Ethnopharmacological investigation of plants used for the management of childbirth complications in Niger

Abstract

Maternal mortality remains a major public health issue in Africa, and particularly in Niger. The majority of pregnant women in developing countries rely on medicinal plants for their basic health care despite the presence of modern medicine. This study aims to create an inventory of the plants used traditionally to facilitate childbirth in Matamèye and Niamey two localities in Niger. The survey was carried out using a structured pre-designed questionnaires administered to 119 traditional healers’ interviewees in the localities of Matamèye and Niamey. The work was carried out over a period of five months from 01 February to 30 June 2021. The study identified 68 medicinal formulations, most of them being combinations of 2 to 4 different plants. Those formulations are used in the investigated localities for the care of women gestation from pregnancy to delivery. These recipes are formulated from 51 species, divided into 46 genera and 25 families. The most commonly used parts of the listed plants are roots, barks, leaves, seeds and even whole plants. Maceration was the most common method of preparation and the remedies were mainly administered orally. This study highlighted the richness of Niger's biodiversity in plants that could be used in the care of pregnancy. The study revealed that Fabaceae is the most used plants family, with Leptadenia pyrotechnica (Forssk.) Decne being the most used species. Subject to thoughtful biological, pharmacological and chemical investigations, these plants may represent an interesting potential for the discovery of a new natural oxytocic medication.

Keywords

• Pregnancy
• Ethnopharmacology
• Herbal medicines
• Phytotherapy
• Niger