ETHNOBOTANICAL STUDY OF MEDICINAL PLANTS USED BY LOCAL PEOPLE OF SULULTA WOREDA, OROMIA REGION SPECIAL ZONE, ETHIOPIA

Ethnobotanical study of traditional medicinal plants were conducted to document indigenous knowledge on the use and management practices of medicinal plants by local people of Sululta Woreda, Oromia Region Special Zone, Ethiopia. A total of 100 respondents (age >25) 80 ordinary residents and 20 key informants (traditional healers) participated in this study. Data were collected using semi-structured interview, guided field walk observation and group discussion between August and September 2016. The collected data were summarized using descriptive statistics. Fidelity level (FL) and Informant Consensus Factor (ICF) were also computed. Results show that a total of 34 plant species distributed in 29 genera and 20 families were collected, identified and recorded. Out of the 34 collected medicinal plants of the study area, 25 species (73.52%) against human diseases, 6 species (17.64%) against livestock diseases and the remaining 3 species (8.82 %) were used to treat both human and livestock diseases. Of the total 34 medicinal plants collected from the study area, 15(44.11%) were herb species, followed by 12(35.29 %) tree species, 7(20.5 %) shrub species, and 1(2.9 %) climber species. The most frequently used plant parts were leaves followed by roots. The most widely used method of preparation was crushing followed by powdering the different plant parts. The most dominant route of administration recorded was oral followed by dermal. The major threats to medicinal plants of the study area were human in origin. Diseases categories like digestive system diseases had higher ICF values (0.97)showing high incidence of these diseases in the study area and agreement of people on their remedies. Medicinal plants should be conserved and documented. In order to conserve indigenous knowledge on the use and management practices of medicinal plants by local people of Sululta Woreda, local communities should be aware on the sustainable use and management of plants resources and their indigenous knowledge