Some results from ethnobotanical investigation of medicinal plants in Ninh Thuan

Abstract

     Background: Ninh Thuan is a province with diverse terrains with typical climate. Altoghether, they create the richness of the flora. In addition, minority ethnic people, especially Cham and Raglai, have a long tradition of exploiting and using herbal medicines.

    Objectives: To investigate and analyze the situation of exploitation and use of medicinal plants in Ninh Thuan. To contribute to enriching knowledge of medicinal plants of Ninh Thuan.

    Methods: An ethnobotanical survey was conducted between October 2017 and February 2018 following standard ethnobotanical methods. Semi-structured questionnaires were administered to herbalists, herb sellers and traditional medical practitioners. Medicinal plants identified were carried out by comparison with appropriate voucher specimens or to compare with the Vietnam ethnobotanical literature.

    Results:  Natural medicinal plants are widely exploited and used, of which more than 50% of medicinal plants are considered to have the potential for extensive exploitation. There are about 398 species of medicinal plants used mainly for prevention and treatment of diseases. Of these, 54 species were used at high frequencies. The therapeutic uses of these medicinal plants are mainly for inflammatory diseases (20%), colds - cough (18%) and osteoarthritis (11%).

    Conclusion: The results demonstrates that Ninh Thuan is rich in medicinal plant knowledge. In terms of volume of use, medicinal plants make up the majority, but in terms of species diversity, natural medicinal plants account for the majority. There are about 54 species of medicinal plants commonly used in prevention and treatment.