ETUDE ETHNOBOTANIQUE DES PLANTES MEDICINALES DE LA PROVINCE DE MAI-NDOMBE, RD. CONGO

Abstract

This study focuses on the inventory, documentation, and analysis of plants employed in the traditional pharmacopoeia of Mai-Ndombe, with the aim of highlighting their modes of utilization.

A combined qualitative and quantitative approach, facilitated through field surveys, enabled the systematic collection of data. In total, 1,500 informants were interviewed, and 270 medicinal plant species were identified.

Across the territories of Kutu, Kwamouth, Mushie, and Oshwe, the investigation recorded 178 diseases, symptoms, physiological manifestations, and medico-magical practices, distributed within 12 sectors. These indications were classified into 19 distinct groups of diseases, reflecting the diversity of therapeutic applications and the cultural richness of local traditional knowledge.