ethnobotanical important plants among th

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ETHNOBOTANICAL PRACTICES AMONG THE PEOPLE OF OKA-

AKOKO, NIGERIA

O. O. Obata* and E. I. Aigbokhan1

College of Life Sciences, University of Aberdeen, United Kingdom.1Department of Plant Biology and Biotechnology, University of Benin, P.M.B. 1154, Benin City, Nigeria.

Abstract

The use of plants by indigenous peoples all over the world has been underreported and this prevents the scientific community

from benefiting from traditional knowledge which has taken centuries to develop in the form we know them today. This paper

reports on the knowledge and useful application of various plant species by the people of Oka Akoko, in Ondo State, Nigeria.

A survey obtained from random interviews and consultations from local herbalist and others knowledgeable on the general

use of plants in the area revealed a total of 85 plant species belonging to 43 families. Members of Euphorbiaceae, Asteraceae,and Moraceae were the most represented plants with (5), (5) and (4) species respectively. The plants were utilized for diverse

uses including; medicine, talisman, security, goodwill and romance and other miscellaneous uses in religious and cultural

ceremonies. This inventory of ethnobotanical plants of Oka Akoko, is hoped would extend the knowledge base of the

economic importance and medical potentials of some of plants reported here.

Key words :Ethnobotany, medicinal plants, Oka Akoko, Ondo state.

Plant ArchivesVol. 12 No. 2, 2012 pp. 627-638 ISSN 0972-5210

Introduction

Background

Since orthodox medicine diverged from herbalism in

the early 15thcentury as a prelude to modern civilizationand technological advancement, a sizeable proportion up

to 75% to 90% of the rural population worldwide still

continues to rely on herbal medicine as an alternative or

only health care of choice (Levetin and McMahon, 1999).

According to Alves and Rosa (2005), 80% of the world

general population relies on traditional medicine as their

source of primary healthcare.

In traditional herbal medicine, plants and their extracts

play an important role in the treatment of various illnesses.

Many of the wild plants also have multiple uses: for

example providing nutrients, adding to dietary variety,feeding livestock or providing medication for human and

livestock (Ogle et al., 2003). According to Olapade

(2002), there is no doubt in the fact that plants are very

effective in the treatment of diseases.

Traditional medicine as defined by the World Health

Organization is the total combination of knowledge and

practices, whether explicable or not used in diagnosing,

preventing or eliminating physical, mental and social

causes of social causes of diseases and disabilities

(Adodo, 2005). In Nigeria, herbal healing is still widely

practiced in rural as well as urban areas due to shortages

of drugs and insufficient means to visit established medical

centers (Adodo, 2005). Herbalism remains a common

occupation in most suburban parts of Nigeria and the

rest of Africa till date (Idu et al., 2007) just as it is still

popular in China, India (Adodo, 2003). According to

Marco et al. (2003) and Lewis (2003), research on

medicinal and other useful plants used in indigenous society

has been driven by two complementary interests: the use

of such information for research in the field of natural

sciences, especially with regards to new bioactive

natural products derived from plants and the use of plant

extracts in primary health care.Oka Akoko is located in Ondo State, Nigeria and

populated by predominantly people of the Yorubas

extraction. From anecdotal evidences, the Oka Akoko

people believe that all diseases have natural cures and as

such use plants for medicine, which may sometimes be

accompanied by rituals and sacrifices.

The practitioners of herbal medicine in Oka Akoko

that were interviewed included full-time herbalists*Author for correspondence:[email protected]


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628 O. O. Obata and E. I. Aigbokhan

popularly called Babalawo most of who are revered

for their believed ability to communicate with the spirit

world and could for-tell the future. Others are district

heads, family heads, old men and women who by long

time exposure to the use of plants have become familiar

with most of their effectiveness and uses. A few young

men also learnt the practice from their grand parents.

Market women who sell some of the remedies were also

interviewed.

Some of the reported contributions on traditional

medicinal plants in Nigeria in literature include: among

the Yoruba (western Nigeria ) Sofowora (1993), Adekunle

(2001), Gill (1990), reports on northern Nigeria include,

Idu et al.(2003 ), Idu and Olorunfemi (2000), Idu and

Omoruyi, (2003), Idu et al.(2008) and Nwosu (1998)

reported the use of medicinal plants in Eastern Nigeria.

However, no specific record of the ethnobotanical

practices of the people of Oka Akoko in Ondo State has

been reported. Although situated in Yoruba land, it is alsocommon knowledge that even with similar linguistic

groups, the way and manner plants are used in each

community is known to differ from place to place. The

aim of this study therefore is to present the first specific

records on the ethnobotanical practices of the people of

Oka Akoko, Ondo State, Nigeria.

Materials and Methods

Description of the study area

Oka Akoko is sub-urban town and the current

administrative headquarter of Akoko South West local

government area of Ondo State, Nigeria. It is made up

of five parts namely; Oke Oka (the biggest part), Iwaro

Oka, Ayegunle Oka, Simerin Oka, and Uba Oka. It is

located on the latitude 7.220N and longitude 5.480E of

the map (fig. 1). Oka Akoko is an agricultural trade center

for the region; its chief products are cassava, cocoa, palm

oil and kola nuts. The city is accessible by highways linking

to Ibadan and Lagos as well as Abuja. Notable geological

features of Oka Akoko region are the steep-sided, dome-

shaped mountains that dominate the landscape. In the

past, these rock outcroppings served as outposts to defend

the town from enemies.Collection and identification of plants

Oral surveys were conducted on the general use of

plants in the area and most of the target contacts were

herbalists, traditional healers, district heads, market

women and some elderly people and a few others vast in

the oral history and traditions of the area. Notes were

taken and plant samples were collected, labeled and kept

in polythene bags.

Field trips to the surrounding bushes and forest

locations were conducted in search of specific examples

of plants mentioned. Visits to farms, villages and forests,

where discussions were held with men and women who

were known to be especially knowledgeable on the

general use of plants in their areas. The selection of sites

was geographically widespread to obtain a good sampling

of the entire population. Photographs of most of the plants

were taken to assist with identification. The offer of

financial incentives and gifts greatly facilitated the ease

with which some of the informants divulged their

knowledge of ethnomedicinal practices. The study was

carried out during both dry and rainy season.

Plant species were first identified using the local

Yoruba names and later matched with their respective

scientific classifications. Plants whose identity were in

doubt were collected, preserved in plant press and later

identified using the weed identification manual (Akobundu

and Agyakwa, 1998) and other literatures include;Blackwell (1990), Dipe (2004), Duprjez and De Leener

(1992), Idu and Omoigui (1999), Gill (1990), Nakasone

and Paul (1999), Osagie and Eka (1998) and Soladoye et

al. (2005). Plant inventory were organized under three

categories (medicine, myth and magic and miscellaneous

including cultural ceremonies) and arranged in alphabetical

order beginning with family, scientific and local names,

occurrence, plant part used and preparation and uses.

Results

Eighty five (85) plants belonging to forty three (43)

families were listed from the study. Plants used for medicalpurposed are shown in table 1, those employed in folklore

and magic (table 3) and plants formiscellaneouspurposes

(table 4). Table 2 contains different plant(s) used for the

same ailments. Most of the plants are being used in

medicine with majority of the remedies prepared from

single plant sources. A few remedies were prepared from

a combination of more than one plants. Fig. 2 also showed

the proportions of plant types used in the communities

where over 50% of the plants were herbs. The survey

also included the local names, common names, Botanical

description, habitat and uses.

Discussion and Conclusion

This study provides a detailed inventory of plants used

for food, medicine and magic by the Oka-Akoko people

of Ondo State, Nigeria. No known documentation of the

ethnobotanical plants for this people has been previously

reported in the literature. This report on use of plants by

the Oka-Akoko people therefore helps to bridge the gap

of lack of documentation of folk knowledge of indigenous


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peoples earlier highlighted by Zent et al.(2004) andIdu

et al.(2006).

This paper is relevant in historical as well as in the

present day context because some plants found in Oka

Akoko have now been discovered to be useful especiallyin the area of medicine for example, of the 85 plants

encountered during this compilation, 84 were found to be

medicinal, of which the Euphobiaceae and Astereceae

are the most prominent.

The list of plants use by the Oka-Akoko people are

in consonant with earlier reports (Adekunle, 2001; Dipe,

2004 and Olapade, 2002), who have reported extensively

of the use of plants by the Yorubas as a group. The only

of the preparation. In some cases, different parts of plants

may be used to cure different ailments and in others,

different plants may be employed by different herbal

practitioners in the treatment of the same ailments. For

instance;Lannea acida, Aspilia africana, Heliotropium

indicum, Phyllanthus amarus Gossypium hirsutum,

Ficus sycamore, Paulinia pinnata are used partly or

wholly in the treatment of dysentery.

For religious worship, plants play a very important

role in the lives of Oka people and as such are celebrated

and even worshipped. A notable example is the white

yam (Dioscorea rotundata) which is usually celebrated

annually as Yam Festival on the first Saturday of August.

This festival has grown to become one of the most

important events that bring the Oka people together

Fig. 1 :Maps showing the study area in Ondo State (Inset Nigeria and State location).

Fig. 2 : Proportion of plant use in the study area.

difference being the use of Phyllanthus amarus,

Corchorus olitorius, Adansonia digitata for

medicine and Ficus thonningii, Miliciaexcelsa

andAdansonia digitatain myth and magic, which

appear to be unique for the Oka-Akoko people

and based on reports in the literature, not widely

practiced elsewhere in other Yoruba areas.

Edeoga et al.(2005), reported that plants of the

genusEuphorbiaare used for cough, asthma and

hay fever contrary to their use as anti-microbialagent in the treatment of wound in the community.

Most times, two or more plants may be

combined for enhanced effectiveness contrary to

the views of Adodo (2003) that combination of

two or more plants may lessen the effectiveness

Ethnobotanical Practices among the People of Oka- Akoko, Nigeria 629


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Table1:

Scientificname

Habit

Localname

Occurrence

Partused

Preparation

Uses

Amarantheceae

AmaranthusspinosusL.

H

Efoelegun

Wild

Shoot

Boilinwater

Snakebiteandgonorrhea

Pupalialappacea(L)Juss

H

Imaagbo

Wild

Fruit&Leaves

Leafextract

Severeheadach

e

Anacardiaceae

AnacardiumoccidentaleL.

T

Kasu

Cultivated

Nut

Liquidextrac

t

Freshseverewounds

Leaves

Boilinwater

Malariafever

LanneaacidaA.Juss

T

Agbelepota

Wild

Leaves

Cookinsoup

Stomachupset

MangiferaindicaL.

T

Mangoro

Cultivated/Wild

BarkandLeaves

Boilinwater

Typhoidfever

Pseudosporandias

T

Okikan

Wild

Leavesandbark

Cookwithsoup

Chestpain

microcarpa(A.Juss)Engl.

Annonaceae

AnnonasenegalensisPers.

T

Abo

Wild

Leaves

Squeezethe

leafandgetthejuice

Tocureskindiseases

Apocynaceae

AlstoniabooneiDeWilld.

S

Alatapara

Wild

Leaves

Cookwithsoup

Forhealthypregnancy

Roots

Cookwithsoup

Insomnia&mentalillnesses

RauvolfiavomitoriaAfzel.

T

Asofeyeje

Wild

Roots,leaves

Grindthetogetherandcook

Mentaldisordersandyellowfever

andbark

withoutoil

Araceae

Colocasiaesculenta(L.)Schott

H

Kokoposo

Wild

Leaves

Squeezeleaf

togetjuice

Tostrengthenp

rematurebabies

Arecaceae

ElaeisguineensisJacq.

T

Ope

Wild/cultivated

Bark

Boilinwater

withothermaterials

Tocureulceran

dmenstrualpains.

Asclepiadaceae

CalotropisproceraL.

S

Bomubomu

Wild

Leaves

Cookwithbeans

Insomnia

Asteraceae

BidenpilosaLinn.

H

Eweabere

Wild

Fruits

Grindintogin

Epilepsy

AspiliaAfricanaPers.

H

Yanyan

Wild

Shoot

Cookwithsoup

Dysentery

Chromolaenaodorata(L.)

H

Ominira

Wild

Shoot

Boilinwater

Malariafever

Leaves

Squeezethe

sapandapplyto

Totreatfreshw

ounds

affectedparts

AgeratumconyzoidesL.

H

Pakududu

Wild

Leaves

Squeezeleavestogetthejuice

Diarrhea

VernoniaamygdalinaDel.

S

Ewuro

Wild/cultivated

Leaves

Cookwithsoup

Feverandstom

achupsets

Bignoniaceae

KigeliaAfricana(Lam)

T

Pandoro

Wild

Bark

Boilinwater

Syphilisandgo

norrhea

Benth.

Leaves

Boilinwater

Chestpain

Table1continued....



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NewbouldialaevisSeem.

S

Akoko

Wild

Leaves

Squeezeinw

ater

Eyedefect

Bombaceae

Adansoniadigitata(L.)Gaertn.

T

Ose

Wild

Bark

Boilinwater

Tostrengthenp

rematurebabies

Leaves+fruits

Cookwithsoup

Totreatasthma

Ceibapetandra(L.)Gaertn

T

Araba

Wild

Leaves

Boilinwater

Headacheandf

ever

Bark(dry)

Grind

Wounds

Caesalpinaceae

Sennaalata(L.)Irwin&Berneby

H

Opako

Wild

Leaves

Boilinwater

Eyeproblems

Sennahirsuta(L.)Irwin&

H

Seseorisa

Wild

Leaves

Squeezeleavestogetjuiceand

Foreczemaand

otherskindiseases

Berneby

applytoaffe

ctedparts

Cookwithou

toil

Sennaoccidentalis(L.)Link.

H

Uyun

Wild

Leaves

Boilinwater

Typhoidfever

Caesalpiniapulcherrima

H

Ekoomode

Wild

Leaves&fruits

Boilinwater

Poisoningandm

alariafever

Caricaceae

CaricapapayaLinn.

T

Ibepe

Wild

Roots

Cookwithsoup

Gonorrhea

Combretaceae

CombretumhispidumLaws.

V

Ogan

Wild

Wholeplant

Boilinwater

Eyedefects

Crassulaceae

Bryophylumpinnatum

H

Abamoda

Wild

Leaves

Heattheleavesonhotstonetill

Tohealbabiesnavelandother

(Lam.)Oken.

soft,squeezeandapplytothe

wounds

navel

Cucurbitaceae

MomordicacharantiaL.

H

Ejirin

Wild

Wholeplants

Cookwithsoup

Totreatdiarrhea

TelfariaoccidentalisL.

H

Ugu

Cultivated

Leaves

Squeezeinw

atersieveanddrink

Asbloodsupplement

Convolvulaceae

IpomoeabatatasL.

H

Kukunduku

Oftencultivated

Leaves

Washandsq

ueezeinwaterand

Tocuresevereheadacheand

drink

hypertension

Dioscoreaceae

Dioscoreadumetorum

H

Esuru

Wild/cultivated

Leaves

Boilinwater

Relievepains

(Knuth)Pax.

Euphorbiaceae

CrotonzambesicusMuell.

S

Ajekobale

Wild

Leavesandfruits

Squeezeinb

athingwater

Forstrengthandagility

EuphorbiahirtaLinn.

H

Emile

Wild

Latex

Spreadonth

esurface

Toremovepainfulthorns(antibiotic)

Wholeplant

Cookwithsoup

Inducemilkflowinnursingmothers

Table1continued....

Table1continued....



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JatrophacurcasLinn.

S

Lapalapa

Wild

Latex

Applytothe

surface

Antidoteforsnakepoison

PhyllanthusamarusShum.

H

Atayinso

Wild

Wholeplant

Cookwithotherplantswithoil

Hypertension&dysentery

&Thorn.

PhylanthusfloribundusL.

H

Gbigban

Wild

Wholeplant

Usetocook

soup

Tocuredysentery

Fabaceae

Cajanuscajan(L.)Millsp.

H

Sese

Cultivated

Leaves

Boilinwatertobathanddrink

Tocureyellow

fever

BaphianitidaLodd.

H

Irosun

Wild

Leaves

Cookleaves

withsoup

Topreventmis

carriagesinpregnant

women

Irvingiaceae

Irvingiagabonensis

T

Iro

Wild,cultivated

Bark

Cookwithsoupwithoutoil

Fordiarrheaan

dstomachpains

(Rorke)Baill.

associatedwithmenstruation

Lamiaceae

HyptissuaveolensPoit.

H

Sanmurin

Wild

Leaves

Dryandpou

ronhotcoal

Tokillmosquito

OcimumbasilicumLinn.

H

Efirin

Cultivated

Leaves

Squeezeinw

ater,sieveanddrink

Forfever&cough

OcimumgratissimumLinn.

H

Arunbaba

Cultivated

Leaves

Cookinsoupwithothermaterials

Topreventmis

carriageinpregnant

withoutoil

women

Fabaceae

CassiasiameaLam.

T

Kasia

Wild

Bark,leaves&

Boilinwatertodrink&bath

Tocuremalaria

fever

fruits

DanielliaoliveriHutch&Dalz.

T

Uya

Wild

Bark

Soakinwate

randdrink

Tocureconvulsions

ParkiabiglobossaKaey

T

Iru

Wild

Bark&leaves

Boilinwaterandbath

Boilinwaterandusedtobath

variousskin

infectionsandburns

Tocure

Teterpleuratetraptera

T

Oridan

Wild

Fruits

Usetocook

soupanddrink

Tocurestomac

hproblems

(Schum&Thonn.)Taub

Malvaceae

GossypiumhirsutumLinn.

H

Owu

Wild,cultivated

Seeds

Grindtopasteandapplytothe

Tocuresevere

headache

forehead

Leaves

Decoctionis

madefromtheleaves

Totreatdysenteryandgonorrhea

Hibiscusrosas

inensisLinn.

H

Adodopupa

Cultivated

Leaves

Decoctionis

madefromtheleaves

Tocurestomachupsets

Flowerbud

Grindtopaste

Tosoftenboils

andtreatbumps.

SidaacutaBurm.F.

H

Isisanran

Wild

Leaves

Squeezethe

leavestogetthesap

Tocuretuberculosis

Meliaceae

AzadirachtaindicaA.Juss.

T

Dongoyaro

Wild

Barkandleaves

Boilinwater

Totreatmalaria

Table1continued....

Table1continued....



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Khayasenegalensis(Dest.)

T

Oganwo

Wild

Barkandleaves

Boilinwater

anddrink

Totreatyellowfever

A.Juss.

Mimosaceae

MimosapudicaLinn.

H

Patanmo

Wild

Shoot

Boilinwater

Totreatfibroidandremovewormin

women

Moraceae

BosqueiaangolensisFicalho.

T

Iwineran

Wild

Barkandleaves

Usetoprepa

redecoction

Totreatblackto

ngueanddiarrhoea

FicussycamoreLinn.

T

Sikamore

Wild

Barkandlatex

Usetoprepa

redecoction

Totreatdysente

ryandsorethroat

FicusthonningiiBlume.

T

Odan

Wild

Leavesandbark

Usethetocooksoup

Tocurbinfertilityinwomen

Miliciaexcelsa(Welw.)C.CBerg.

T

Iroko

Wild

Latex

Usetorubtheaffectedparts

Totreatleprosy

Musaceae

MusasapientumLinn.

H

Ogedewewe

Cultivated

Leaves

Tiearoundthechest

Forbreastenlargement

Myrtaceae

PsidiumguajavaLinn.

T

Goloba

Wild/Cultivated

Leavesandroots

Usetoprepa

resoup

Totreatbreastp

ain

Papavaraceae

ArgenomemexicanaLinn.

H

Mafowokan

Wild

Latex

Applytothe

affectedparts

Totreatfreshw

ounds.

omomi

Piperaceae

Peperomiapellucida(L.)

H

Renren

Wild

Leaves

Grindtopasteandapplytothe

Tosoftenboilandtreatbumps

H.B&K.

affectedparts

Portulacaceae

Talinumtriangulare

H

Gbure

Oftenwild

Leaves

Squeezeinw

aterandusetorub

Totreathighfev

er

(Jacq.)Willd.

thebody

Poaceae

EleusineindicaGaertn.

H

Gbagi

Wild

Wholeplant

Grindsomedryplantswiththe

Itstakenasanantidoteforpoison

seedsofalligatorpepperandother

andsnakebite.

materialsand

mixwithkerneloil

CymbopogoncitralisLinn.

H

Ewetii

Usuallycultiv

atedLeaves

Boiltheleav

esinwateranddrink

Tocuretyphoid

fever

Rubiaceae

Mitracarpusvillosus

H

Eweifo

Wild

Leaves

Squeezewithfingersandapply

Tocureeczema

andotherskin

(S.W.)D.C.

toaffectedareas

infections

Rutaceae

Citrusaurantifolia

T

Tanjarinni

Cultivated

Fruits

Heatandboreholeinandinsert

Totreatwhitlow

(Christm.)Swingle.

theaffectedfingerintothewhole

Table1continued....

Table1continued....



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CitruslimonLinn.

S

Osanwewe

Cultivated

Fruits

Extracttheju

iceandboil

Aspainreliever

andforabortion

CitrussinensisOsbek.

T

Orombo

Cultivated

Peelsfromfruits

Burnonhot

coal

Asmosquitorepellant

FagarazanthoxyloidesLam

T

Seyinra

Wild

Bark

Grindtopasteandapplyto

Totreatrheumatism

thejoints

Sapindaceae

BlighiasapidaKonig.

T

Isin

Wild

Barkandleaves

Usetocook

soup

Totreatfibroidandabnormal

pregnancy

PaulliniapinnataL.

H

Alalamodin

Wild

Shoot

Usetocook

soup

Totreatdysente

ryandstomachpains

Scrophulariaceae

ScoporiadulcisL.

S

Ipa

Wild

Leaves

Warmandsqueezetheleaves

Totreatbumps

andapplyto

affectedparts

Solanaceae

CapsicumfrutescensL.

H

Atawewe

Cultivated

Fruits

Grindtopasteandapplyto

Totreatasevereskin

affectedarea

s

infection(ata)

SolanumnigrumLinn.

H

Odu

Wild

Leaves

Squeezeand

applytotheeyes

Totreateyeproblems

NicotianatabacumL.

H

Taba

Wild

Leaves

Squeezeand

applytotheanus

Totreattyphoid

fever

Sterculiaceae

Colaacuminata(P.Beauv.)

T

Obiabata

Cultivated

Seeds

Grindtopow

derandapplyto

Totreatwounds

Shott&Endl.

affectedparts

TheobromacacaoLinn.

T

Koko

Cultivated

Bark

Boilinwater

Useasbloodsu

pplement

Tiliaceae

CorchorusolitoriusLinn.

H

Ewedu

Cultivated

Shoot

Boilinwaterandusethewater

Tocurbinfantskillerdiseases

tobaththechild

Glypheaebrevis(Spreng.)

S

Atori

Wild

Dryleaves

Grindtopow

derandpoured

Totreatgonorrh

ea

Monachino

intogin

TriumfetacordifoliaA.Rich

H

Etido

Wild

Leaves

Usetoprepa

redecoction

Forstomachup

sets

Ulmaceae

Tremaorientalis(L)Blume

S

Ofe

Wild

Leaves

Boilinwatertobaththebaby

Tomakebabieswalkontime

Verbernaceae

VitexdonianaSweet.

T

Oriri

Wild

Leavesandbark

Boilinwaterandtaken

Totreathighbloodpressure.

Zingiberaceae

Aframomummelegueta

H

Atare

Wild

Seeds

Eatenwithkolanut

Tocurecough,itisalsousedinthe

K.Schum

preparationofv

ariousdecoctions

HHerb,TTree,SShrub,V-Vine.

Table1continued....



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Table 2 :Plants used for different ailments.

Ailments Plant(s) used

Asthma Adansonia digitata

Babies umbilical cord Bryophylum pinnatum

Babies to walk Trema orientalis

Black tongue Bosqueia angolensis

Blood supplement Thoebroma cacaoBreast enlargement Kigelia africana

Breast pain Psidium guajava

Chest pain Pseudosporandias microcarpa, Kigelia africana

Convulsion Daniellia oliveri

Cough Ocimum basilium, Aframomum. Meleguata

Diabetes Aframomum meleguata, Ceiba petandra

Diarrhea Ageratum conyzoides, Irvingia gabonensis, Bosqueia angolensis

Dysentery Lannea acida, Aspilia africana, Heliotropium indicum, Phyllanthus amarus, Gossypiumhirsutum, Ficus sycamore, Paullinia pinnata

Eczema and skin diseases Annona senegalensis, Perkia clappertoniana, Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, Peperomia pellucida,Mitracarpus villosus, Capsicum frutescens

Epilepsy Biden pilosa

Eye problems Newbouldia laevis, Senna alata, Solanum nigrum

Fever (malaria, yellow, Mangifera indica, Nicotiana tabacum, Cymbopogons citralis, Chromolaena odorata, Ceibatyphoid) petandra, Ocimum basilium, Cassia siamea, Caesalpinia pulcherrima, Azadirachta indica,

Glyphaea brevis.

Gonorrhea & syphilis Amaranthus spinosus, Kigelia africana, Gossypium hirsutum, Glyphaea brevis, Aframomummelegueta, Carica. papaya, Kola cuminata

Headache Pupalia lappacae, Ceiba petandra, Gossypium hirsutum, Ipomoea batatas.

Healthy pregnancy & Alstonia boonei, Ocimum gratissimum, Mimosa pudicamiscarriage prevention

Hypertension & high Phylanthus amarus, Vitex doniana, Ipomoea batatasblood pressure

Induce abortion Carica papaya, Citrus limonInfant killer diseases Corchorus olitorius

Infertility Ficus thonningii, Blighia sapida

Insomnia Alstonia boonei, Calotropis procera

Kill mosquito Hyptis suaveolens, Citrus sinensis

Leprosy Milicia excelsa

Menstrual pain Elaeis guineensis

Mental illness Alstonia boonei, Ravolfia vomitoria

Pain reliever Citrus limon

Poison Eleusine indica, Jatropha caucus, Caesalpinia pulcherima

Rheumatism Ficus zanthoxyloides, Aframomum melegueta

Ringworm Solanum nigrum

Snakebite Amarathus spinosus, Eleusine indica, Jatropha caucusSore throat Ficus sycamorus

Stomach ache Lannea acida, Eleusine indica, Irvingia gabonensis, Tetrapleura tetraptera Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, Paullinia pinnata, Vernonia amygdalina, Triumfeta Cordifolia

Strengthen babies Colocasia esculenta, Adansonia digitata

Tuberculosis Sida acuta

Ulcer Elaeis guineensis

Whitlow Citrus aurantifolia

Wounds Chromolaena odorata, Anacardium occidentale, Ceiba petandra, Argenome mexicana, Colaacuminata



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annually. The Olubaka of Oka land is usually the Chief

Celebrant of the festival which takes place in his palace.

Other important plants that are worshipped in the

communities include: Adansoniadigitata and Milicia

excelsa. Kola nuts (Colaacuminata) is widely used for

prayers to the gods of the forest before plant materials

are collected. It is also used to pray for blessing during

wedding and naming ceremonies.

This, in addition to other spiritual beliefs and practices

of the people has made it relevant to their sustainability

in the community till this day, and has contributed towards

the enrichment of their unique cultural heritage. It was

observed that almost all the known diseases of the tropical

region which affect the people has natural cures, this has

led to the continuity of the practice among the people till

today. Nearly all the 38 known health problem in the

Table 3 :Some plants used in magic by the people of Oka Akoko.

Scientific name Local name Preparation and uses

Aframomun melegueta Atare Grind the dry seeds and pour in a bottle of dry gin. It is taken to stop the effect of

thunder bolt (magun)

Colocasia esculenta Koko poso The leaves are burnt with other materials and blow into the atmosphere to stop

rainfall

Cola acuminata Obi abata The seeds are chewed and spit on the ground to appease the gods of the forests

and request for the use of the plants to be used. It is believed that without the

consent of these gods, the plants species will not be effective

Croton zambesicus Ajekobale Its dry leaves and fruits are burnt with other materials to chase away witches and

evil spirits from the vicinity

Elaeis guineensis Ope Fresh leaves, the bark with clean roots are soaked in water for 2days and taken to

enhance immunity against demonic and spiritual attacks

Ficus thonningii Odan The dry leaves are ground with black soap to bath twice daily for goodwill,

success, promotion and seduction

Glyphaea brevis Atorin Grind the fruits and cook with soup to be eaten by a woman who desires a male

child

Kigelia africana Pandoro The fruits are used to rub the breast by ladies with smaller breast to increase the

size

Milicia excels Iroko The leaves and bark are boiled in water and use to bath twice daily to gain

immunity against demonic and spiritual attacks. It is highly revered and

worshipped for protection

Musa sapientum Ogede The dry leaves and latex are used with other materials to enhance resistance

against attacks madarikan.

Newbouldia laevis Akoko Dry leaves are ground and burnt with other materials to protect against the

influence of witches and evil spirits

Tetrepleura tetreptera Oridan Dry pods burnt with other materials to chase away witches, evil spirits and snakes

Trema orientalis Ofe The leaves and fruits are boiled in water with other materials to make peopledisappear and reappear at will

Uraria picta Alupayida The fresh leaves are chewed and swallowed, whatever one says that day before

noon will come to pass.

community have their solution traced partly or wholly to

the use of plants. The popularity of the practice therefore

attests to its efficacy among the people.

I agree with Adodo (2004) that the challenge for

todays scientific community is to sift out the fetish and

superstitious issues from our inherited deposits of

knowledge of traditional medicine without throwing awaythe truth which our people had developed over the

millennia.

Effects of forest depletion on plants availability for

medicinal purposes

Oka-Akoko located in a once flourishing tropical

rainforest is now under serious threat, due to uncontrolled

anthropogenic activities such as exploitation for lumber,

road and structural constructions and farmlands which



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Table 4 :Some plants used for other purposes on Oka Akoko.

Scientific name Local name Preparation and uses

Citrus sinensis Orombo Dry peels are burnt on hot coal to scare mosquito.

Newbouldia laevis Akoko It is a royal plant used as sign of blessing and honour during coronation of chiefs

and Kings.

Pseudosporandias Okikan The leaves are used as sign of blessing and honour during coronation of chiefs and

microcarpa Kings.

Theobroma cacao Koko Dry leaves are used to preserve kola nuts for very long periods.

has resulted in habitat fragmentation and loss of

biodiversity (Green et al.,2005). This catalogue therefore

provides a baseline data of plants of ethnobotanical

importance. However, it was observed during the study

that traditional healers now have to travel farther in the

forests to get plants which were previously available

nearby. This is as a result of deforestation for

developmental purposes such as building of schools, road

construction and agriculture (Butler et al., 2000).

Deforestation which is sometimes inevitable should

therefore be done carefully to reduce the loss of

biodiversity to the barest minimum (Akinnibosun and

Odiete, 2008). Few of the plants were however protected

by local taboos and myth, e.g. Milicia excelsa. But these

also are now threatened by the spread of Christianity

and Islam across the communities.

Since most of the plants encountered in this study

were found in the wild, conscious effort should be made

to prevent their loss, as they become rarer and rarer.

Conservation of our natural resources should therefore

be taken more seriously to prevent the loss of ourbiodiversity and some of these very important plants.

Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to the village heads, men

and women who helped to obtain this information in Oka

Akoko.

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