title: Ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants used in the Maseru district of Lesotho.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Ethnobotanical knowledge in Lesotho is passed on orally from one generation to another. As a result it has not been well documented. Existing publications have relied on previous literature and are limited either in terms of scope or coverage. Furthermore, some of them are out of print. Therefore, there are gaps in the documentation of medicinal plants used in Lesotho.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of the current study is to investigate common ailments in Lesotho's traditional medicine and document plants that are used in treating such ailments.
  
  
  METHODS
  Interviews were conducted in five urban and four rural areas of the capital town of Maseru, by means of questionnaires to elicit information on medicinal plant use to cure common ailments. The informants were 20 males and seven females comprising 15 traditional healers, 11 herbalists and one pharmacist.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Reproductive ailments were found to be the most commonly treated, followed by respiratory, degenerative and digestive problems. A list of the 80 plants used for treating the common ailments is given. A total of 44 families is represented, with Asteraceae, Fabaceae, Asphodelaceae and Poaceae families having the highest number of species used for medicinal purposes. The most frequently mentioned medicinal plants in interviews include; Elephantorrhiza elephantina, Pentanisia prunelloides, Hypoxis hermerocallidea, Eriocephalus sp., Salvia runcinata, Scabiosa columbaria, Dicoma anomala, Morella serrata, Xysmalobium undulatum, and Leobordea lanceolata. Due to the high demand of medicinal plants, some species such as L. lanceolata, Tephrosia capensis, E. elephantina, D. anomala and P. prunelloides were reported as over-harvested. In some cases animal products are added to the medicinal plants to enhance their curative abilities.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A total of 80 plants were recorded in the study as treating 38 common ailments in the Maseru district of Lesotho. Records of eight medicinal plants and 146 new medicinal uses of 34 plants that were not recorded elsewhere in literature are reported in the current study for the first time. The new records of medicinal plants used in traditional healing practices in Lesotho clearly show the need to document these practices, and the wealth of new knowledge gained with the current study reinforces the importance of extending the study to other parts of Lesotho.
authors.affiliation: Department of Botany and Plant Biotechnology, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa.
authors.forename: Lerato
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Seleteng Kose
authors.affiliation: Department of Botany and Plant Biotechnology, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa. Electronic address: amoteetee@uj.ac.za.
authors.forename: Annah
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Moteetee
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
authors.forename: Sandy
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Van Vuuren
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000818:Animals; D019448:Ethnobotany; D020834:Ethnopharmacology; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007927:Lesotho; D008297:Male; D016488:Medicine, African Traditional; D008875:Middle Aged; D008517:Phytotherapy / Q000379:methods; D028321:Plant Preparations / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010946:Plants, Medicinal / Q000737:chemistry*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D028321:Plant Preparations
keywords: 1,8-Cineole (PubChem CID: 523035); Aloin (PubChem CID: 12305761); Carvone (PubChem CID: 7439); Ethnobotany; Gallic acid (PubChem CID: 370); Helichrysetin (PubChem CID: 6253344); Herbalists; Lesotho; Limonene (PubChem CID: 22311); Medicinal plants; Menthol (PubChem CID 1254); Oleanolic acid (PubChem CID: 10494); Oleuropein (PubChem CID: 5281544); Palmitic acid (PubChem CID: 985); Traditional healers; Ursolic acid (PubChem CID: 64945); Uzarin (PubChem CID: 348483); Withaferin A (PubChem CID: 265237); Xysmalorin (PubChem CID: 208007)[www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pccompound (accessed 03-03-2015)].; ent-Kaurenic acid (PubChem CID: 73062); α-Humulene (PubChem CID: 5281520); α-Pinene (PubChem: 6654); α-Thujone (PubChem CID: 261491); β-Sitosterol (PubChem CID: 222284)