Traditional Medicinal Vegetables in Northern Uganda: An Ethnobotanical Survey
Background. A wide range of indigenous vegetables grow in Uganda especially during rainy seasons but scarcely during droughts, except those that are commercially grown. Although a number of these vegetables have medicinal values, they have not been satisfactorily studied besides conservation. Theref...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2021-01-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Food Science |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2021/5588196 |
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| author | Rebecca Nakaziba Maxson Kenneth Anyolitho Sharon Bright Amanya Crispin Duncan Sesaazi Frederick Byarugaba Jasper Ogwal-Okeng Paul E. Alele |
| author_facet | Rebecca Nakaziba Maxson Kenneth Anyolitho Sharon Bright Amanya Crispin Duncan Sesaazi Frederick Byarugaba Jasper Ogwal-Okeng Paul E. Alele |
| author_sort | Rebecca Nakaziba |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background. A wide range of indigenous vegetables grow in Uganda especially during rainy seasons but scarcely during droughts, except those that are commercially grown. Although a number of these vegetables have medicinal values, they have not been satisfactorily studied besides conservation. Therefore, we conducted a cross-sectional ethnobotanical survey in Northern Uganda in order to document traditional medicinal vegetables and their uses. Methods. Qualitative and quantitative approaches of data collection and analysis were employed using semistructured, interviewer-administered questionnaires as well as key informant interviews following international ethical codes. Fidelity levels and informant consensus factors were also calculated. Results. 13 traditional vegetables belonging to 10 families were reported to serve as folk medicines. The most dominant families were Fabaceae (23.08%) and Solanaceae (15.38%). The most often used vegetables were Corchorus spp., Hibiscus spp., and Asystasiagangeticafor musculoskeletal (51%), gastrointestinal (34.3%), and malaria (31.8%). The vegetables were cultivated in the backyard and the leaves stewed for the different ailments. The informant consensus factor was the highest for Corchorus spp., in the treatment of joint pain/stiffness (0.92-1) while the highest fidelity level was (60.42%) for Amaranthus spp., in the management of anemia. Conclusions. Northern Uganda has numerous traditional vegetables with medicinal benefits. Diseases treated range from gastrointestinal to reproductive through musculoskeletal abnormalities. The community obtains vegetable leaves from the backyard and stews them regularly for the medicinal purposes with no specific dosage. Therefore, we recommend studies to verify in laboratory models the efficacy of these vegetables and standardize the dosages. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-0ca781a3294449a1abd625d7b9abf55f |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2356-7015 2314-5765 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Food Science |
| spelling | doaj-art-0ca781a3294449a1abd625d7b9abf55f2025-02-03T01:08:57ZengWileyInternational Journal of Food Science2356-70152314-57652021-01-01202110.1155/2021/55881965588196Traditional Medicinal Vegetables in Northern Uganda: An Ethnobotanical SurveyRebecca Nakaziba0Maxson Kenneth Anyolitho1Sharon Bright Amanya2Crispin Duncan Sesaazi3Frederick Byarugaba4Jasper Ogwal-Okeng5Paul E. Alele6Faculty of Health Sciences, Lira University, Lira, UgandaFaculty of Health Sciences, Lira University, Lira, UgandaFaculty of Health Sciences, Lira University, Lira, UgandaDepartment of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Mbarara, UgandaDepartment of Microbiology, Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Mbarara, UgandaFaculty of Health Sciences, Lira University, Lira, UgandaDepartment of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Mbarara, UgandaBackground. A wide range of indigenous vegetables grow in Uganda especially during rainy seasons but scarcely during droughts, except those that are commercially grown. Although a number of these vegetables have medicinal values, they have not been satisfactorily studied besides conservation. Therefore, we conducted a cross-sectional ethnobotanical survey in Northern Uganda in order to document traditional medicinal vegetables and their uses. Methods. Qualitative and quantitative approaches of data collection and analysis were employed using semistructured, interviewer-administered questionnaires as well as key informant interviews following international ethical codes. Fidelity levels and informant consensus factors were also calculated. Results. 13 traditional vegetables belonging to 10 families were reported to serve as folk medicines. The most dominant families were Fabaceae (23.08%) and Solanaceae (15.38%). The most often used vegetables were Corchorus spp., Hibiscus spp., and Asystasiagangeticafor musculoskeletal (51%), gastrointestinal (34.3%), and malaria (31.8%). The vegetables were cultivated in the backyard and the leaves stewed for the different ailments. The informant consensus factor was the highest for Corchorus spp., in the treatment of joint pain/stiffness (0.92-1) while the highest fidelity level was (60.42%) for Amaranthus spp., in the management of anemia. Conclusions. Northern Uganda has numerous traditional vegetables with medicinal benefits. Diseases treated range from gastrointestinal to reproductive through musculoskeletal abnormalities. The community obtains vegetable leaves from the backyard and stews them regularly for the medicinal purposes with no specific dosage. Therefore, we recommend studies to verify in laboratory models the efficacy of these vegetables and standardize the dosages.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2021/5588196 |
| spellingShingle | Rebecca Nakaziba Maxson Kenneth Anyolitho Sharon Bright Amanya Crispin Duncan Sesaazi Frederick Byarugaba Jasper Ogwal-Okeng Paul E. Alele Traditional Medicinal Vegetables in Northern Uganda: An Ethnobotanical Survey International Journal of Food Science |
| title | Traditional Medicinal Vegetables in Northern Uganda: An Ethnobotanical Survey |
| title_full | Traditional Medicinal Vegetables in Northern Uganda: An Ethnobotanical Survey |
| title_fullStr | Traditional Medicinal Vegetables in Northern Uganda: An Ethnobotanical Survey |
| title_full_unstemmed | Traditional Medicinal Vegetables in Northern Uganda: An Ethnobotanical Survey |
| title_short | Traditional Medicinal Vegetables in Northern Uganda: An Ethnobotanical Survey |
| title_sort | traditional medicinal vegetables in northern uganda an ethnobotanical survey |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2021/5588196 |
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