Indigenous knowledge and uses of medicinal plants in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

Background: In Burkina Faso, plant-based products are widely used by city dwellers to treat and/or prevent various diseases and ailments. Due to rapid population growth, the demand for plant products is increasing with high harvesting pressure on medicinal plants. This pressure combined with the erosion of indigenous knowledge related to medicinal use of plants, compromise the conservation and sustainable use of these plants. To this end, this study aimed to develop a checklist of medicinal plants used for human health in cities, as well as their applications. Methods: Ethnobotanical surveys were conducted from March 3, 2020, to December 15, 2020 in the city of Ouagadougou to account for plant availability based on their phenological occurrences. A total of 155 participants involved in traditional medicine (herbalists and healers) were interviewed using semi-structured approach. Results: A total of 42 plant species, comprising herbaceous and wood species were identified as medicinal plants and used for the treatment of seven disease categories. Results also indicated that liver diseases were the main category for which medicinal plants are highly demanded. Leaves and trunk bark were the most commonly used parts. The most frequently cited method of preparation (58%) was decoction. Conclusions: This study revealed that medicinal plant species supports the treatment of diseases for which conventional medicine failed to provide curative solutions such as liver diseases. Our findings are useful for guiding future investigations on quality control of plant-based products in the treatment of diseases by demonstrating their ethnopharmacological relevance. Keywords: Ethnobotany, Traditional medicine, Human health