title: Ethnobotanical survey of traditionally used medicinal plants for infections of skin, gastrointestinal tract, urinary tract and the oral cavity in Borabu sub-county, Nyamira county, Kenya.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Different communities throughout the world have specialized and profound knowledge on the use medicinal plants for various diseases. However, the detailed information on the respective use may extinct in near future as this knowledge is passed only orally among generations in most of the communities.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The present survey aimed to document the use of medicinal plants by traditional healers from the Kisii community, Borabu sub-county in Nyamira county, Kenya, to treat infections of the urinary tract, oral cavity, gastrointestinal system and the skin and to evaluate the social context in which the healers work and practice.
  
  
  METHODS
  Validated questionnaires were applied to 50 traditional healers in the study region, followed by interviews and structured conversations. Information on the relevant traditionally used medicinal plants and their use were documented, including sampling and identification of voucher specimens.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The ethnopharmacological survey revealed 25 medicinal plant species belonging to 19 families. It got evident that most of these species will be extinct in the near future unless appropriate measures are taken, as it turned out difficult to collect some of the wild growing species. Elaeodendron buchananii Loes, Erlangea marginata S. Moore, Acacia gerrardii Benth., Balanites orbicularis Sprague, Solanum renschii Vatke and Orthosiphon hildebrandtii Vatke have not been described before for its medicinal use. Among the 25 species collected from the various regions of Borabu sub-county Urtica dioica L. was the only medicinal plant that was collected from all regions. In contrast Erythrina abyssinica and Rhus natalensis were found in only two regions of the study area.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The traditional medicinal use of the reported plants for infections should be documented and a great need of awareness from scientists and local government for improved preservation or field cultivation of some species is obvious.
authors.affiliation: Kisii University, School of Health Sciences, P.O. Box 408, 40200 Kisii, Kenya; University of Münster, Institute of Plant Biotechnology and Biology, Nanobiotechnology Group, Schlossgarten 3, D-48149 Münster, Germany.
authors.forename: E O
authors.initials: EO
authors.lastname: Omwenga
authors.affiliation: University of Münster, Institute of Pharmaceutical Biology and Phytochemistry, Corrensstraße 48, D-48149 Münster, Germany. Electronic address: ahensel@uni-muenster.de.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hensel
authors.affiliation: Kisii University, Faculty of Applied Sciences, P.O. Box 408, 40200 Kisii, Kenya.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shitandi
authors.affiliation: University of Münster, Institute of Plant Biotechnology and Biology, Nanobiotechnology Group, Schlossgarten 3, D-48149 Münster, Germany.
authors.forename: F M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Goycoolea
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D019448:Ethnobotany; D005260:Female; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007630:Kenya; D008297:Male; D016488:Medicine, African Traditional; D008875:Middle Aged; D009059:Mouth Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010946:Plants, Medicinal; D012874:Skin Diseases, Infectious / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014552:Urinary Tract Infections / Q000188:drug therapy*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Borabu sub-county; Ethnobotanical survey; Infections; Kenya; Medicinal plants