ASSESSMENT OF SOME TRADITIONAL MEDICINAL PLANTS IN THE RAIN FOREST REGION OF CROSS RIVER STATE, NIGERIA
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This study aimed at documenting some plants used for trado-medicinal purposes in the rain forest region of Cross River State. Three local government areas and twelve communities were randomly selected for this study. The data for this study was collected through a semi- structured questionnaire and personal interviews with trado-medicinal plants users in the study area. A random sampling technique was adopted to select respondents within each community. A compiled checklist of these plants including their botanical names, families, parts used, medicinal uses, and local name were documented. The study also identified habitat destruction (59.60%) and over-harvesting (22.2%) as major challenges facing the conservation of medicinal plants in the study area. The study also revealed that 88.15% of respondents used medicinal plants to treat common diseases, mostly malaria (45.74%) and typhoid (26.54%). These plants belong to 65 species and 36 families. The most commonly used plant parts were leaves (34.06%) and barks (32.55%). Decoction (45.41%) and infusion (32.72%) were the most common methods of preparation. Findings of the study showed that the knowledge of trado-medicinal plants is being passed down mainly through family and relatives, and also highlighted the importance of traditional medicinal plants in the healthcare system of the respondents. It is noted that preservation and integration of medicinal plants into the healthcare system, as well as sustainable harvesting and conservation practices will ensure the continuous availability of these valuable resources.
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