An ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants used in Kilte Awulaelo District, Tigray Region of Ethiopia

Teklay, Abraha; Abera, Balcha; Giday, Mirutse

doi:10.1186/1746-4269-9-65

Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine

Table 1 Medicinal plants used to treat both human and livestock diseases

From: An ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants used in Kilte Awulaelo District, Tigray Region of Ethiopia

Scientific name	Family name	Voucher No.	Tigrigna name	Habit	Part used	¹Used for	Preparation and application
Acacia etbaica Schweinf.	Fabaceae	AT00606	Seraw	Tree	Leaf	Swelling	Crush and mix with latex of Euphorbia abyssinica and rub the paste on the affected part
					Leaf	Eye infection (livestock)	Chew and spit on to the affected eye
					Stem	Ring worm	Place it on fire and apply liquid on the affected part
					Stem	Haemorrhoids	Burn and place it on the affected part
					Leaf	Itching/ scabies	Crush and rub
					Stem	Anthrax (both)	Burn and place it on the affected part
					Leaf	Fire burn	Crushed and apply on the burn
Achyranthes aspera L.	Amaranthaceae	AT00654	Muchele	Herb	Leaf	Tonsillitis	Crush it alone or with leaves of Cucumis ficifolius and place it on shaved head of child
					Root	Eye infection (livestock)	Chew and spit the liquid onto the infected eye
					Root	Anthrax (both)	Crush it with roots of Solanum incanum and whole part of Hypoestes forskaolii, add water and drink with cup of glass
					Root	Urine retention	Tie around the sex organ
					Leaf	Eye infection	Boil with leaves of Eucalyptus globulus, Withania somnifera and Zehneria scabra in water and inhale the vapour
					Root	Snake bite	Chew and swallow the fluid
					Leaf	Wound	Crush and place on the wound
					Root	Babesia (livestock)	Crush and apply into the nose
					Leaf	Wound/sore	Crush and rub the past on the wound
					Root	Paralysis	Crush, dry and put it on fire for fumigation
Aloe megalacantha Bark.	Aloaceae	AT00707	Ere	Shrub	Root	Dislocated bone (livestock)	Tie it on the ear
					Latex	External wound	Cut a leaf and spread latex on wound until healed
					Leaf	Malaria, amoeba	Crush leaves and squeeze juice, filter and drink
					Latex	Ascariasis	Squeeze latex, filter and drink
					Leaf	Abdominal pain	Crush leaves, filter and drunk the fluid
					Latex	Ticks infestation (livestock)	Cut leaf and apply latex on skin
					Leaf	Evil eye	Place leaf on fire and fumigate
					Root	Impotence	Crush root and mix butter and smear it on the penis
					Whole	Snake bite (both)	Crush the part and drink the juice
					Root	Urine retention	Tie it around the sex organ
Anethum graveolens L.	Apiaceae	AT00677	Shilan	Herb	Whole	Urine retention (both)	Crush, filter and drink the fluid
							Boil it in water and drink the fluid
Calotropis procera (Aiton) W.T. Aiton	Asclepiadaceae	AT00612	Ginda	Shrub	Leaf & latex	External wound	Crush it with leaves of Ficus palmata and smear paste on affected part until healed
					Latex	Tinea capitis	Cut leaf or stem and smear latex on affected part until healed
					Leaf	Itching/skin rash	Burn and grind leaves and spread on skin with butter
					Latex	Swelling (livestock)	Apply latex on affected part
Calpurnia aurea (Ait.) Benth.	Fabaceae	AT00614	Hitsawts	Tree	Leaf	Lice and ticks infestation (livestock)	Crush and apply paste on skin
					Seed	Diarrheal	Grind part, mix it with milk product locally called (mancheba) and drink
					Leaf	Abdominal pain	Crush, filter and drink the fluid
					Leaf	Herpes zoster	Dry the leaves and mix them with leaves of Datura stramonium and leaves of Clutia abyssinica, grind them and make past with butter and apply on affected part
					Seed	Haemorrhoids	Grind and mix it with honey and milk and eat it
					Leaf	Tinea capitis	Crush and spread paste on the affected part
Chenopodium murale L.	Chenopodiaceae	AT00650	Hamli qiweo	Herb	Leaf	Swelling (both)	Crush part and apply on the affected part
					Leaf	Fire burn	Burn leaves in oven, grind, mix with butter and smear paste on affected part
					Leaf	Anthrax (human)	Placing around fire then after rubbing by the leaf to the affected part
					Leaf	External wound	Crush the part and apply it on the wound
					Leaf	Dandruff	Crush and smear on affected part
Clematis hirsuta Perr. & Guill.	Ranunculaceae	AT00680	Hareg	Climber	Root	Anthrax (both)	Crush roots with butter and apply the paste
					Leaf	Herpes zoster	Burn leaves in oven with leaves of Dodonaea angustifolia, grind, mix with butter and apply on the affected part
Clerodendrum myricoides (Hochst.) R.Br. ex Vatke	Lamiaceae	AT00643	Shiwha	Shrub	Root	Urine retention (both)	Crushed, add water, filter and drink
					Stem	Snake bite	burn stem and apply it on the affected part while hot
					Leaf	Tinea captis	Burn leaves in oven, grind, add butter and rub it on affected part
					Root	Evil sprit	Crush by mixing with roots of Withania somnifera, Carissa spinarum, Jasminum gratissimum and Maytenus senegalensis, put it on fire for fumigation
Clutia abyssinica Jaub. & Spach.	Euphorbiaceae	AT00659	Tewshealalito	Shrub	Leaf	Tinea capitis	Crush leaves and rub the paste on affected part or dry the crushed leaves, add butter and apply
					Leaf	Ring worm	Rubbing the affected part by the leaf
					Leaf	Internal parasites infection (livestock)	Crushed and drunk the fluid
					Leaf	Herpes zoster	Dry and mix leaves with dried leaves of Calpurnia aurea and Datura stramonium, grind, add butter and spread paste on affected part
					Leaf & bark	Black spider bite	Crush, filter and drink
					Leaf	Leshimaniasis	Crush and apply paste on affected part
Cucumis ficifolius A.Rich.	Cucurbitaceae	AT00642	Ramboambo	Herb	Leaf	Anthrax (both)	Crush the part with leaves of Dyschoriste radicans , mix it with honey and placed it on affected part
					Root	Snake, scorpion and black spider bite	Grind the part, mix with honey and eat it
					Fruit	Wound/sore	Apply fruit juice on the affected part
					Whole	Jaundice/ hepatitis	Crush, add water, filter and drink or Chew and swallow the product
					Leaf	Tonsillitis	Mix the leaves of the plant with leaves of Achyranthes aspera, crush and place the paste on shaved part of head of a sick child
					Root	Toothache	Chew part with the diseased teeth
					Root	Joint pain	Crush, filter and drink the fluid
					Root	Abdominal pain (both)	Mix root of the plant with bark of Croton macrostachyus, dry the paste, mix it with butter and drink it or chew the product and drink the fluid
					Root	Vomiting	Crush and drink the fluid
Cyphostema adenocaule (Steud. ex A.Rich.)	Vitaceae	AT00681	Aserkuca asergundi	Climber	Root	Snake bite (both)	Crush, filter and drunk the fluid
					Root	Snake venation (repulsion)	Tie it on the body
Cyphostemma junceum (Webb) Desc. Ex Wild & R.B.Drumm.	Vitaceae	AT00686	Etse zewye	Herb	Root bark	Snake bite (both)	Crush and eat the paste with honey
					Whole	Toothache	Chew and swallow the juice
					Whole	Spider bite	Chew and swallow fluid
					Leaf	Evil eye	Place part on fire for fumigation
Datura stramonium L.	Solanaceae	AT00672	Mestenagr	Herb	Leaf	Itching/ scabies	Crush and apply on affected part
					Leaf	External wound	Crush and apply on affected part
					Seed	Toothache	Place it on fire and inhale the smoke through mouth
					Leaf	Herpes zoster	Dried leaves of the plant and Calpurnia aurea and Clutia abyssinica are ground mixed powder with butter and apply on affected part
					Leaf	Wound/sore	Crush and apply on affected part
					Leaf	Anthrax (livestock)	Crush by mixing with leaves of Solanum mariginatum and Malva verticillata and apply paste on affected part
Dodonia angustifolia L.f.	Sapindaceae	AT00610	Tahses	Tree	Leaf	Herpes zoster	Dry the leaf of the plant alone or mixed with the leaf of Clematis hirsuta on hot stove, grind, add butter and rub affected part
					Seed	Malaria	Grind and eat it with honey
					Leaf	Dislocated bone (livestock)	Crush and apply on damaged part
					Leaf	Eye infection	Crush and apply droplets into the infected eye
					Leaf	Fire burn	Dry it in oven, grind, and butter sulphur and spread it on the affected part
Echinops Kebericho Mesfin	Asteraceae	AT00685	Dander	Herb	Root	Dislocated bone (livestock)	Tie it on damaged part
					Stem	Haemorrhoids	Place a burned stem and apply it on affected while hot
Euclea racemosa Murr. subsp. schimperi (A.DC.) F. White	Ebenaceae	AT00611	Keleaw	Shrub	Whole	Evil eye	Crush and tie powder around the neck
					Root bark	Snake bite (both)	Crush, add water and drunk the fluid
					Root	Paralysis	Crush and drink juice with milk
					Root	Black spider bite	Chew and swallow the fluid
					Root bark	Abdominal pain	Boil it in water and drink the fluid
					Root	Toothache	Chew part with the affect tooth
					Root	Amoeba	Remove bark of the root, boil it and drink the fluid with mancheba, milk product
Euphorbia abyssinica J.F.Gmel.	Euphorbiaceae	AT00706	Kulqual	Tree	Latex	Ascariasis	Mix part with locally made beer and drink it or mix it enjera (local food) and eat it
					Latex	Abdominal pain	Mix it with tihni (made from flour of roasted barley) and eat it
					Flower	External wound	Crush, mix with honey and apply it on affected part
					Latex	Leprosy	Smear latex on affected part
					Latex	Swelling (both)	Smear latex on affected part
Euphorbia petitiana A.Rich.	Euphorbiaceae	AT00687	Hindukduk	Herb	Latex	Leshimaniasis	Rub leaf on affected part until cure
					Root	Dislocated bone (livestock)	Tie around the damage part
Euphorbia tirucali L.	Euphorbiaceae	AT00682	Kinchib	Shrub	Latex	Skin haemorrhoids	Apply on affected part
Galium boreo-aethiopicum Puff	Rubiaceae	AT00621	Mendef adgi	Herb	Root	Babesia (livestock)	Crush and apply droplets through the nose
					Root	Toothache	Chew root with affected tooth
					Root	Evil eye	Placing it on fire for fumigation
					Root	Abdominal pain	Chew and swallow fluid
					Latex	Ring worm	Apply latex on affected part
					Latex	Swelling (livestock)	Smear latex on swollen part
Gomphocarpus purpurascens A.Rich.	Asclepiadaceae	AT00690	Tseba dimu	Herb	Root	Abdominal pain	Chew and swallow the fluid
					Whole	Haemorrhoids	Crush and apply on affected part
					Root	Wound (livestock)	Crush and apply on affected part
					Root	Toothache	Mix part with honey and chew
					Leaf	Michi	Place on fire for fumigation
Hypoestes forskaolii (Vahl) Roem. & Schult.	Acanthaceae	AT00603	Girbia	Herb	Root	Babesia (livestock)	Crush, mix with honey and eat
					Whole	Anthrax	Crushed it alone or by mixing with seeds of Lepidium sativum, roots of Solanum incanum, Achyranthes aspera and Verbascum sinaiticum, filter and drink the fluid
					Root	Abdominal pain	Chew and swallow the fluid
					Leaf	Wound/sore	Crush apply on affected part
					Root	Ascariasis	Boiling in milk with leaves of Lantana trifolia and drunk
					Root	Cough	Place it on fire for fumigation
Hypericum annulatum Moris.	Hypericaceae	AT00668	Aklti	Herb	Leaf	Eye infection (both)	Dry, Grind, add butter and apply on affected part
Justicia schimperiana (Hochst. ex Nees) T.Anders.	Acanthaceae	AT00632	Shimieya	Shrub	Leaf	Dysentery	Crush, add water and drink
					Leaf	Jaundice	Crush and eat it with enjera (local food) or add milk and drink it
					Leaf	Wound	Boiling with roots of Withania somnifera and washing
					Leaf	Arthritis	Boil it in water and wash body with it
Laggera tomentosa (Sch.Bip ex A.Rich.)	Asteraceae	AT00679	Kash koshe	Shrub	Leaf	Leeches infestation (livestock)	Crush and add juice through the nose
					Leaf	Ring worm	Rub it on affected part
Lepidium sativum L.	Brassicaceae	AT00708	Shimfa	Herb	Seed	Wound/sore	Crush seeds leaves of Dyschoriste radicans and bulb of Allium sativum and tie on affected part
					Seed	Itching/scabies	Crush seeds with leaves of Rumex nervosus and Withania somnifera and bulb of Allium sativum, sock it in water and wash body with it
					Seed	Swelling (both)	Crush and apply it on affected part
					Seed	Abdominal pain	Crush, add water and drink
					Seed	Anthrax (both)	Crush it by mixing it with whole part of Hypoestes forskaolii, roots of Solanum incanum and Verbascum sinaiticum, filter and drink the fluid
					Stem	Haemorrhoids	Burn it on fire add apply it on affected part while hot
					Leaf	Michi	Crush it with bulbs of Allium sativum and eat or rub it on the skin
Malva verticillata L.	Malvaceae	AT00625	Enkiaftha	Herb	Leaf	External wound	Crush and rub apply it on the affected part
Malva verticillata L.	Malvaceae		Enkiaftha	Herb	Leaf	Anthrax (both)	Crush it with leaves of Datura stramonium and Solanum mariginatum and apply it
Melia azadrachta L.	Meliaceae	AT00695	Limo, nim	Tree	Leaf	External wound (both)	Crush and apply it
Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Miller.	Cactaceae	AT00713	Beles (kulqual bahri)	Shrub	Leaf	Anthrax	Place it on fire and apply it on affected part while hot
					Leaf	Lice or fleas infestation (livestock)	Crush, rub on skin
					Leaf	Dandruff	Crush and rub it on affected part
Otostegia integrifolia Benth.	Lamiaceae	AT00652	Chiendog	Shrub	Leaf	Ascariasis	Crush, filter and drink the fluid
					Root	Abdominal pain	Chew and swallow the fluid
					Leaf	Lice or fleas infestation (livestock)	Place it on fire for fumigation
Premna oligotricha Baker	Lamiaceae	AT00633	Sasa	Shrub	Whole	Synerosis celebralis (livestock)	Place on fire for fumigation
					Leaf	Toothache	Chew it with affected tooth
Ricinus communis L.	Euphorbiaceae	AT00688	Guile	Herb	Leaf	External wound (both)	Crush and apply it on the wound
Rumex nepalensis Spreng.	Polygonaceae	AT00618	Dengele, shembobata	Herb	Leaf	Ring worm	Rub it on affected part
					Root	Fire burn	Crush by mixing it with urine and apply it on damaged part
					Leaf	Tinea capitis	Mix it with fruit of Citrus aurantifolia and rub it affected part
Schinus molle L.	Anacardiaceae	AT00648	Tikur berbere	Tree	Leaf	Jaundice	Crush, filter and drink the fluid
					Leaf	Diarrheal	Crush, filter and drink the fluid
					Leaf	Bloating (livestock)	Crush and drink the fluid
					Leaf	Tonsillitis	Crush and drunk it with coffee
							Crush and apply it on shaved head of sick child
					Leaf	Michi	Crush, filter and drink the fluid
Sida schimperiana Hochst. ex A.Rich.	Malvaceae	AT00636	Tifraria	Shrub	Root	Rh disease	Crush, filter and drink a cup of fluid
					Root	Paralysis	Tie root around the affected part
					Root	Dislocated bone (livestock)	Tie it on tail of the affected animal
					Root	Abortion (livestock)	Tie it on tail of the animal
Solanum hastifollium Hochst. ex Dunal in DC.	Solanaceae	AT00641	Alalmo kalbi	Shrub	Root	Abortion (livestock)	Tie it on tail of the animal
					Root	Evil eye	Place it on fire for fumigation
					Leaf & fruit	Anthrax (livestock)	Crush and add honey and apply or squeeze it into affected part or crush, filter and drink
					Leaf	Tonsillitis	Crush by mixing it with leaves of Solanum incanum and place on shaved head of sick child
					Fruit	Ear diseases	Squeeze to produce juice, add goat butter and apply through the nose
					Leaf	Cellulitis	Crush and apply
					Root	Toothache	Chew with affected part
Solanum incanum L.	Solanaceae	AT00617	Niesheton engule	Shrub	Root	Abdominal pain	Chew and swallow the fluid
					Root bark	External wound infection	Dry, grind and apply on affected part
					Leaf	Tonsillitis	Crush by mixing with leaves of Solanum hastifolium and place it on the shaved head of sick child
					Root	Anthrax (both)	Crush by mixing with seeds of Lepidium sativum, whole part of Hypoestes forskaolii, roots of Achyranthes aspera and Verbascum sinaiticum, filter and drink fluid
							Crush and apply on affected part
Solanum mariginatum L.f.	Solanaceae	AT00716	Aby ungule	Shrub	Root	Abdominal pain	Chew and swallow the fluid or boil and drink the fluid
					Seed	External wound infection	Grind and apply on affected part
					Seed	Cough	Burn, grind, mix it with sugar or honey and swallow it
					Fruit	Breathing problem (livestock)	Crush apply through the nose
					Leaf	Anthrax (both)	Crush by mixing with leaves of Datura stramonium and Malva verticillata apply it on affected part or crush, filter and drink the fluid
					Root	Ascariasis	Crush by mixing with roots of Zehneria scabra, and Verbena officinalis, filter and drink the fluid
Trigonella foenum-graecum (Bunge) Gurke.	Fabaceae	AT00699	Abeake	Herb	Seed	Abdominal pain	Grind, add water and drink
					Seed	Swelling (both)	Grind by mixing with beans and rub paste on affected part
Verbascum sinaiticum Benth.	Scrophulariaceae	AT00634	Tirnake (handega)	Herb	Leaf	Fire burn	Crush and apply fluid on the burned skin
					Root	Tonsillitis	Crush, filter and drink with a cup
					Root	Evil eye	Place it on fire with sulphur for fumigation
					Root	Toothache	Chew it
					Root bark	Haemorrhoids	Crush, filter and drink
					Leaf	External wound	Crush and apply on affected part
					Root	Anthrax (livestock)	Crush with seeds of Lepidium sativum, roots of Solanum incanum and whole part of Hypoestes forskaolii, filter and drink the fluid
							Crush, mix with honey and eat it
					Root	Dislocated bone	Tie around the affected part
Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal	Solanaceae	AT00630	Agol	Herb	Leaf	Eye infection	Boil it in water by mixing with leaves of Eucalyptus globulus, roots of Achyranthes aspera and Cynoglossum lanceolataum and leaves of Zehneria scabra and inhale the vapour
					Whole	Evil eye	Crush by mixing with roots of Carissa spinarum and put it on for fumigation
					Whole	Michi	Soak in water by mixing with leaves of Rumex nervosus and juices of Citrus aurantifolia and wash body with it
							Boil by mixing with Justicia schimperiana and wash the body with it
							Place it on by mixing with leaves of Zehneria scabra and Eucalyptus globulus and fumigate
					Leaf	Itching/ scabies	Crush by mixing with leaves of Rumex nervosus, seeds of Lepidium sativum and bulbs of Allium sativum, soak it in water and wash affected part with it
					Root	Paralysis	Place it on fire for fumigation
					Root	Evil sprit	Crush by mixing with roots of Clerodendrum myricoides, Carissa spinarum, Jasminum gratissimum and Maytenus senegalensis and place it on fire for fumigation

¹Unless indicated, the disease is that of human.

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ISSN: 1746-4269

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