Botanical characterisation, drug indications and sustainability status of traditional oral powdered herbal formulations in Ogbomoso, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: The foremost requirements in quality control of a herbal drug are its identity and purity. In addition, information is necessary on whether continual exploitation of medicinal herbs for traditional oral powdered herbal formulations (TOPHFs) in Ogbomoso, Nigeria, is sustainable.

Aim: To botanically characterise and ethno-medicinally document the health indications of TOPHFs manufactured in Ogbomoso, as well as to examine the sustainability status of the drugs.

Setting: Ogbomoso, Nigeria.

Methods: Fifteen manufacturers of TOPHFs provided information on the botanical constituents and recipes of their products, the sources of raw material herbs, and types of health conditions treated with the drugs. Sustainability status of the drugs was quantified as relative percentage of the three choices of sources of raw material herbs available to the manufacturers and in terms of conservation status of the plant species as recorded by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Results: Fifty-five medicinal plant species from 33 angiosperm families were used by traditional herbal medical practitioners to produce 68 TOPHFs that are indicated for treating 17 different health conditions. The sources of raw material herbs, in relative terms, were purchased from herbal markets (43.8%), collected from the wild (28.1%) and cultivated (28.1%). Most of the herbs can be sustainably harvested and only 3 (i.e. 5.5%) of the 55 plant species (i.e. Lophira alata Banks ex Gaertn., Khaya senegalensis A. Juss. and Garcinia kola Heckel) are under threatened (vulnerable) species.

Conclusion: Production of TOPHFs in Ogbomoso is sustainable with minimal injury on the natural flora.