Folk Medicinal Values of Plant Folia among the Ijaw Tribal Community of Bayelsa State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study examined plant folia used in folk medicine bythe Ijaw tribe of Bayelsa State, Nigeria. Plant specieswhose leaves were valued for folk medicine wereidentified through field visits and interviews of relevantstakeholders. The interviews were conducted through theuse of a semi-structured questionnaire matrix. They werefocused, conversational and two-way in communication.The diseases they cure and / or prevent were identified aswell as their mode of administration. The results obtainedrevealed that 44 plant species that belonged to 31 familieshave their leaves valued for medicine and healthmaintenance in the study area. These consisted of 19herbs, 8 shrubs and 17 trees. Field observation revealedthat leaf harvesting in the identified shrubs and trees werenot annihilative as the number of leaves harvested weresubstantially low compared to the number of leavespossessed by these plants hence harvesting was non-predatory to the mother plants. However, leaf harvestingin herbs could be annihilative and predatory, especially inspecies with less number of individuals in the study area.The examination of the respondents’ indigenousknowledge on these species revealed that the specieswould thrive in the study area. Also, the species havemultiple utilities values in the study area that could serveas incentives for their cultivation. Strategies that wouldenhance sustainable supply of the identified species wereproposed.