PubMed · 2026-04-24
Researchers documented 102 medicinal plant species used by communities in a remote Ethiopian national park region, finding that traditional healing knowledge is threatened by deforestation and agricultural expansion — and that this knowledge is concentrated among older, male, and less formally educated community members.
102 medicinal plant species from 48 families were documented, with Fabaceae (8%), Asteraceae (7%), and Solanaceae (6%) being the most represented families.
Informant consensus factor (ICF) was highest for external injuries (0.89) and neurological disorders (0.86), indicating strong community agreement on plant treatments for these conditions.
Medicinal plant knowledge was significantly concentrated among key informants, men, older individuals, and those without formal education (p ≤ 0.001), signaling a fragile transmission chain.
