Medicinal Plants from the Ankaratra Mountain In Madagascar: Diversity and Uses

Abstract

Abstract BackgroundThe Ankaratra Mountain, the third summit of Madagascar, is covered in a large part by herbaceous vegetations. It is among regions where ethnobotanical works have not been done yet. Besides, there have not been so far any surveys of medicinal plants conducted in savannah vegetation from Madagascar. The objective of the present communication was to study the diversity of medicinal species encountered in this mountain, the most used species in traditional medicine and the most important species used to treat diseases with medicinal plants.MethodsThe voucher specimens of surveyed species in the Ankaratra Mountain were shown individually to 26 local traditional healers. Semi-structured interview was employed and dealt with the main questions such as: do you know this plan? Do you know the uses of this species in traditional medicine? Do you know the method of preparation?ResultsOf the two hundred and three species (203) of medicinal plants inventoried in the Ankaratra Mountain, 139 (73.9%) are endemic and 69 (33.9%) are new to the ethnopharmacopea. The savannah vegetation hosts the highest number of species (35.5%). They are also more cited than the forestry species. Endemic species are the most used (FC=77.8%) and the most important (FL=71.6%). The most diversified and the most used genera are dominated by the best-represented ones in endemic species. The most cited diseases are those which require particular knowledge and those frequently encountered in Madagascar.ConclusionThis work provides the first information on the ethnobotany of plant species in the Ankaratra Mountain. These data can be considered as a valuable tool to support any actions directed to the conservation of the flora from the massif. The ecological study of the most cited endemic species and the most important in the treatment of diseases as well as their chemical and pharmacological investigations are among our perspectives of research.