A Report on the THETA Uganda- Makerere University Medicinal Plant Families Book of Uganda Introduction Main Objectives of plant field survey

Transcription

1 A Report on the THETA Uganda- Makerere University Medicinal Plant Families Book of Uganda Introduction Makerere University College of health sciences, approach THETA Uganda, as a partner to complete the writing of the book medicinal plant families of Uganda, that would detail over 60 medicinal plant families. The book would be the first of its genre in the region and is a result of decades of research, reading and teaching. The book is seen to be invaluable resource to a number of people such as pharmacists and pharmacy students, botanists and ethnobotanists, natural product producers, environmentalists and conservationists to mention but a few. THETA Uganda, under the Training and Capacity Department focuses on promotion of evidence based and ethical practice in African Traditional medicine through research, training and stakeholder engagements. Under its strategic objective; documentation of indigenous traditional medical knowledge, THETA Uganda decided to take part in the project Main Objectives of plant field survey 1. Collect specimen of about 60 medicinal plant families and over 200 species 2. Collect herbarium specimen of each family and representative species. 3. Determine a simple yet comprehensive profiling of all the collected plant species Progress One of the objectives was to obtain at least one specimen from 67 plant families. So far, the team has managed to get 35 species of each family and a total of 55 specimen of medicinal plants. The plants identified as medicinal are collected from field, preserved in a plant press, dried and taken for identification to the national herbarium at Makerere University. So far, 3 regions have been surveyed; Central, Northern and Eastern Regions of Uganda. Below is a brief collection of what happened on field. 1. Central region Entebbe Wildlife Education Center- Botanical garden and Entebbe Botanical Garden (16 th /09/2016) Entebbe Wildlife Education Center- Botanical garden The garden was visited as this was a garden started to represent the plants commonly found and used in the central region of Uganda. Also, it s an education center by the Government of Uganda in effort to bring awareness to the conservation of wild plant species. The plant species that where collected include; Mimosa pudica, Aloe ferox, Catharanthus roseas, Vernonia amygadalina, Bidens pilosa.

2 Entebbe Botanical Garden The first activity was done within the central region of Uganda. The purpose was to find the common medicinal plants found within the region Cymbopogan stratus, Aloe vera, Azadirachta indica, Lavandula angustifolia,and Mentha piperita. Gomba district and Kajjansii, Entebbe (28 th /09/2017). Gomba district A garden planted by the community members was visited. The garden was an initiation by the local council 1 to conserve and protect their indigenous knowledge and has been in existence for 10 years. When the team visited, the garden was Warbugia ugandensis, Lantara camara, Prunus africana, Erthrythina abyssinca, Lantana trifolia, and Ricinus communis. Lantara camara Erthrythina abyssinica

3 Harvested bark of a Warbugia ugandensis A fruiting Warbugia ugandensis

4 Kajjansi, Ssisaa Herbalist was Mr. Kato Abby who lead us through this garden of medicinal plants. Mr. Kato Abby is a practicing herbalist who mainly distills oils from rosemary using a local distiller. He has plants such as Rosmarinus offinalis (Rosemary), Hypericum perforatum (St. John s wart), Curcuma amada (mango ginger), Centella asiatica, Cinnamomum verum (cinnamon), Ethrythina abyssica, and Eucalyptus globulus, Galisoga parvilflora and Callistemon citrinus (bottlebrush tree) Hypericum perforatum (St. John s wart) Centella asiatica branch. A young Cinnamomum verum (cinnamon). See the red-brown leaves at the end of

5 Challenges i. The long drought leading to poor growth of the plants. ii. The distance of the medicinal garden in Ssissa from the main road was had to penetrate. 2. Northern region Packwach and Nebbi 4 th -6 th /09/2016 In Packwach, not many people are in the practice of herbal medicine and also planting medicinal plants for conservation. The team went into the natural habitats, of the plants travelling from Packwach to Nebbi. Some of the plants that where found are; Tamarindus indica, Canarium schweinfurti, Kigelia africanna, Sesanum indicum (simsim), Capsicum frutescens (chillis), Datura stramonium, Psidium guajava (guava), Vitellaria paradoxa (shear butter tree), Abelmoschus esculentus (okra). Sesamum indicum (simsim) in wild Young fruit of Vitellaria paradoxa (shear butter)

6 Kigelia africanna (sausage tree) growing in the wild A lot of plant specimen were collected from this region for herbarium specimen. Also some specimen where taken for identification. 3. Eastern region Iganga district Kabasanda town, Kagutwe Village, 9th/02/2017 The herbalist, specializing in essential oil extraction from Cympobogan citronella. The plants that where available in the medicinal garden included Cympobogan citronella and Rosemarinus officinalis Challenges i. Long dry spell therefore only few flowering plants. No plant specimen where collected from Eastern region. Steps forward

7 1. The identification process of the plant specimen taking place at Makerere University National Herbarium, thereafter storage. 2. Take the plant specimen to the laboratory to check the pharmacological characteristics of the medicinal plants 3. Visit to Kasese and Bundibuyo to cover the Western Region of Uganda