Ethnobotany of Okomu Forest Reserve, Edo State, Nigeria

: An ethnobotanical survey of useful plants was conducted in Okomu forest reserve, with a view to documenting indigenous knowledge of medicinal plants used by the inhabitants of the communities and enclaves around the reserve. Information were obtainedfrom 106 structurally designed questionnaires, which were administered to different individuals and thereafter analysed using descriptive statistics. A total of 90 angiosperm species in belonging to 45 families were identified to be useful in the management of various ailments within the study area. Euphorbiaceae and the Legumes constituted the highest species occurrence while the largest number of plant families (22) had only one species each represented. Further findings showed that the leaves and stem bark are the most useful parts of the plants while the flower and pith were the least useful. In general, the trees were the most useful of all plant habits followed by the herbs and the shrubs. While this work reflects the biodiversity richness of the study area and its environs, it also suggests the enforcement of conservation strategies as a measure to mitigate species loss.

Herbal medicine is practised in many countries including Nigeria.A survey conducted in old Oyo State revealed that traditional medicine blends readily into the socio-cultural life of the people, in whose culture it is deeply rooted (Sofowora, 1993).Cunningham (1993) and WHO (2003) noted that the reliance on medicinal plants is partly owing to the high cost of modern drugs, inaccessibility of modern health institutions and due to cultural acceptability of the system.However, as time went on, the traditional knowledge about useful plants in many countries are gradually being depleted for reasons mainly attributed to environmental degradation and deforestation.Sood et al., (2001) also opined that a great deal of information about the traditional uses of plants is still intact with tribal peoples, but the native healers are often reluctant to accurately share their knowledge to outsiders.Another study by UNCTAD/Gatt (1974) had earlier shown that 60% of medicinal products are derived from plants (including microbes).Indeed, Nigeria has a great deal of flora diversity which are yet to be explored.Most Nigerian urban dwellers, due to changes imposed by modern life on social structures and attitudes, reject the efficacies of traditional medicine.However, Olapade and Bakare (1992) earlier noted that the prevailing economic recession in the country has forced large number of the populace to accepttraditional medicine because of the high cost of orthodox drugs.This has also increased the cost of herbal plants coupled with the high rate of deforestation, thereby making these plants almost unavailable.Okomu Forest Reserve is particularly rich in biodiversity.The wildlife sanctuary occupies the core of the reserve which was previously being managed by Nigerian Conversation Foundation (NCF), but now by the National Park Services.Fortunately, the Wildlife Sanctuary encloses the Permanent Sample Plot (PSP) of Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria (FRIN).The Wildlife Sanctuary is the safest part of the reserve at present because of mounting pressures by illegal timber extraction, the proposed Mitchelin Rubber Plantation, Iyayi Rubber Plantation and the Okomu Oil Palm Plantatiion on the remaining part of the reserve.This study centres on the ethnobotany of this important Forest Reserve with emphasis on ethno-medicine, as practiced by the communities around the Forest Reserve.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Study area:The study area is located in Edo state and lies between latitude 6 º N and 6 º 10'N, and longitudes 5 º E and 5 º 30'E (Figure 1).It is about 50 km West of Benin City and bounded by rivers Siluko and Osse to the west and east respectively.The region consists of a sandy coastal plain generally bellow 400 m above sea level (Udo, 1990, Soladoye et al., 1993).It is also characterized by tropical climate with a mean annual rainfall of about 2100 mm, mean temperature of about 30.2ºC, and a high relative humidity which is less than 65% during the afternoon throughout the year (Soladoye et al., 1993).Collection and identification of species: Fourteen out of twenty-four communities/enclaves were sampled for this study based on their proximity to Okomu Forest Reserve.These were Iguobauwa, Udo, Ofunama, A.T. & P Camp, Siluko, Iguomwan, Irhuebor, Mile 3, Arakwan, Nikrowa, Ugbo, Etete, Ugolo, and Ikoka.Information were gathered with the aid of structurally designed questionnaires, to various individuals who are knowledgeable about the useful plants within the study area.The questionnaires were administered to a total of 106 respondents, through oral interview and their responses were carefully marked.Plants species reported were collected from the Permanent Sample Plot (PSP) of the Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria (FRIN), fallow farmland and Agroforestry Plots where other areas of research investigations were carried out during this study.Repeated visits were made to the communities/enclaves of the reserve, the first point of call being the head of each community/enclave around the reserve known as "Ojionwele".In most cases, the other community council members were intimated with the aims and objectives of our investigation before we went about the community interviewing different individuals with indigenous knowledge about medicinal plants and their uses, especially the elderly ones (Table 1).
The collected plants were also displayed to allow interested people of all ages to participate in our investigation.Nonetheless, all plant species were collected and identified at the Forest Herbarium Ibadan (FHI), listed in Holmgren et al., (1990).The information on the uses and local names of the plants were gathered and adequately presented in Table 2.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
A total of 90 species belonging to 44 families were obtained from the survey.Only one family had 7 species, one had 5 species, four families had 4 species each, six families had 3 species each, eleven families had 2 species each, while the remaining twenty-two families had 1 species represented each.In general, Euphorbiaceae had the highest number of species represented (7.8%), followed by Ceasalpinioideae (5.6%).However, the Legumes (Caesalpinioideae, Mimosoideae and Papilionioideae) comprised 12.2% of the total species (Table 3).The various uses of these plants and the parts used are shown in Figure 1 and 2 respectively.The medicinal uses scored highest with about 45%, followed by fuel wood 37%, while timber constituted 7%.The leaves were mostly used and were readily available than other plant parts.The occurrence of plant habits in the four land used forms are also shown in Fig. 3. Generally, trees recorded the highest number of species, followed by herbs.Nonetheless, this does not necessarily mean that the population of trees is the highest in all the land used forms but this is in relation to the available ethnobotanical information.Further results on Figs 4 shows the percentage occurrence of the different plant habits in the land used types.This revealed that PSP had the highest number of trees, while shrubs were more in Agroforestry, and the herbs were the same for both Agroforestry and fallow land respectively.The implication of these results is that each of the land used types could meet the needs of the people without much pressure on the PSP.In reality, there was low ethnobotanical knowledge of plants that were strictly from PSP, though some of them were on sale and were mostly used by the full time herbalists.A total of 106 persons were interviewed (Table 1) and most of the respondents were above 45 years of age.The Aged couples constituted the highest number of the total respondents (34%), while the herbalists had the least (17%).This small number of herbalists is attributed to the fact that many of them require incentives before they can be willing to divulge useful information regarding the medicinal uses of these plants.The herb sellers in contrast were willing to provide some information since they knew it will promote their trade.

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Fleurya    Rauvolfia The communities depended heavily on the traditional Health Care System since health centres existed in only 3 of the communities with highest population, viz: Udo, Igbuobazua and Siluko and these are far away from most of the communities.The medicinal plants were prepared in different formulations such as ointment, liquid preparations, powdered materials, infusion etc.Many of the plants listed in this study had earlier been reported also to be medicinally useful in other areas within the country.Some of such include the works of Gills (1992), Adesina et al., (1995) Okoli et al., (2007), Odugbemi (2008), Soladoye et al., (2010a,b), Ugbogu et al., (2010), Soladoye et al., (2012), Soladoye et al., (2014).
Further observations during the present study showed that the knowledge of medicinal plants for malaria, children's and pregnant women's ailments was very high and their preparations were readily available as first aid in nearly every home visited.In fact, the frequency at which malaria preparations which are often prepared with local gin, are taken is alarming.The full time herbalists claimed that they have plant preparation for high blood pressure, infertility, impotence, epilepsy and lunacy but they would not divulge their knowledge to outsiders, even their children in most cases.in medicinal plant species that has remained useful in the management of ailments since time immemorial, and hence, reflecting the richness of our tradomedicine flora.The need to conserve our forest is therefore very necessary, for we do not know which plants would cure the various dangerous diseases which are now ravaging the world especially Africa.
There is also the need for co-operation and coordination of activities between the scientists and the traditional healers.At present, there is serious resentment of the scientist by the traditional healers, who claimed that scientists have exploited them over the years.However, the secrecy with which they carry out their practice is a long age tradition which can only be broken by winning their confidence.

Fig 1 .
Fig 1. Map of Edo state showing the study area The bark is soaked in local gin or palm wine in a bottle for 24 hours to be drunk three times daily.(c ) the latex from this stem is mixed with palm oil.Warmed gently and applied to the deep cut for healing Burn the bark of the plant to ashes, filter and then mixed with other things to make soap for washingthe branches together with other plants e.g.Azadirachta indica are boiled and the decoration drunk and also bathed with.(b) the juice of the leaves is applied to a fresh cut to stop bleedingThe stem eaten as sugar cane (b) The leaves used to wash rusted iron.
The plant cooked with bamboo is used as bathe (b) The latex applied to fresh cut (c) Root, seed of Piper guineense and potash ground together cooked, drunk (d) The leaves used as sand paper to smoothen the surface of rough objects.
the root ground, remove the surface of the affected part and apply on it, allow part of rest but not in lying position.(c ) the root very poisonous for consumption The bark and seven peper soaked in palm wine and drunk.(b) The bark and leaves boiled with patient sitting, covered with cloth over the pot of steaming concoctionBark soaked in water for 24 hours, half a spoon drunk by children and full spoon ( The leaves and seed prepared as soup for a woman who has just delivered to heal the womb.(b) The seeds serve as additives to various medicine preparations.

Fig 2 .
Fig 2. Percentage occurrence of plant habits in the various land use types.A -PSP; B -Agroforestry; C -Fallow; D -Homestead

Table 1 .
Summary of respondents according to their age groups

Table 2 .
Some Plants Ethnobotanical Significance at Okomu Forest Reserve

Table 3 .
Species occurrence within the plant families

Table 4 .
Variety of uses of some plants of Okomu Forest Reserve

Table 5 .
Plant parts used in ethnobotany in Okomu Forest Reserve

Table 6 .
Occurrence of plants in land use forms of Okomu forest reserve No doubt, there is a great threat to the future and sustainable management of Okomu Forest Reserve because of the dwindling financial resources available to government from other sources except from forestry.The Edo State Government needs to put a sustainable management plan on ground for Okomu Forest Reserve.Rational utilization should be encouraged.In fact, there is a great disillusion on the part of the residents of the communities about the seriousness of the State Government's determination at conserving Okomu Forest Reserve in view of her allocating vast estates to private entrepreneurs, consequently, some communities were being relocated from time to time.This situation should be arrested if Okomu Forest Reserve is not to be lost to posterity.