Medicinal herbs used for managing some common ailments among Esan people of Edo State, Nigeria

Medicinal herbs used for managing some common ailments in Esanland, Edo State, Nigeria were investigated in this study. The Esan people have a rich cultural heritage, which is reflected in the well-developed herbal medicine used to cure and manage various disease conditions. Herbal medicine offered remedies to common ailments ranging from common cold to complex pathological disorders including those relating to the respiratory, circulatory and genito-urinary systems. Seventy herbal plants used in 115 different methods or preparation were identified. About 83% of the herbal preparations were given orally, while 17% were applied topically. The aerial parts of the plants (84%) were most frequently administered in the form of decoctions. Some of the herbs also form part of their diets and include: Talinum trangulare, Boerhavia diffusa, Euphorbia hirta, Gongronema latifolium and Aframomum melegueta. It can be concluded that medicinal herbs have played and will continue to play major roles in the management of common diseases in these communities. © Asian Network for Scientific Information, 2007.