J Ethnopharmacol. 2003 Aug; 87(2-3): 155-61.

The use of medicinal plants in self-care in rural central Ethiopia.

Gedif T, Hahn HJ.

Institute of Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmaco Economics, School of Pharmacy, Martin-Luther University, Wolfgang-Langenbeck Street 4, Room # 107, 06120, Halle/Saale, Germany. Gedif66@yahoo.com

Medicinal plants are an important element of Ethiopian traditional medicine. This questionnaire survey examined the extent and type of medicinal plants used in self-care by rural Ethiopian community. Six hundred mothers were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire. The prevalence of the use of herbal drugs in self-care was found to be 12.5%. Twenty-five plant species belonging to 21 families were reported, each with local names, methods of preparation and parts used. This study showed that self-care using medicinal plants is a major part of health care options in Butajira community.