Abstract

Ethno-botanical survey is a process of obtaining information on the use of medicinal plants from grassroots. The aim of this research was to document medicinal plants used traditionally in the management of neuropsychiatric disorders across Northwestern Nigeria. A semi-structured questionnaire was administered to the population of traditional medicine practitioners (TMPs), herbalists and herb sellers. The questionnaire comprised up of demographic information (Section A), description of the medicinal plants (Section B), and professional experience of the respondents (Section C). The data obtained was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 24. A total of 127 TMPs, herbalists and herb sellers were interviewed from Kano state, 59 from Katsina state and 40 from Kaduna state. Majority of the respondents were Hausa, males and aged between 41-50 years. The practice was inherited by 83% of the respondents from Kano, 58% from Katsina and 70% from Kaduna. While only few of them received formal education. A total of 50 different medicinal plants use in treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders were documented in Kano state, 23 from Katsina state, and 17 from Kaduna state. Overall, the most mentioned medicinal plants include Securidaca longepedunculata, Jatropha curcas, Solanum aethiopicum, Artemesia annua, Terminalia macroptera, Aristolochia albida, Allium sativum, and Nigella Sativa. The most reported families were Combretaceae, Moraceae, Fabaceae, Aristolochiaceae, Solanaceae and Euphorbiaceae. Prominent mental disorders documented include insomnia, epilepsy, mental illness and evil spirit. Anxiety and depression were least reported. In conclusion, there is abundance of medicinal plants for treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders in the Northwestern Nigeria. This suggested the need to scientifically experiment them and if found to be effective they can be used as lead material for the development of herbal medicine for the management of mental illness.