The ethnobotany of the Midzichenda tribes of the coastal forest areas in Kenya: 2. Medicinal plant uses

Abstract

The Midzichenda have relied on plant resources for their basic needs, which included medicinal use, for centuries. This paper presents an inventory of some of the indigenous knowledge on medicinal plant uses of three Midzichenda tribes: Duruma, Giriama and Digo. A significant proportion (56%) of all plant species used were employed for the basic health care system and magical rituals and this is likely to remain so in future. Some plant species used for medicinal purposes are known to possess therapeutic characteristics, while other medicinal plants are used only on the basis of mythical beliefs within the society. However, much of the traditional knowledge on medicinal plants used by the Midzichenda has not been tested ethnopharmacologically.