Ethnobotanical survey and conservation of the indigenous plants used for traditional orthopedic care practices in Bayelsa Central Senatorial District, Nigeria

Abstract

Abstract. Olatokunbo HS, Olanipekun MK, Michael OO. 2022. Ethnobotanical survey and conservation of the indigenous plants used for traditional orthopedic care practices in Bayelsa Central Senatorial District, Nigeria. Asian J Ethnobiol 5: 130-137. The practices of the trado-orthopedic system of healing in all forms among indigenous healers are extensively linked to plant resources. We investigated the plant species exploited among folks involved in traditional orthopedic care services in Bayelsa Central Senatorial District, Nigeria. The district was delineated into three Local Government Areas (LGAs). Information on the plant species used for traditional orthopedic services was fetched by an open-ended conversation with 150 respondents across 15 communities in the LGAs. The respondents are mostly women, 117 (78%), while 33 (22%) are men. The adults 60 (52.67%) years and above showed more interest in using traditional medicine than the younger ones. The young people considered traditional medicine superstitious and used by uneducated or poor people. Thirty-nine (39) plant species in thirty (30) different families were accessed as species used for bone healing in the area. Thirty-two (82%) species of the plants were found on the scale of abundance, while seven of the species (18%) accessed were rare in occurrence. The plants were used as food, timber, and medicine; the highest citations occurred in Malvaceae and Amaranthaceae families, with three species each. Different sections of the plants were exploited for treatment options ranging from bone hardening to pain reliever, fester prevention and swelling, to pushing dislocated bones back in position. Physical examinations and oral interviews are major tools among TOCPs in the diagnostic test to ascertain the level of casualty such as deformity, the inability of the limb to act, and shortened limb, among others. Also, the extraction pattern, which was either predatory or annihilative, was noted. Given the preceding, plants for sustainable use of the species were proposed. Moreover, we recommended that further research into the efficacy and safety use of the species in treating fracture and bone-related ailments are taken on.