A comparative study of medicinal plants used in rural areas of Namibia and Zimbabwe

BACKGROUND

Despite the adoption of Western pharmaceutical drugs in developing countries, traditional medicine produced from wild plants is still the source of primary health care. In some countries up to 90% of the people rely on traditional medicines. Few studies have done a comparative analysis of the herbal medicines in Africa.

RESEARCH GOALS AND METHODS

10 constituencies were selected in Namibia and 7 villages from Zimbabwe, for the field surveys to document medicinal plant patterns in both countries. Traditional healers were interviewed. Participatory Rural Appraisal (PAR) methods were used to collect data on plant names and their utilization. Then they were verified. Human ailments treated by the herbal medicines were also classified.

CONCLUSIONS AND TAKEAWAYS

The authors state that, medicinal plants play a pivotal role among local people in Namibia and Zimbabwe. There are similarities in their use in both countries. Ethnobotanical surveys are reliable approaches to drug discovery. There is need for more in- depth analytical studies as these herbal medicines are potential sources of pharmaceutical drugs in future.