Abstract

The study aims at gathering information on plants used by traditional healers of the prefecture of Tchaoudjo located in the central region of Togo. Moreover, the perception of victims was also evaluated. Ethnobotanical semi-structured individual interviews were carried among 20 traditional healers treating animals’ aggression (AA) and 16 victims of AA. Results showed that snakebites and bite from dogs are the most recurrent animals’ aggression. Altogether, 32 plant species belonging to 31 genera and 22 families used in folk medicine in the treatment of AA were reported. Fabaceae (4 species) is the most represented family. Securidaca longepedunculata Fresen.,Xylopia aethiopica (Dunal) A.Rich.,Annona senegalensis Pers. ssp.senegalensis, and Trichilia emetica Vahl are the most reported species with respective frequencies of 90%, 70%, 50%, and 30%. The root is the most exploited plant part in remedies. The oral and the cutaneous are the only way of administration. The decoction and the powder are the most reported mode of preparation. All victims interviewed confirmed the effectiveness of these plants in the traditional treatment of animal aggression (100%). Even though remedies seem efficiency, the exploitation of roots remains a crucial threat for plant species survival.

Keywords

Ethnobotany, Medicinal plants, Animal aggression, Tchaoudjo, Togo, Traditional healers, Traditional medicine, Agriculture, Data collection, Complementarity, Phytochemical analysis, Toxicity, Chrono-toxicity, Viperine syndrome, Maceration