ethnobotanical survey of the takamanda forest reserve - Impact ...

Fever
This includes malaria, and other feverish conditions. As in most tropical rain forest fever is very
recurrent in this zone. The presence of many blood-sucking insects like mosquitoes, tsetse flies,
midges, and the absence of mosquito nets and other repellents are surely the cause of the high
prevalence of fevers within the project area.
The inability of the villagers to distinguish between fevers may have resulted to the dead of
many. Typhoid fever, a deadly disease was not clearly sighted throughout the survey. This shows
that any case of typhoid fever can be mistaken to be malaria or other minor fevers thereby making
it impossible for appropriate treatment to be administered.
Most people are aware of at least one plant species used in the treatment of one form of fever.
The following species are used as a remedy for feverish conditions in children: Annickia
chlorantha, Kalanchoe crenata, Nephrolepis biserrata, Solenostemon monostachyus and,
Spermacoce monticola.
The treatments are administered by warming and massaging, oral application, or through a steam
bath.
Baby problems
Child delivery is still handled in the most traditional way within the Project Area. This, together
with the unhygienic conditions, exposes newborn babies to various illnesses. The society through
traditional medicine has developed many methods (though not really effective) to combat these
situations. Common diseases of babies with noted cures are: cough, purge, constipation, navel
pains, dysentery, jetty-jetty and convulsion.
Where a baby's anus becomes red, commonly known as jetty-jetty, the leaves of Ageratum
conizoides are squeezed and administered orally. Enema is prepared with the following species to
treat pancreatic complications: Anchomanes difformis, Angylocalyx talbotti, Schumaniophytum
magnificum and Masularia accuminata.
For the navel complications of children, use is made of the leaves of Clerodendrum sp. while the
leaves of Solenostemon monostachyus are squeezed in oil and used to rub a baby for vitality.
4.4 Description of Some Ethnobotanically Important Medicinal Species
This section sets out above all to provide both theoretical and practical ways of identifying some
species highlighted as important forest resources. It also gives the uses of these plants in other
localities (Irvine, 1961).
Acanthus montanus (Nees) T. Anders
Herb of about 30cm high. The leaves are deeply lobed, spiny. The inflorescence is terminal. The
flowers are white. It is mostly found in the understorey of secondary growth and in the fallow.
Alchornea cordifolia (Schum. & Thonn.) Muell.
It is a multi-stemmed, almost climbing shrub or small spreading tree up to 6-8m. Petiole long
leaves broadly ovate and cordate with gland in axils of basal nerves. Flowers greenish white,
often dioeciously. The fruits are greenish. It is a widely used medicinal plant in West Africa. The
roots are used on the coast with other medicaments for jaundice, leprosy and snakebites. With
young leaves, white clay and pepper it is given as an enema to check abortion. A decoction of
leafy twigs is a wash for feverish chills, rheumatic pains and sores and is applied as a lotion or
poultice to sore feet.
18