Ethnobotanical study of commonly used medicinal plants of the Takamanda Rainforest South West, Cameroon

An ethnobotanical study was conducted around the periphery of the Takamanda National Park (TNP) Cameroon, through semi – structured questionnaires, interview, and field survey. The study aimed at recording traditional knowledge on the use of plants to cure common ailments and provide information towards the conservation of indigenous medicinal plants. Thirty-nine (39) plant species belonging to 26 plant families were reported to cure about 45 ailments in the (Ebinsi, Kajifu 1, Kajifu 2, Kekukesim and Takamanda) villages. 29 of the 39 species were common (mostly seen in the community) and ten of the 39 species were rare (uncommonly seen in the community). Aframomum flavum, Garcinia kola and Elaeis guineensis had the highest (100%) fidelity level (traditional healers who cited the same species to cure a particular ailment) whileCarpolobia alba (40%) and Alchornea cordifolia (33%) had the least fidelity levels. Tree barks (25%) and leaves (21%) were the commonly used plant parts. Decoction (37.3%) and juice (18.6%) were the methods mostly used for the preparation of remedies. Treatments were administered orally (58%), the most frequently used route of administration, or topically, through enema, steam bath and inhalation. The importance of traditional medicines and indigenous knowledge should be encouraged, conserved and documented.