Use of medicinal plants: Kenya

Abstract

In Kenya, 90% of the population have used medicinal plants at least once. Among the main reasons for this dependence on medicinal plant resources are rural people's lack of access to modern medical services, the high costs of these services and medicines, and the holistic and cultural values that rural communities attach to traditional plant cures. This paper discusses the use of medicinal plants in Kenya, providing information on which plants (and plant parts) the local people used, which gastrointestinal illnesses (the most common health problems in the country) they treated with these plants and how they used the plants as cures. Some plant species that can be grown in their home gardens are briefly described: Adenia gummifera, Aloe secundiflora, Kleinia squarossa and Plectranthus cylindraceus. Future plants are mentioned.