Ethnobotanical Survey of Medicinal Plants Used by Traditional Healers in the Niger Delta Region

Abstract

A comprehensive ethnobotanical survey was conducted across 23 communities in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria to document medicinal plant usage by traditional healers. Over 18 months, we catalogued 187 plant species used in 342 distinct therapeutic preparations. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with 94 traditional practitioners following the International Society of Ethnobiology Code of Ethics.

Methods

Field surveys employed a combination of free-listing, walk-in-the-woods methodology, and structured questionnaires. All plant specimens were authenticated at the University of Port Harcourt herbarium and deposited with voucher numbers.

Results

The most frequently cited therapeutic categories were gastrointestinal disorders (28.3%), malaria and febrile conditions (22.1%), and respiratory ailments (16.7%). Use-value analysis identified 34 species with high consensus among practitioners, suggesting strong candidates for further pharmacological investigation.