title: Medicinal plants used in the management of chronic joint pains in Machakos and Makueni counties, Kenya.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Traditional medicines play an important role in the management of chronically painful and debilitating joint conditions, particularly in the rural Africa. However, their potential use as sources of medicines has not been fully exploited. The present study was carried to find the medicinal plants traditionally used to manage chronic joint pains in Machakos and Makueni counties in Kenya.
  
  
  METHODS
  To obtain this ethnobotanical information, 30 consenting traditional herbal medical practitioners were interviewed exclusively on medicinal plant use in the management of chronic joint pains, in a pre-planned workshop.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this survey, a total of 37 plants belonging to 32 genera and 23 families were cited as being important for treatment of chronic joint pains. The most commonly cited plant species were Pavetta crassipes K. Schum, Strychnos henningsii Gilg., Carissa spinarum L., Fagaropsis hildebrandtii (Engl.) Milve-Redh. and Zanthoxylum chalybeum Engl. Acacia mellifera (Vahl) Benth., Amaranthus albus L., Balanites glabra Mildbr. & Schltr., Grewia fallax K. Schum., Lactuca capensis, Launaea cornuta (Oliv. & Hiern) O. Jeffrey, Lippia kituiensis Vatke, Pappea capensis Eckl. & Zeyh. and Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br. are documented for the first time as being important in the management of chronic joint pains.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings of this study show that a variety of medicinal plants are used in the management of chronic joint pains and the main mode of administration is oral.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Anatomy and Physiology, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya. swambugu@uonbi.ac.ke
authors.forename: Stanley N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Wambugu
authors.forename: Peter M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Mathiu
authors.forename: Daniel W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Gakuya
authors.forename: Titus I
authors.initials: TI
authors.lastname: Kanui
authors.forename: John D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Kabasa
authors.forename: Stephen G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Kiama
mesh_terms: D018771:Arthralgia / Q000188:drug therapy*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D019448:Ethnobotany; D020834:Ethnopharmacology; D006801:Humans; D007630:Kenya; D016488:Medicine, African Traditional; D028321:Plant Preparations / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010946:Plants, Medicinal / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000254:growth & development; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D028321:Plant Preparations