Ethno botanical study of medicinal plants and associated indigenous knowledge in Hurumu district, Illu abba bora zone, Oromia regional state, Southwestern Ethiopia

Indigenous knowledge refers to the accumulation of knowledge, rule, standards, skills, and mental sets, which are possessed by local people in a particular area. Indigenous knowledge develops by indigenous people in the processes of their interaction with their environment and the science ethinomedicine developed gradually having its origin in the indigenous medicinal practices. This research was initiated to document indigenous knowledge associated with traditional medicinal plants; specifically to identify the plant parts used for medicinal purposes and investigate plant species that are used as medicines for the treatment of human livestock health problems. Traditional healers in the study area was interviewed to gather information on the knowledge and use of medicinal plants used as a remedy for human and livestock diseases. Majority of informants’ age ranged between 40 to 75 ages, a total of 87 traditional medicinal plant species distributed in 73 genera and 46 botanical families were collected and documented, 43 (49.4%) were herbs, Lamiaceae was the most dominant medicinal plant family reported (with 11 species), Among the total traditional medicinal plants, 56 species (64.4%) were used against human diseases, The majority of plant species reported in the study area (80.7%) were harvested from the wild, Most of the traditional practitioners of the study area reported that the highest and the most commonly cited source of healing was from family, which accounts (65.79%), leaves were the dominant plant part used to prepare remedies (54.77%), followed by roots (10.64%), The result in the conditions of plant part used indicated that 73.56% were used in fresh form, Traditional healers reported to process remedies mainly through crushing (32.2%), Locally available and widely used medicinal plants would need to be identified and a list compiled as well as propagated to alleviate the risk of extinction due to accelerated urbanization, recurring drought and deforestation.