Ethnobotanical Survey of Plants used for the Treatment of Malaria among the Owo Speaking People in Owo Local Government Area of Ondo State, Nigeria

Ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants used by the Owo speaking people of Owo Local Government Area of Ondo State for treatment of malaria was carried out. The survey was aimed at identifying the plants used in the treatment of malaria among the Owo people. Information was collected by interviewing indigenous Owo herbal medicine practitioners, herb sellers, and farmers making use of interviews and structured questionnaire. A total of 32 plant species belonging to 22 families were recorded from the survey that is being used in herbal anti-malarial recipes. Asteraceae were most represented with 4 species (13%), followed by Euphorbiciceae with 3 species (9.7%), Anarcadaceae, Arecaceae, Meliaceae Rutaceae represented with 2 plant species each (6.5%)  while the remaining 16 families had 1 species each (3.2%). Investigations included the plant parts used, methods of preparing the herbal anti-malarial recipe and method of administration. The results indicated that the parts of the plants used could be the leaves, stem bark, roots or whole plant. Water was the main medium of anti-malarial recipe preparations, irrespective of the part, whole plant or combination of parts of plant used. Though, a large number of plants that are traditionally used for the treatment of malaria were identified, scientific validation of claims of anti-malarial potency is required.