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Ethiopian Journal of Environmental Studies & Management 15(5): 588 – 607, 2022
ISSN:1998-0507 doi: https://ejesm.org/doi/v15i5.3
Submitted: July 5, 2022 Accepted: September 26, 2022
ECOLOGICAL SURVEY OF MEDICINAL TREE SPECIES IN SUDANO-SAHELIAN
REGION OF NIGERIA
*SALAMI, K.D.,
1
SHUAIBU, R.B.
2
AND KAREEM, A.A.
3
1
Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management, Federal University Dutse, Dutse,
Jigawa State, Nigeria
2
Department of Forest Resources Management, Faculty of Renewable Natural Resources
Management, Osun State University Osogbo, Nigeria
3
Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria, P.O. Box 5054, Dugbe, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria
*Corresponding author: foristsalam@yahoo.com
Abstract
Trees species are very crucial parts of the ecosystem and they provide quantifiable and
unquantifiable benefits. This study assesses the tree species with medicinal properties
within Sudano-Sahelian region of Nigeria. The data was collected through field survey of
the tree species; structured surveys questionnaires which were administered randomly to
the traditional herbal healers within the study area; key informant interview guides and
focus group discussions with the traditional herbal healers. The data were subjected to
descriptive statistical analysis. The result revealed that total number of Twenty (20) tree
species, Thirteen (13) families, Eleven (11) orders, and Two (2) life forms were encountered
in this Study. The results revealed that 92% of the tree species are used for the treatment
of skin conditions; 89% treats fever of different kind; 81% treats stomach ache, worms,
dysentery, cholera, and diarrhoea; 64% treats sore throat, Cough, and tuberculosis; 57%
treats pains, rheumatism, toothache, and headache; 48% treats asthma, catarrh, sneezing,
and chronic bronchitis; 33% treats sexually transmitted diseases; 17% treats leprosy; 15%
are used for Insecticides and Insect repellants; and 11% treats epilepsy. This study has
shown that all the tree species encountered on the field has medicinal properties.
Traditional knowledge about the medicinal properties of various tree species within the
study area has been passed down from one generation to another without proper study
and documentation. Therefore unravelling this information and document it for both the
present and future generation cannot be overemphasized.
Key Words: Ecological Survey, Medicinal Properties, Traditional Healers, Tree Species
Introduction
The use of medicinal tree species in the
treatment of various diseases has brought
renewed interest in current time, as herbal
preparations from tree extracts are
increasingly being used in both human and
animal healthcare systems. Traditionally,
plants are reliable sources of treatment of
This work is licensed to the publisher under the Creative Commons Attributions License 4.0
589
diseases in different parts of the World
(Olajuyigbe and Afolayan, 2012). The
uses contribute significantly to primary
health care delivery (Holetz et al., 2002)
as they are regarded as invaluable sources
of pharmaceutical products (Biljana,
2012). Pharmacologically active drugs are
derived from trees of various species with
active medicinal properties. Medicinal
plants are globally the major sources of
medicines and constituted the most
common 433 human use of biodiversity
(Hiremath and Taranath, 2010), and have
traditionally occupied an important
position in the socio-cultural, spiritual and
medicinal arena of rural and tribal lives in
Sudan (Musa et al., 2011).
Sudano-Sahelian ecological region of
Nigeria has recently lost most of its
important indigenous tree species with
high medicinal properties due to the
extraction of fuel wood, staking materials,
poles, timber, and the insurgents who has
turned the forest into their abode and
destroys the trees for fuel and to create
space within the forests. Earlier
researchers have shown that about 80% of
the inhabitants of Africa use woods for
cooking, timber, house/farm fencing and
medicinal purposes (Abdullahi, 2013;
Garba et al., 2021). Some of these
available indigenous trees whose leaves,
bark, and root could be supplementing the
nutritional requirements and health care
system for both man and animals in this
regions are endangered and at the verge of
extinction. Plant diversity is currently
being lost at an associated decrease in
ecosystem services (GAO and Weibang,
2018). Pressure caused by anthropogenic
activities is largely responsibly loss of
plant diversity with about a third of the
world’s vascular plant species facing
threat of extinction (Bello et al., 2020).
There is an increase concern on
continuous destruction of the forest estates
by the activities of insurgents which has
resulted in the loss of biodiversity, forest
fragmentation, degradation, and habitat
loss within the Sudano-Sahelian
ecological region of Nigeria. The
insurgents who made their fortresses in
forested areas have contributed majorly to
unsustainable use of forest resources that
has resulted in forest degradation, forest
fragmentation, and reduction in
biodiversity, deforestation, and habitat
loss (Shuaibu and Wahab, 2022).
Trees species are very crucial parts of
the ecosystem and they provide
quantifiable and unquantifiable benefits.
Therefore, the ecological survey of those
trees with medicinal properties is
important to be able to determine the
available species, and draw the attention
of the Stake holders to participate in its
management and conservation to avoid
losing them before knowing their
importance. The aim of this research is to
assess the medicinal properties and
traditional uses of the tree species found
within the Sudano-Sahelian ecological
region of Nigeria.
Study Area
This study was carried out in Eight (8)
selected states representing the Sudano-
Sahelian ecological region of Nigeria,
namely Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe,
Jigawa, Katsina, Kano, Yobe, and
Zamfara State respectively. The Sudan
and Sahelian ecological region of Nigeria
(Figure 1) is located on Longitude 4⁰ and
14⁰E and Latitude 10⁰and 14⁰N. The
study area lies within North of Latitude
8°10
N and extends to Latitude 13° 53
N within the Savanna region of Nigeria
(Abaje et al., 2011). The Tropical
hinterland climate dominates in the Sudan
Ecological Survey of Medicinal Tree Species in Sudano-Sahelian Region of Nigeria…………Salami et al.
590
zone, while Tropical Continental climate
prevail in the Sahel zone of the Study
Area. The vegetation of the Study Area
has been grouped into the Sudan Savanna
and Sahel Savanna (Olaniran, 1987).The
region expend roughly through Kebbi,
Sokoto, Zamfara, Katsina, Kano, Jigawa,
Bauchi, Gombe, Adamawa, Yobe, and
Borno State respectively. The Sudanian-
Sahelian region of Nigeria is drained by
many rivers which suffer seasonal
alterations in their volume and flow.
These zones characterized with different
attributes like high temperature, low
humidity and loose sandy soil (Salami and
Lawal, 2018). Among common medicinal
tree species in these zones are Khaya
senegalensis, Azardirachta indica,
Securidaca longipedunculata, Terminalia
leiocarpus, Vachellia nilotica, Balanites
aegyptiaca, Phoenix dactylifera,
Diospyros mespiliformis, Hyphaene
thebaica, Ziziphus spp., Vitex doniana,
Parkia biglobosa, Dalbergia sissoo, and
Vitellaria paradoxa.
Fig. 1: Map of the Study area
Data Collection Method
Four different approaches were used
for the collection of both qualitative and
quantitative data. Collection approaches
used for the collection of the data included
the followings:
Document review checklists,
Field observation of the tree species;
Structured surveys questionnaires of the
diseases treated with the encountered tree
species;
Key informant interview guides and
Focus group discussions.
Ethiopian Journal of Environmental Studies and Management Volume 15 No.5, 2022
591
Document review checklists were used to
obtain secondary information from related
publications, reports, and articles. Field
observations were carried out to evaluate
the tree species and their diversity in the
open, on farmland, and in the
forests/woodlands within the study area.
Structured surveys questionnaires were
administered randomly to the traditional
herbal healers within the study area to
assess their knowledge on the medicinal
properties of the tree species encountered
on the field. Key informant interview was
conducted to get general understanding of
the medicinal properties of the available
tree species from the communities visited.
Focus group discussions were carried out
to collect information regarding the
traditional uses of the trees in health
system delivery. Structured questionaire
were administered on Twenty (10)
randomly selected respondents from each
of the eight States making a total number
of eighty (80) respondents.
Data Analyses
The data were subjected to descriptive
statistical analysis. All statistical analyses
were done using Microsoft excel. Table,
Figure, and plates were used to present the
findings, and were interpreted to meet the
objectives of the study.
Result and Discussion
Total number of twenty (20) tree
species, thirteen (13) families, Eleven (11)
orders, and Two (2) life forms were
encountered in this Study. Table 1 below
presents the medicinal tree species. The
encountered medicinal tree species in the
study area have great potentials in
Sudano-Sahelian region of Nigeria in
terms of adaptability, economics and
environmental values. Salami and Lawal,
(2018) revealed that the fruit and food tree
species such as Alfezia africana, Parkia
biglobosa, Prosopis africana and many
other are suitable for outlying cultivated
farmlands. The fodders of the encountered
tree species are major sources of livestock
feeds in the study area.
Ecological Survey of Medicinal Tree Species in Sudano-Sahelian Region of Nigeria…………Salami et al.
592
Table 1: The Common Medicinal Tree Species Found in the Study area
Tree Species Common name Family Order
Life
forms
Adansonia digitata
Baobab Malvaceae Malvales
Tree
Anogiessus leiocarpus
African Birch Combretaceae Myrtales Tree
Azadirachta indica
Neem tree Meliaceae Sapindales Tree
Balanites aegyptiaca Desert date Zygophyllaceae Zygophyllales Tree
Diospyrus mespiliformis African ebony Ebenaceae Ericales Tree
Eucalyptus camadulenses African red gum Malvaceae Myrtales Tree
Hyphaene thebaica
Doum palm Arecaceae Arecales Tree
Moringa oleifera Drum stick tree Moringaceae Brassicales Tree
Pakia biglobosa Locust bean tree Fabaceae Fabales Tree
Phoenix dactylifera date palm Arecaceae Arecales Tree
Prosopis africana Iron tree Fabaceae Fabales Tree
Salix babylonica Weeping willows Salicaceae Malpighiales Tree
Securidaca longipedunculata violet tree Polygalaceae Fabales Tree
Tamarindus indica Tamarind tree Fabaceae Fabales Tree
Vachellia nilotica
gum arabic tree Fabaceae Fabales Tree
Vitellaria paradoxa Shea butter tree Sapotaceae Ericales Tree
Vitex doniana Black Plum Lamiaceae Lamiales Tree
Ziziphus mauritania Chinese date Rhamnaceae Rosales Tree
Ziziphus spina-christi
Christ's thorn Rhamnaceae Rosales Shrub
Analysis of Structured Surveys
Questionnaires
The results of structured surveys
questionnaires administered randomly to
the traditional herbal healers to specify the
diseases treated with the encountered tree
species are presented in Figure 1. The
results revealed that 92% of the tree
species are used for the treatment of skin
conditions; 89% treats fever of different
kind; 81% treats stomach ache, worms,
dysentery, cholera, and diarrhea; 64%
treats sore throat, Cough, and
tuberculosis; 57% treats pains,
rheumatism, toothache, and headache;
48% treats asthma, catarrh, sneezing, and
chronic bronchitis;33% treats sexually
transmitted diseases; 17% treats leprosy;
15% are used for Insecticides and Insect
repellants; and 11% treats epilepsy. This
result has shown that all the tree species
encountered in this study has medicinal
properties. Many African societies have
processed and utilized different tree
species to cure various ailments for ages
(Buochuama and Akhabue, 2018).More
than 80% of the world population relies on
traditional medicine for their primary
health care (Veeramuthu, 2006).
Ethiopian Journal of Environmental Studies and Management Volume 15 No.5, 2022
593
Fig. 2: The Diseases Treated with the Encountered Tree Species
Key Informant Interview and Focus
Group Discussions
The result from the major interview
and group discussions with the traditional
healers revealed that all the tree species
encountered during the survey were of
high medicinal properties. They are
known with a great importance in health
system delivery to the communities within
the study area. Below are the pictures of
encountered tree species their medicinal
properties.
0
20
40
60
80
100 92 89
81
64
57
48
33
17 15 11
Diseases (%)
Ecological Survey of Medicinal Tree Species in Sudano-Sahelian Region of Nigeria…………Salami et al.
594
595
596
597
598
599
600
601
602
603
604
605
Conclusion
The medicinal properties of the
encountered tree species were evaluated,
recorded, and documented for present and
future use. This knowledge will go a long
way to ensure the proper management of
those tree species in a sustainable manner.
The sustainable management and the
conservation of these species is therefore
a responsibility of the traditional healers,
the professionals on the field right from
the foresters, conservationists, ecologists,
botanists, agriculturists, down to the local
farmers and individual on the street are
stake holders.
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