Ethno botanical Study of Medicinal Plants in Ticho District, Arsi Zone, Oromia Reginal State

Abstract

An Ethnobotanical Study of Medicinal Plant was conducted in Ticho District, Arsi Zone, Oromia National Regional State, Ethiopia from December 2022 to February, 2023with the general objective of to document and investigate medicinal plants used to treat human and livestock ailments in the study area. A total of 82 informants (56 general and 26 key informants) were selected randomly and purposely respectively. Semi-structured interview, field observation, group discussion, guided field work and market surveys were used to collect data. Preference ranking and direct matrix ranking were used to quantify the collected data. The study revealed that a total of 78 medicinal plant species to treat human and livestock aliments. These 78 medicinal plant species belonging to 77 genera and 45 families. Out of these plants 56(71.8%) were used to treat human ailments and 16(20.5%) livestock ailments, while 6(7.7) to treat both human and livestock ailments. The majority of which 48 (61.5% species were collected from wild. Herbs constituted the largest growth form (28 species, 35.89%) followed by shrub (25 specie, 32%). The widely used plant part was leaf` accounted for 38 (48.6%), followed by root 14(17.95%), bark 8(10.25%). Oral administration was the dominant route (61.5%) followed by dermal route (32%). Febaceae was the family contributed the highest number of plant species amounting 7 followed by family Asteraceae represented by 5 species. Direct matrix ranking showedthat Olea capensis and Calparnia aureawere found the most multipurpose used plants by the local community. Currently, medicinal plants availability is at risk due to different human activities such as agricultural expansion, fuel and scarcity of rain.