Ethnoveterinary Medicine of the Indigenous people of Odeda Local Government Area, Ogun State, Southwest Nigeria

Abstract

Livestock population growth and productivity have not kept pace with the increase in human population growth and expansion in Africa. This is due to the prevalence of diseases causing morbidity and mortality in livestock. Conventional veterinary drugs are not readily available to resource-limited rural farmers, hence the need for alternatives. Research on ethnoveterinary medicine (with herbal remedies at the core of therapy), has grown in recent years in a bid to find leads for new bioactive compounds. This study aimed at documenting and validating medicinal plant species and practices used traditionally for t area, Ogun State, Southwest Nigeria. A semi-structured questionnaire and focused group discussions were used to gather data from respondents in 26 villages. Information collected included the plant species and parts used, common/vernacular names of the plants, methods of preparation/administration and toxicity of the plant species. Data on other ethnoveterinary practices employed were also collected. An extensive literature survey was thereafter done to check the veracity of the claims. A total of 24 plant species belonging to 1 5 plant families were listed. and were the plant species with the highest relative frequency of citation. Approximately 90% of the listed plant species were found to have similar ethnoveterinary uses in some other African countries and parts of the world. Approximately 85% of the plants have been reported to be pharmacologically active in the literature surveyed. Lack of proper documentation can lead to loss of the traditional medicinal knowledge and resources threatening the sustainability of rural animal healthcare systems. The integration of ethnoveterinary medicine into orthodox medicine may produce better preventive and therapeutic effects and improve the income of the rural populace in impoverished African countries