Phytomedicine Plus (Aug 2023)
Cross-sectional ethnobotanical survey of plants used by traditional health practitioners for snakebite case management in two regions of Burkina Faso
Abstract
Background: Ophidian envenomation is a public health problem mainly in sub-Saharan African countries. The high cost of antivenom and/or its frequent unavailability in primary health care centres forces most snakebite victims to consult traditional healers for medicinal plants as a first-line treatment. Purpose: This study aimed to identify medicinal plants used by traditional healers in the Hauts-Bassins and Southwest regions of Burkina Faso to manage snakebite cases and repel snakes. Study design: A cross-sectional ethnobotanical survey was carried out from May to December 2022. We included 117 participants from the Hauts-Bassins and Southwest regions. The participants were traditional health practitioners. We used a questionnaire administered during interviews, and the responses of health practitioners were entered on an Excel sheet. Knowledge was assessed quantitatively using relative citation frequency. Results: Of the total enrolled traditional health practitioners, 65 were recruited in the Hauts-Bassins region, and 52 were recruited in the Southwest region. The majority of participants were male (84.61%, 99/117). More than 80% (94/117) of the participants were illiterate, and 90% (105/117) stated that they had received their knowledge from their ancestors. A total of 31 plant families, subdivided into 58 species, were mentioned by the two groups of traditional healers. Polygalaceae (28.2%) was the most frequently mentioned family, followed by Annonaceae (14.52%) and Fabaceae (13.67%). Roots were the plant part most used by traditional healers for remedy preparation, with a percentage of 68.96% (40/58). The route of administration was mostly oral, with warm water, slurry and/or tamarind juice. For the repellent, the most common method of use was by spraying. Conclusions: Our results showed that plants belonging to the Polygalaceae family were most commonly used in the Southwest and Hauts-Bassins regions in snakebite case management by traditional practitioners. Comprehensive pharmacological and toxicological studies need to be carried out on the reported medicinal plants to contribute to the well-being of local communities in tropical and subtropical areas.
