Microscopic characterization of medicinal plants commonly used in the Hamer region, South-western Ethiopia

People in Ethiopia have used medicinal plants as a major component of their traditional medical practices for many centuries. Details of medicinal plant application and of healing qualities are transferred from generation to generation mainly by words of mouth. This preservation of knowledge is error-prone, in particular, as plant biodiversity in Ethiopia is high and occasional confusion of species is possible. The prevalence of the use of traditional medicine among the Hamer community, south-western Ethiopia, was obtained by questionnaires which were answered by key informants including eight traditional healers and 1600 household respondents supplemented by eight focus group discussions. A total of 60 medicinal plants were reported with their local names, indication(s), parts used and method of preparations. It was found that the most widely used medicinal plants are Albizia anthelmintica, Aloe otallensis, Amaranthus hybridus, Carissa spinarum, Datura metel, Lagenaria siceraria, Maytenus senegalensis, Moringa stenopetala, Salvadora persica and Solanum incanum. More than 20 medicinal plants out of the species reported to be applied medicinally were collected for detailed microscopic analysis. The pictures will help to distinguish species and to perpetuate the traditional Ethiopian plant knowledge. The development of plant monographs with microscopic pictures of commonly used medicinal plants in Ethiopia is part of the DAAD supported project “Welcome to Africa”.