ETHNOBOTANICAL STUDY ON MEDICINAL PLANTS USED BY LOCAL COMMUNITIES IN SHASHEMENE DISTRICT, WEST ARSI ZONE OF OROMIA REGION, ETHIOPIA

Ethiopia is a country characterized by a wide range of climate and ecological conditions, possesses enormous diversity of fauna and flora. An ethnobothanical study was carried out to document information on the use of medicinal plants by local communities in Shashamane district, West Arsi Zone of Oromia Region, Ethiopia. The main method of study was semi-structured interview and discussion with informants from among Shashamane elders and healers. A total of 125 plants species belonging to 59 families were identified for their medicinal value, 45 species (36%) were Tree, 37 species (30%) were Herbs and 35 species (28%) were shrubs. Very few climbers 8 species; (6%) are used in the local traditional medical practices. The result shows plant species belonging to the families Fabaceae and Lamiaceae are most used. A total of 89 (71.2%) plant species are used for treatment of human ailments and 15 (12%) species are used for treatment of Livestock diseases and 21 (16.8%) species are used for treatment of both human and veterinary diseases. About 66 (52.8%) and 22 (17.6%) of the reported medicinal plants are taken orally and dermal respectively. Most of the plant species are wild, which is 79 plant species (63.2%) and 15 plant species (12%) are cultivated, and 21 species (16.8%) are both wild and cultivated which indicate that local people have little practice of bringing medicinal plants under cultivation. The prepared traditional drugs are administered through different routes of administration. The major routes of administration in the study area include; oral, dermal, nasal, Tooth and ocular. Oral administration is the dominant route (52.2%) followed by dermal route (27.6%). Some of the medicinal plant species were in the study area have multiple uses such as fuel wood, construction, overgrazing and charcoal production, and thus these plants are found under threats. The threats of medicinal plant species is main reason to the loss of the associated knowledge. It is therefore, recommended that interventions that promote traditional medicinal practices and those that help conservation of medicinal plants and local knowledge should be undertaken.