<span style="font-size:15.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; color:black;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language: AR-SA" lang="EN-US">Ethnomedicinal survey of plants used by the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Kanuris </i>of North-eastern Nigeria</span>

Abstract

<span style="font-size:9.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;color:black" lang="EN-US">Documentation and preservation of indigenous knowledge deserve high priority if future generations are to benefit from it, especially with the current surge of emerging problems in health, agriculture and pharmaceutical industry. To this end, a study was conducted to assess and document plant species used in ethnomedicine by the indigenous <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Kanuri</i> tribe of North-eastern Nigeria. Based on interview conducted with traditional healers of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Kanuri</i> origin residing in Maiduguri, Borno state, a brief account of 29 plant species used by these people to treat various ailments is presented here. It is interesting to note that some plants can be used in treating more than one disease or ailment. The diseases and ailments whose treatments were covered by the plants identified include malaria, anemia, paralysis, impotency, diarrhea, leprosy, cough, catarrh, toothache, ulcer, hypertension, rheumatism, chest pain and general body pain. The manner in which the traditional healers make their prescriptions showed that a seventh of the prescriptions contained composite remedies. There is equally a revelation that a wide range of health problems are treated by the traditional healers using medicinal plants in various combinations and dosage forms.

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