Botanical and Ethnobotanical Studies on Medicinal Plants of the Blue Nile State, Sudan.

Abstract

The study was carried out with the aim of preserving knowledge about the local use of medicinal plants in the Blue Nile State (South-East Sudan) and provides preliminary information aimed at a more detailed investigation on the bioactive molecules. Information was gathered by performing ethnobotanical interviews by which data on the name, age and occupation of the interviewed person; the geographic locality and date of the interview; the name of the used plant; part of the plant used; the prescription background and preparation procedure were systematically collected. Plants mentioned to be used by the informants were collected, taxonomically determined. Samples of all plants species were subjected to anatomical study of the heartwood using standard methods of preparation different sections. The study revealed a total of 29 medicinal plants, which belong to 14 families and 25 genera of vascular plant species were recorded in the Blue Nile State. The detailed traditional uses of these plants are documented. Some families were represented by many species, like Fabaceae (12 species). The most frequently claimed medicinal uses were for the digestive system (89.7%), malaria and fever (24.1%) and skin diseases (17.2%) respectively. Analysis of data based on their habit showed that trees accounted highest proportion. Most of medicinal plants are collected from the wild. The remedies were administered orally or used externally according to the traditional uses and disease state. Analysis of the result on ages of informants reveals out there is a wide gap between generations and the majorities of the informants are elders. Anatomical results showed that microscopical characters are central in the identification and/or confirmation of species. The author concluded this study represents the first attempt to subject some of the forest trees from the Blue Nile State to a systematic botanical study and to investigate their ethnopharmacology. The collected data may help to avoid the loss of traditional knowledge on the use of medicinal plants detained by traditional healers, and represent the preliminary information required in view of a future phytochemical investigation on the most used plants.