ETHNOBOTANICAL INVESTIGATION OF INDIGENOUS PLANTS USED IN THE MANAGEMENT OF SOME INFANT ILLNESSES IN IBADAN , SOUTH-WESTERN NIGERIA *

Background: Ethnobotanical information on indigenous plants used in the management of infant illnesses was sourced from Bode herbal market in Ibadan South-western Nigeria to preserve indigenous knowledge of medicinal plants, and demonstrate the role of traditional medicine as complementary healthcare system. Methods: Information was gathered using periodic open-ended questionnaire and personal interview. The respondents were randomly selected and consist, fifteen (15) women herb sellers (of between 25-50, age range) who prescribed workable recipes used in the management of scalp infections, abscess, convulsion and cold shivers. The recipes documented are enumerated and served as groundbreaking preparations in infant diseases’ management. Results: The survey yielded 48 plant species belonging to 31 plant families. The family Fabaceae has the highest number of species followed by Combretaceae, Meliaceae, Euphorbiaceae. The leaves and roots constituted the frequency of plant parts used; while the stem has the least frequency. The methods of preparation purposefully cited were decoction, infusion, and soap; others include steeping in cold water and cream whereas the solvent of choice was water. A particular brand of bottle water was preferable for herbal preparation. Other ingredients cited include soft traditional black soap, sulphur, Shea butter, antimony/black lead ore, and local sponge. Method of administration and dosage involves diluting extracts from infusion or decoction in higher parts of water – to be drunk, as well as for bath. Conclusion and Application of Results: The study documented indigenous knowledge of plants used in the management of infants’ ailments. Results showed that herbal medicines have played and will continue to play significant roles as alternative or complementary healthcare delivery system. There is need for the sensitization of indigenous people on the conservation of plant resources especially in cases where the root (part) features in prescriptions. A regulatory measure for herbal practitioners as well as public enlightenment is recommended to help sustain and increase the awareness in herbal therapy to different audience. Again, the isolation and identification of active compounds as well as evaluative toxicity test could reveal and confirm indigenous claims by assurring safety in administration.


Introduction
"Infant" is a Latin derivative of "infans" which means "unable to speak" (Johnson and Blasco, 1997).The period of infancy covers the time of birth up to two years.Most paediatric ailments have been associated with witchcraft, sorcery, evil eye and/or the "abiku" mentality especially when they lead to death of the affected infant.The cultural belief in management of some childhood diseases have been investigated by several workers in this field, notable among these are Feyisetan et al. (1997) and Ubomba-Jeswa (1998).According to Gupta and Gupta (2001), two external forces determine the health status of a child: the physical environment and the interconnected systems of customs, habits and superstitious belief.However, every culture has a system of healthcare delivery for infants/children.The inadequacy of western medicine in many areas, especially the less developed countries have led to a renewed interest in the use of herbal remedies for the management of common ailments.
Scalp problems and diseases affect majority of children around the world, especially those within schools and child care centres.These scalp conditions can affect the head from the neck region to the ears, and sometimes up to the forehead (Magalhaes et al., 2011).The symptoms associated with scalp disorders can be unpleasant, especially for school children.Some scalp infections in children include: dandruff, head lice, ringworm, cradle cap, scalp eczema etc. Problems like dandruff can lead to extreme itching and white flakes on the dark uniform, causing the child a lot of embarrassment and ridicule at school.Again, skin diseases are a common cause of morbidity, especially among school children, worldwide.Although skin disease is rarely lethal, it can have a significant impact in terms of treatment cost, days absent from school, and psychological distress (Amin et al., 2011;Clore et al., 1990).Several factors have been reported to be responsible for skin problems in primary school children in different parts of the world (Amin et al., 2011;Ebomoyi, 1994;Kottenhahn et al., 1994;Popescu et al., 1999;Wegner et al., 1994).
Minor forms of convulsion, referred to by mothers as "screaming convulsions", "inward convulsions", etc. may be the first sign of coming danger, in infants as they grow into adulthood (Chown, 1926).An abscess is a tender mass generally surrounded by a colour area from pink to deep red.Abscesses are often easy to feel by touch.The mid-point of an abscess is full of pus and debris; and this condition is common and widespread in infants.
In the recent years, traditional societal approaches have taught us relevant treatment plan for common and persistent illnesses such as malaria, measles, tuberculosis, diarrhoea etc.Many of these diseases are preventable; however, when new episodes break out, herbal products may serve as potent measures to arrest them.Although, orthodox medical practise does not subscribe to the use of herbal products especially with respect to inadequate standardization and dosage profile, yet, traditional societies -rural and/or semi-urban -have testified to the efficacy of these products.Minor ailments like sore throat, fever, cough and diarrhoea can be treated with cheap and readily available traditional medicines without consulting medical practitioners; when a child becomes ill, the parents are often influenced by their knowledge of the ailments (Dawood, 2010).In Nigeria, parents get medical advice highlights from the media (Nigerian dailies), friends, family tradition and other relevant sources including well established government hospitals and health centres.In the case of traditional medicines, herb sellers, traditional medical practitioners, herbalists, child-birth attendants are the most consulted.Information on the use of herbal formulation in the treatment of some of these ailments is usually fragmentary.This study aimed at documenting the indigenous plants used as well as their methods of preparation and administration.

Materials and Methods
Ethno-botanical survey of plants used in the management of infants (children's) ailments such as: scalp infections, abscess, convulsion, cold shivers was conducted in Bode, Ibadan -South-western Nigeria.Since the sample area is large, a sampling method was used; this is known to be the most suitable means of generating data.Random sampling technique with semi-structured questionnaire was used for data collection.The field study was conducted between June 2013 and September 2013.Fifteen (15) women herb sellers (of age range between 25-50) were interviewed and ethnobotanical information regarding the recipe/plant species, local names of the plants, parts used, method of preparation and administration was systematically documented.Plants implicated were collected, dried and pressed; identified and authenticated using standard reference texts (Gbile, 1989;Akobundu and Agyakwa, 1998).Specimens were deposited in the Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria Herbarium (FHI).

Study Site
The geographical location of the study site is presented in

Results
The survey yielded 48 plant species belonging to 31 plant families.The family Fabaceae has the highest number of species followed by Combretaceae, Meliaceae, Euphorbiaceae.Amaryllidaceae, Poaceae, Rutaceae, Sapindaceae, Araceae have two (2) species each while other plant families are each represented by a lone species (Fig. 1).The leaves and roots contributed to the frequency of plant parts used while the stem has the least frequency (Fig. 2).The semi-structured questionnaire was administered to randomly select fifteen (15) women (herb sellers) whose age ranged from 25 to 50.Recipes used to manage infant illnesses were systematically documented.Initially, two recipes were obtained from each of the respondents, totalling 30 treatment combinations.This report presents 15 distinct recipes herein referred to as miscellaneous/assorted.The remaining 15 are regarded as more or less duplication of the ones reported here.The opened fruit of Xylopia aethiopica featured in virtually all the recipes.This is suggestive of its wide application in the treatment of common ailments.The methods of preparation cited were decoction, infusion and soap, while the solvent of choice was water.The respondents mentioned a particular brand of bottle water which they believe is pure enough for herbal preparation.Other materials/ingredients cited include: soft traditional black soap, sulphur, Shea butter, antimony/black lead ore, and local sponge.Method of administration and dosage involves diluting extracts from infusion or decoction in higher parts of water -to be drunk as well as for bath.Other methods of preparation include steeping in cold water, soap and cream.The recipes are enumerated as follows:  (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9), abscess (10)(11)(12)(13), ringworm (12), convulsion (14) and cold shivers (15).Table 1 presents the local names, botanical names, families and plant parts used in the management of these ailments peculiar to children.

Conclusion
Recommendations have been made that the use of herbal therapy in the prevention and cure of infants illnesses should be given significant attention not only because of their potencies but owing to their availability and affordable status.A regulatory measure for both herbal practitioners and the public is encouraged as this will endear herbal therapy to the populace.

Fig. 1 .
The basis of selection was that the site is a popular herbal market in Ibadan, with practising women herb sellers.Ibadan lies within latitude 7° 19′ 08′′ and 7° 29′ 25′′ of the equator and longitude 3° 47′ 50′′ and 4° 0′ 22′′ at a distance of about 154km North-East of Lagos.The temperature range is between 27 0 C and 32 0 C with relative humidity of about 75% to 90%.Ibadan metropolis consists of five local Government areas, namely Ibadan North, Southeast, North-West South-East and South West respectively (Famuyide et al., 2011), with a population of 2,550,593 people (NBS, 2006), where majority are traders.Ibadan had been the centre of administration of the old Western Region.The principal inhabitants of the city are the Yoruba people, with its strategic location on the railway line connecting Lagos to Kano.The city is a major center for trade in scent leaf, pepper, tomato, onion, leafy vegetables and spices.The main industries in the area include the processing of agricultural products (Usman et al., 2011).

15 Figure 1 :
Figure 1: Percentage distribution (according to family) of plants used in the management of infants' ailments in Ibadan.

Figure 2 :
Figure 2: Frequency of plant parts used in the management of infants' ailments in Ibadan.

For drinking -5cl, 3 times daily. Also for bath.
Scrape any two opposite sides of Tetrapleura tetraptera and grind with the other plants' parts and mix the powder with the soap.Administration: For bath.

Table 1 :
Plants used in the management of infants' illnesses in Ibadan Southwestern Nigeria.