Utilization of Traditional Medicine for Treatment of Selected Illnesses Among Crop-Farmers in Ondo State, Nigeria
Author(s): A.A Adeyelu
Abstract
Life expectancy is around 55 and 56 years for males and females respectively in Nigeria. The country is faced with mirage of emerging and re-emerging illnesses that are resistance to conventional mode of orthodox treatment. Some of the illnesses that have led to sudden deaths are usually preventable; this scenario needs to be addressed especially with the rising costs and side effects of orthodox medicines.
Objective: To examine use of traditional medicine for treatment of selected illnesses
Methods: Primary data and Focus Group Discussions were used to obtain information on illnesses that are affecting the respondents and the traditional methods of treatment. Multi- stage sampling procedure was used, first stage involved purposive sampling of three (3) local government areas representing all the agro-ecological zones in the state, the second stage involved generating a list of registered crop farmers for convenient sampling while the third stage was random sampling of ninety (90) respondents.
Results: The mean age was 50 years old, majority (76.7%), Malaria (8th ), Waist Pains(7th ), Farm injuries ( 6th ), Cough (5th), Acute Headache(4th), Skin Infection (3rd), Typhoid (2nd) and Tuberculosis (1st ) were the most and least treated illness. Respondents (80%) had spent N10,000.00 ($27) and less, 8.9% had spent N10,100.00-N20, 000.00 ($27-$55), 4.4% had spent between N20,100-N30,000.00($27-$83) while 6.7% had spent more than N30,100.00($83) on treatment of illnesses in the last one (1) year prior to the study.
Conclusion: They suffer from illnesses that are preventable, there are little or no cost to use of traditional medicine, Momordica charantia, Chromolaenaodorata, Vernonia amygdalina are some of the medicinal plants commonly used for treatment. Keywords: Cytokines, Rheumatoid arthritis, Salvia, Adjuvant arthritis.