Abstract
Ph.D. (Botany)
Medicinal plants are traditionally used extensively in Lesotho, particularly where there is limited accessibility to healthcare facilities. The ethnobotanical knowledge in the country is passed on orally from one generation to another. As a result, it has not been well documented. Existing publications have relied on previous literature and are limited either in terms of availability (i.e. out of print), scope or coverage. Therefore, there are gaps in the documentation of medicinal plants used in Lesotho.
Previous studies have estimated that there are 355 plants used for the treatment of various ailments in Lesotho, 143 of which are used for infectious diseases. These include: Berkheya setifera, Clematis brachiata, Euphorbia clavarioides, Gerbera ambigua, G. piloselloides, Hermannia depressa, Morella serrata, Senecio asperulus, Scabiosa columbaria and Trifolium burchellianum. However, the therapeutic potential of the majority of these plants has hitherto not been evaluated and therefore their medicinal use has very little scientific validation. The purpose of the current study therefore was to investigate and document plants that are used in treating common ailments in Lesotho’s traditional medicine as well as screening the plants for antimicrobial activity. Their phytochemical profiles were also evaluated.
An ethnobotanical survey was conducted in five urban and four rural areas of the capital town, Maseru. Interviews were carried out by means of questionnaires to elicit information on medicinal plant use to cure common ailments. The informants were 20 males and seven females comprising 15 traditional healers, 11 herbalists and one pharmacist. Reproductive ailments [inclusive of sexually transmitted infections (STIs)] were found to be the most commonly treated, followed by respiratory tract infections (RTIs). The literature review revealed that a majority of the plants recorded...