Survey of forest plants used in traditional treatment of typhoid fever in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State, Nigeria

Abstract

This paper examines the use of medicinal plants for the treatment of typhoid fever in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State Nigeria. Structure questionnaire were administered to traditional healer, herb traders, farmers and civil servants in the Local Government Area. Descriptive analysis such as frequency tables and percentages were used for the analysis. Medicinal plants such as Citrus sinensis, Carica papaya, Musa species,Ananas comosus, Citullus vulgaris, Pakia biglobosa, Vetex doniana, Khaya senegalensis, Anogeissus leiocarpus, Pilliostigma recticulatum, Ficus sur, Isoberlinia doka, Allium sativum,, Guinera senegalensis, Xlopia aethiopica,  Cyperus tonkinensis, Pavetta cassipes, Zingiber officinale, Calotropis procera, Mangifera indica and Citrus lemon were the plants used for the treatment of typhoid fever in the study area. Most of the plants are used in combination to be effective in the treatment of the disease. It is recommended that research institutes in collaboration with federal government should carry out research on this species so as to conserve and improve their genetic constitutions and effort should be made to carry out some pharmaceutical research on the active ingredient to determine their dosage level.