Ethnobotanical Study of Medicinal Trees and Shrubs from the Rashad District of Southern Kordofan, Sudan

Eisawi, Khalid A.E.; Gibreel, Haytham H.; Hong, He; Shaheen, Tayyab; Abdalla, Omer M.; Yasin, Emad H.E.

doi:10.21608/ejbo.2021.81264.1708

Ethnobotanical Study of Medicinal Trees and Shrubs from the Rashad District of Southern Kordofan, Sudan

Document Type : Regular issue (Original Article)

Authors

¹ College of Forestry, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China

² College of Forestry and Rangeland, University of East Kordofan, Rashad, Sudan

³ Faculty of Forestry, University of Khartoum, 13314, Shambat, Sudan

⁴ College of Forest Sciences, University of Zalingei, Central Darfur State, Zalingei, Sudan

10.21608/ejbo.2021.81264.1708

Abstract

THIS IS the first quantitative ethnobotanical study conducted in the Rashad district, Southern Kordofan, Sudan. The objective was to collect and identify trees and shrubs used by local people for medicinal purposes and summarize local knowledge about traditional herbal medicine. Ethnobotanical data were obtained by conducting several ethnobotanical surveys, questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, field observations, inquiries, and Group gatherings from September 2018 to January 2019. Quantitatively, ethnobotanical data were analyzed in terms of use value (UV) and relative frequency of citation (RFC). A total of 56 trees and shrubs used in medicine and belonging to 22 families were listed in this study. The most common families were Fabaceae (14%), Combretaceae (8%), and Malvaceae (5%). In terms of growth form, 35 species (61%) were trees and 21 (39%) were shrubs. Fruits were the most common structures used to prepare herbal medicine (23%) and were usually administered as a powder (13%). The most commonly used species based on UV by the local community in the Rashad area were as follows: Adansonia digitata L. for dysentery diseases, followed by Tamarindus indica L. for treating malaria and fever, Balanites aegyptiacus (L.) Delile for treating enteric worms, Vangueria madagascariensis J. F. Gmel and Guiera senegalensis J. F. Gmel for kidney problems, and Ximenia americana L. for toothaches. This study revealed significant local ethnobotanical knowledge and direct human-plant interactions. Recording indigenous use of woody plants is crucial for identifying potential species for future domestication.

Keywords