Authors : Jewar Safeno Jara, Zerihun Girma & Melesse Maryo
DOI : 10.56042/ijtk.v23i11.15010
Volume : 2311
Issue : 11
Year : 2024
Page No : 1073-1084
Aseko district, part of the Hararghe and Arsi Bale massive mountainous region in southeast Ethiopia, is renowned for itsreligious culture and traditions. The local People believe that plants are sacred to God and hold medicinal potential. Thisstudy aims to investigate ethnomedicinal knowledge of plants used to treat human ailments in the district. Ethnobotanicaldata were collected through semi-structured interviews, key informants' interviews, guided field observations, and focusgroup discussions. Quantitative methods were employed to calculate the Informant Consensus Factor (ICF), preferenceranking, and Fidelity level values. The finding revealed that 96 species (trees 24%; shrubs 28%; herbs 40%) belonging to 89genera and 66 families are utilized as medicinal plants to treat human ailments by indigenous people and local communitiesof the district. The plant Families with the highest number of species were Lamiaceae and Solanaceae, followed byFabaceae. It was found that leaves (44%), roots (19%), and barks (10%) of species of these species are commonly used,raising concerns that such extensive use may significantly reduce their populations. Therefore, there is an urgent need for aproper conservation plan and management strategy for medicinal plants.Keywords: Ethnomedicine, Indigenous knowledge, Mode of preparation, Route of administration, Traditional medicine.