American Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences Research (AJHSSR)
2018
American Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences Research (AJHSSR) e-ISSN :2378-703X Volume-02, Issue-07, pp-56-70 www.ajhssr.com
Research Paper
Open Access
Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices among People of RUHANGO District towards Medicinal Plants Hosee NIYOMPANO, Amon NIYONAGIZE and Dr. Enock NIYONDAMYA ABSTRACT: This research was directed to the knowledge, attitudes and practices among people of Ruhango District towards medicinal plants. The main objective of our research was to determine the level of knowledge, attitudes and practices of people of Ruhango District towards medicinal plants. The research was designed to give answers to the following research questions: Do people of Ruhango District have enough knowledge about the use of medicinal plants? How do Traditional healers practice dosage? Do Traditional healers have knowledge about hygiene appropriate to the usage? And what are attitudes of Traditional healers towards medicinal plants usage? The objectives pursued while conducting this research were as follows: To verify if the Traditional healers have enough knowledge about use of traditional medicines; to evaluate Traditional healers’ practice about dosage; to determine the level of knowledge about hygiene appropriate to the usage and to evaluate attitudes of Traditional healers towards medicinal plants usage. The following hypotheses were framed to guide the research: People of Ruhango District do not have enough knowledge about the use of medicinal plants; Traditional healers do not practice dosage correctly; Traditional healers do not have knowledge about hygiene appropriate to the usage. Based on the results obtained from this study, the people of Ruhango District have knowledge about the use of medicinal plants. Concerning the practice of correct dosage, the producers of traditional medicine know the quantity given to the children and to the adults but they do not know well how to measure the doses. About appropriate hygiene, the Traditional healers do not have knowledge about hygiene appropriate to the usage.
KEY WORDS: Medicinal plants, Tradition medicine, Traditional Therapy, Phytotherapy and Traditional healer
I.
INTRODUCTION
The entire Earth is a vast garden. Apart from their ornamental role, flowers and plants whose some contain medicinal properties, contribute to health and welfare of human being [1]. World Health Organization considers ”Medicinal plants” all plants containing in one or more organs substances that may be used in therapeutic issues in chemical pharmaceutical synthesis [1]. The great wealth of plant world is revealed in medicinal principles that are unequally located in different parts or organs of plants [1]. Medicinal plant species are regarded as the sources of well- known and medically useful secondary products in broad spectrum microbial infections. They act as the pain killers and depressants with high potency in the management of ailments in humans. Generally, drug plants are unique for containing compounds that are endproduct of long biosynthetic pathways and are usually not needed in such plants’ metabolic processes. David and Heywood (1963) reported that these compounds called secondary metabolites include: alkaloids, flavonoids, glycosides, essential oils and other organic constituents [2]. These constituents are usually produced in different parts of the plants like the roots, leaves, fruits and seeds and then translocated to other parts of plant for storage [3] . It is a habit in developing countries including Rwanda to use herbal medicine just because either it is not easy for them to pay hospitals or they must make a very long distance to go to see a doctor. Some people also have mentalities that traditional drugs are powerful that modern ones. They are the possible alternatives to chemically synthetic drugs to which many infectious microorganisms become resistant. Similarly, during the last ten years the pace of development of new antimicrobial drugs has slowed down, while prevalence of resistance (especially multiple) has increased astronomically [4]. The increase in number of antibiotic resistant bacteria is no longer matched by expansion in the arsenal of agents available to treat infections. All drugs of the past were substances with a particular therapeutic action extracted from plants. Thus, medicinal plants may be defined as any plant that can be put to culinary or medicinal use such as fox glove, opium poppy, and garlic [5]. More and more researchers find that food and their individual constituent perform similar fashion to modern drugs and sometimes better without the dreaded side effects [6].
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