Haya: The Saudi Journal of Life Sciences (SJLS)
Volume-2 | Issue-09 | 366-373
Original Research Article
Ethnobotanical Study of Medicinal Plants Used in the Treatment of Vaginal Infections in Four Towns in Cameroon
NDJIB Rosette Christelle, DIBONG Siegfried Didier, MVOGO OTTOU Patrice Brice, NYEGUE Maximilienne Ascension, ETO Bruno
Published : Dec. 30, 2017
Abstract
The main objective of this study is to contribute to the knowledge of plants
with antifungal and antibacterial potentials. Ethnobotanical surveys on the uses of
plants cited in the traditional pharmacopoeia against vaginal infections are conducted
in the markets and districts of four Cameroonian cities. The botanical data collected
was recorded in the Excel 2010 version spreadsheet and processed statistically. A
dendrogram showing the similarity of use of anti vaginitis plants by city and by
respondents was established using the Jaccard similarity coefficient using the XlStat
software. A total of 73 respondents were interviewed. The analysis of the dendrogram
of similarity between the uses of plants in the four cities reveals a comparison
between the knowledge of the respondents of the cities of the Center region and the
dissimilarity between those of the Littoral. Thirty-four (34) plant species belonging to
twenty-eight (28) plant families have been identified and the first is Asteraceae. The
Guineo-Congolese phytogeographic type (12 citations) predominates. Fourteen (14)
diseases and/or symptoms related to the female plant were obtained; Vaginal
infections (33 citations) the first. Traditional medicines prepared are mostly preserved
at room temperature (41%). Sexual intercourse comes first (37%), as a prohibition
that can damage the treatment. Given the upsurge in vaginal infections in Africa, it is
essential to develop a strategy to find effective means of control and especially at a
lower cost to propose an alternative to conventional therapy.