Medicinal Plants Used in the Treatment of High Blood Pressure by Teachers in the Town of Adzope, Côte d’Ivoire
Alain Serge Augustin Ambe
Laboratory of Plant Biology, Department of science and Technology, Higher Normal School, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
Edwige Odoh
Laboratory of Pharmacognosy, Botany and Cryptogamy, Research Unit, Pharmaceutical and Biological Sciences, Felix HOUPHOUËT-BOIGNY University (UFHB), Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
Goldberg Merveille Kouassi *
Laboratory of Pharmacognosy, Botany and Cryptogamy, Research Unit, Pharmaceutical and Biological Sciences, Felix HOUPHOUËT-BOIGNY University (UFHB), Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
Mahamane Haidara
University of Science, Engineering and Technology of Bamako (USTTB), Mali.
Patrice Zerbo
Laboratory of Plant Biology and Ecology, Joseph KI-ZERBO University, Burkina-Faso.
N’guessan Yvette Fofie
Laboratory of Pharmacognosy, Botany and Cryptogamy, Research Unit, Pharmaceutical and Biological Sciences, Felix HOUPHOUËT-BOIGNY University (UFHB), Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
Roland Hervé Kouassi
Laboratory of Plant Biology, Department of science and Technology, Higher Normal School, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Background: High blood pressure remains a major public health issue. The high cost of treatment for this condition has led to the use of medicinal plants.
Aims: This study aims to identify and document medicinal plants traditionally used for the treatment of hypertension.
Materials and Methods: An ethnobotanical survey was carried out in the town of Adzopé, involving 80 secondary school teachers. The random sampling method was used to select the participants interviewed using the semi-structured interview method. A questionnaire was used to collect key information on the respondents' socio-professional status and the plants used, as well as their ethnobotanical characteristics and the effects and efficacy of these plants.
Results: The investigations identified 13 plant species belonging to 12 botanical families. The most common family was Malvaceae, accounting for 15% of the total. The most frequently cited species was Hibiscus sabdariffa (26%). Leaves were the most commonly used plant part (29%), with decoction (51%) being the most frequently used preparation method. The preparations were administered orally only. More than half (61%) of the recipes involved a single daily dose. These plants were rated as moderately effective by 53% of participants, and 23% reported experiencing adverse side effects after using them. Half of the respondents (50%) preferred medicinal plants to conventional medicines.
Conclusion: The survey highlights the medicinal plants used by school staff to treat hypertension in Adzopé. These findings could serve as a basis for phytochemical and pharmacological evaluations to validate the traditional use of these plants, which may represent a therapeutic alternative.
Keywords: Medicinal plants, high blood pressure, Adzopé (Côte d’Ivoire)