Ethnobotanical Study of Medicinal Herbs Used by the Luguru Tribe Against Various Human Ailments in Morogoro Rural District, Tanzania

Since time immemorial, Tanzanians, particularly the Luguru tribe, have utilised medicinal herbs (MHs) to manage various ailments. However, few ethnobotanical studies have been conducted to document and quantitatively analyze them. This study documents and quantitatively analyzes MHs used by the Luguru people of Morogoro Rural District to address various ailments. The research was conducted between September 2022 and October 2023. Ethnobotanical data on MH were collected from 100 informants identified through the snowball method, employing semistructured interviews, focus group discussions, and field walks. A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and an independent samples <i>t</i>-test were employed to examine statistically significant differences among social demographic variables. Quantitative indices, including family use value (FUV), MH use value (UV), fidelity level (FL), plant part value (PPV), and informant agreement ratio (IAR), were computed. A total of 30 MHs belonging to 13 families were reported to be used for managing various ailments. Asteraceae was the most represented family (seven species, FUV = 2.23). <i>Vernonia amygdalina</i> Del. (Asteraceae) had the highest UV index (0.571), while the root was the most utilised plant part (0.692). Malaria and fever (0.96) and metabolic disorders (0.94) had the highest IAR. The preferred modes of preparation and administration were decoction and oral, respectively. Female, illiterate, and elderly informants possessed significantly higher medicinal knowledge. The study demonstrates that the Luguru people possess a rich understanding of MHs and continue to rely on them to treat various ailments. The MHs with high UV, IAR, and FL can be a foundation for future phytochemical and pharmacological studies.