from journals, books, M.Sc., and Ph.D. dissertations. A study of the medicinal plants used by the Marakwet Community in Kenya Wilson Kipkore1, Bernard Wanjohi2, Hillary Rono3 and Gabriel Kigen4* Abstract Background: The medicinal plants used by herbalists in Kenya have not been well documented, despite their widespread use. The main aim of this research was to document the medicinal plants used by the Maasai community in Narok County, one of the regions in Kenya whereby the practice of herbal medicine is still widespread for future research. This is problematic given that the knowledge of these plant resources is mostly an extension of people’s culture [ 8 , 9 ]. Relevant literature pertaining the ethnobotany, phytochemistry, efficacy and safety of medicinal plants utilized in management of symptoms of TB in Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan were retrieved from Scopus, Web of Science Core Collection, PubMed, Science Direct and Google Scholar [23,24,25]. sity, P.O. Ethnobotanical studies that have reported medicinal plants usage in Eastern Province have focused on Embu, Mbeere, Makueni and Machakos districts, leaving out Mwingi district which is more interior and likely to have more intact traditional knowledge. Respiratory ailments were treated with 21 herbs; Intestinal worms with 9 herbs; Pneumonia with 10 plants; Diarrhea with 23 plants; Rheumatism with 9 herbs and urinary tract infections with 11 herbs. Shadrack Kavilu is a freelance environmental journalist based in Nairobi. The Kenya Forestry authorities keep some of its plantations and its seeds. Marble Quarry (KMQ), Mile 46 and Oltepesi at Central Kajiado, Kenya. medicinal plants used in the treatment and management of ailments in Nyeri County. The medicinal plants used by herbalists in Kenya have not been well documented, despite their widespread use. FEEDBACK: Use this form to send a message to the editor of this post. Nairobi is the capital city of Kenya and is found in the Central region of Kenya. The threat of complete disappearance of the knowledge on … However, despite the widespread use of medicinal plants in Kenya, several have not been documented [4, 12]. Traditional plant knowledge and uses of medicinal wild plants were investigated among the Marakwet community in Kenya. The rest of the medicinal plants are either data deficient (DD), not evaluated (NE), or of least concern (LC), by IUCN. A lot has shaped the course of TM in Kenya from the days of old. in traditional medicinal plants coming from Central Prov-ince of Kenya was collected in two urban areas: Nairobi city and Thika town (Figure 1). They say the intrusions occur mainly during dry seasons when other communities’ habitats have been devastated by drought. The view is shared by conservationists, who note that rising human populations are raising the pressure on forests. Medicinal Plants of Kenya For centuries plants have been used in the treatment of illness. Over the past century the Yiaku have adopted the culture and language of their pastoral Maasai neighbors, and most of their old people have died without passing their immense wealth of traditional knowledge on to the next generation. For instance, We use cookies to help provide and enhance our service and tailor content and ads. None of the high-level initiatives have trickled down to the Yiaku. LAIKIPIA, Kenya — Naisimari Lentula, 80 years old, strolls carefully along a narrow footpath through the forest. Estimates show that Nairobi will become a mega- Abstract Background: The medicinal plants used by herbalists in Kenya have not been well documented, despite their widespread use. Kitelo says unscrupulous herbalists are exacerbating forest destruction and the loss of medicinal plant biodiversity in the Mau Forest Complex, home of the Ogiek indigenous group to which he belongs, as well as in other forests across the country. However, implementing them has remained a pipe dream, despite the formation of institutions dedicated to the effort. There is rich biodiversity of medicinal plants in Meru Central district where at least 70 species of both medicinal and biopesticides plants are utilized. Nor does she take lightly intrusions that interfere with Mukogodo’s forest ecosystem. They have been so successful at doing so through forest patrols, strategic placement of defensive beehives, and traditions such as the designation of sacred shrines and taboos against cutting trees, that the government plans to spread the model to other communities around the country. 1 VernacularNames of Medicinal Plants of Kenya /Tiba Asili SACCO Society Ltd, JAN, 2011. The threat of complete disappearance of the knowledge on herbal medicine from factors such as deforestation, lack of proper regulation, overexploitation and sociocultural issues warrants an urgent need to document the information. The antibacterial activity of some medicinal plants used in Meru Central District, Kenya JK Musau1*, JM Mbaria1 and DW Gakuya2 1Department of Public Health, Pharmacology and Toxicology, 2Department of Clinical Studies, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Nairobi. medicinal plants have not been well documented among local communities in Kenya. Inadequate cultivation is causing over-harvesting of wild plants, leading to … For instance, in 2009 the Kenya Industrial Property Institute (KIPI), the government agency in charge of patents and trademarks, introduced the Traditional Knowledge and Genetic Resources Unit. 2002). The Yiaku aren’t alone in facing down forest degradation for medicinal plants, and the trend has drawn the government’s attention. Medicinal plants in Uganda Uganda has had a tradition natural medicine for centuries. (VU) and Ansellia africana Lindl. “We need to bridge this gap in order to ensure the knowledge doesn’t die with the elders,” he says. Although the Mukogodo area is well served by several government and privately owned hospitals and clinics, the Yiaku tend to frown on conventional health care, instead sticking to herbal medicines they gather from the forest. Apart from the medicinal benefit, plants are also used as a source of nutrition (soup and tonics in children's milk), appetizers (Acacia nilotica), stimulants (Catha edulis) and for aroma in teas (Ocimum spp). This study sought to determine the biodiversity of medicinal plants and evaluate the effects of human activities on availability of traditional herbal medicine among the Samburu pastoral community in Kenya. strains, medicinal plants can provide the novel molecules for development of new efficacious and safe drugs [26, 27]. Traditional names of the plants by traditional healers and local community members were prepared as a checklist. Title: TRIBAL PRIME MEDICINAL PLANTS: RIFT VALLEY PROVINCE Author: user Last modified by: user Created Date: 1/4/2011 5:18:00 PM Other titles: Background and Objective: Medicinal plants are important for primary healthcare needs of both rural and urban communities in Zimbabwe and among these are exotic plants.The aim of this study was to document exotic plants used as herbal medicines in Shurugwi District in South-central Zimbabwe. MEDICINAL PLANTS OF EAST AFRICA THIRD EDITION (Not intended as a “prescription book” for use by the general public) ... 1993, Medicinal Plants of East Africa ed.2, Kenya Literature Bureau, Nairobi. However, a healthcare system struggling to cope with demand, high costs and adverse effects of conventional therapy as well as drug resistance, have all served to give a lifeline to TM in Kenya. The rapid development of infrastructure in Sub Saharan Africa including Kenya threatens to destroy cultural lands where medicinal plants are cultivated. NMK’s Ngugi said conservation of medicinal plants is a key concern in Kenya. Nursing -University of Nairobi) r— »-/ A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Pharmacology and Toxicology of University of Nairobi Department of Public Health, Pharmacology and Toxicology, “Traditional knowledge about biodiversity is inadequately protected” and used, says Barrow. So do its elephants. In certain societies (as exhibited in Southeast Asia) medicinal practices involving plants are as old as humankind (Rajan et al. A project developing medicinal products from plants found in Kakamega forest, western Kenya, has transformed the livelihoods of nearby communities over the past few years, officials of the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) have said. Biodiversity of medicinal plants and effects of human activities on availability of traditional herbal medicine have continuously received just a cursory treatment. “We harvest these herbs with a lot of caution so as not to affect the life of a tree, but these encroachers lack the technique and know-how of which specific part of a tree has these medicinal values and instead they cut the entire tree while only the bark has medicinal value.”. This is problematic given that the knowledge of these plant resources is mostly an extension of people’s culture [ … ScienceDirect ® is a registered trademark of Elsevier B.V. ScienceDirect ® is a registered trademark of Elsevier B.V. Traditional plant knowledge and uses of medicinal wild plants were investigated among the Marakwet community in Kenya. Traditional medicinal plants play a central role in primary health care in most African communities, including that of the Maasai. MATERIALS AND METHODS Data Study area and ethnographic background Nyeri County occurs in Central Kenya and it borders; Laikipia County to the North, Nyandarua to the West, Murang’a to the South, Kirinyaga to the East, and Meru to the North East (Fig. hbspt.cta.load(5981609, 'ffe07749-0055-4a95-85b3-bce123fc330c', {}); Mongabay is a U.S.-based non-profit conservation and environmental science news platform. “We are working with county governments and research institutions to fast-track this process.”. A study of the medicinal plants used by the Marakwet Community in Kenya Wilson Kipkore1, Bernard Wanjohi2, Hillary Rono3 and Gabriel Kigen4* Abstract Background: The medicinal plants used by herbalists in Kenya have not been well documented, despite their widespread use. Data were obtained using semi-structured forms to record topics related to the medicinal use of specific plants and ... medicinal plant resources, destructive harvesting techniques, overexploitation, habitat loss, and Traditional names of the plants by traditional healers and local community members were prepared as a checklist. The indigenous group lives deep inside Mukogodo Forest in central Kenya. By the same token, because traditional medicinal knowledge among the Yiaku and other indigenous peoples plays a vital role in their conservation of forests, researchers are concerned about the rate at which this knowledge is being lost. Traditional medicine in Kenya: Past and current status, challenges, and the way forward. Marble Quarry (KMQ), Mile 46 and Oltepesi at Central Kajiado, Kenya. Data were collected through interviews with seven traditional healers and 157 questionnaires for local community members. In Kenya, as in many African countries, the use of herbal medicine is on the rise, in part because conventional health care is unattainably expensive for many, or simply unavailable, especially in rural areas, according to a 2008 government brief. However, high demand for the herbs, from neighboring communities, is exposing the forest to new threats. But nearly a decade later, nothing has been done. Small populations are in Mt. (VU). The indigenous group lives deep inside Mukogodo Forest in central Kenya. “You have to know the value of each and every tree here in order to survive and sustain your family’s livelihoods,” she tells Mongabay while stripping a piece of lichen-encrusted bark from a tree to administer to her sick neighbor. The Yiaku forest guards claim to have arrested several individuals cutting down trees or taking medicinal plants in Mukogodo and to have handed them over to local authorities. The plant use and knowledge of the Sekenani Maasai is of particular interest, as their clan, the "Il-Purko", was moved from Central Kenya to this region by the British Colonial Administration in 1904. Traditional medicine (TM) is a concept that resonates well with many inhabitants in developing countries such as Kenya owing to its social, economic and cultural significance. For Lentula, inspecting the condition of the plants around her homestead is a routine she has perfected and performed every other morning for decades. “We can only access medicinal plants if we protect this forest,” Lentula says. “We are losing important medicinal tree species to commercial herbalists who are overharvesting trees that are premature,” says Peter Kitelo, a member of the Kenya Forest Indigenous Peoples Network, a Nairobi-based advocacy group. Suddenly, she stops, her eyes fixed on several aromatic shrubs with bluish flowers that are tumbled over near the path. Each image is a thumb-link for more information about that plant. If you want to post a public comment, you can do that at the bottom of the page. A total of 195 species of plants belonging to 68 families Threatened medicinal plant species recorded in this study include Warburgia ugandensis Sprague. We found evidence of 289 plant species used by the Maasai of Kenya in traditional medicine.