Abstract

An ethnobotanical survey was conducted in two phases in the Dja region in 1995 and 2000. A total of 63 herbalists prescribed 45 plants and 84 recipes in the treatment of jaundice. These plants are distributed in 44 genera and 31 botanical families. The fact that a same plant species be mentioned by different persons or by the same persons after five years for treating the same ailment, is a credibility index which can be attributed to that plant species. Annickia chlorantha, Harungana madagascariensis, Carica papaya, Bidens pilosa, Cassia alata, Coffea canephora, Emilia coccinea are such plant species. A. chlorantha and H. madagascariensis are also confirmed in the literature to possess effective chemical compounds against jaundice. Some 34.5% of the recipes cited were also indicated by healers to possess diuretic, purgative or vomitive effect. Such effects are confirmed in the literature for E. coccinea andH. madagascariensis. These results lead credibility to the folk medicine use in the Dja Reserve, and to the method used to identify medicinal plants indicated in traditional medicine.

Key words: Medicinal plants, herbalists, common usage, Dja biosphere reserve, jaundice.