A survey of the use of medicinal plants and other traditional medicine in Kasese District, Uganda

Abstract

The use and value of traditional plants and medicines is only slowly being investigated by Western medical organizations. A survey of 492 members of support groups and health-care clinics in Kasese district, Uganda was undertaken in a group setting: 23 groups with a mean size of 21, age range 4-53, which represented 0.1% of the population, covering nine of the 20 sub-counties, both in the native languages and in English, using photographs and specimens of 12 plants. Most admitted to using plants at some time 81% for self, 77% for their children; 45% admitted to using traditional healers as a source for information about health. Most plants were home grown or available locally. Medicinal plants were used for respiratory infections, fever, malaria and diarrhoea/vomiting. HIV/AIDS was rarely treated with medicinal plants.