Continental J.

Pharmaceutical Sciences 4: 40 - 46, 2010 ISSN: 2141 - 4149

© Wilolud Journals, 2010 http://www.wiloludjournal.com

A SURVEY OF THE ACTIVITIES OF TRADITIONAL MEDICINE PRACTITIONERS (TMPS) IN

SOUTHERN IJAW, SAGBAMA AND OGBIA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREAS OF BAYELSA STATE,
NIGERIA

G.O. Alade and O.R. Omobuwajo

Department of Pharmacognosy and Herbal Medicine, Niger Delta University,Wilberforce Island, Nigeria

ABSTRACT
The impact of Traditional Medicine Practitioners (TMPs) in healthhcare delivery, their role in over
exploitation of natural plant resources plants were studied in Southern Ijaw, Sagbama and Ogbia Local
Government areas of Bayelsa State, Nigeria. A total of sixty-nine (69) TMPs were interviewed. Most of
the TMPs were general practitioners, and bone setters. Patients are referred to them from hospitals,
chemists and churches. The practice may be going into extinction as more than three quarters of the
TMPs are between age range 41 – 80 with about 13 % between 31 and 40 and approximately 40 % have
not trained anyone. About 70 % of the respondents depend on collection of plants from the wild for
treating their patients, thereby posing a serious bioconservation problem on species of plants they
exploit.

KEYWORDS: ‘‘traditional medicine practioners’’ (TMPs), ‘‘medicinal plants’’, ‘‘Niger Delta’’,

‘‘bioconservation’’.

INTRODUCTION
Broad use of traditional medicine is often attributable to its accessibility and affordability in developing
countries.(Mahonge et al., 2006; De Silva, 1997; Sofowora, 1993; Bodeker, 1994; Bhat et al. 1990). In Uganda
for instance, the ratio of Traditional Medicine Practitioners (TMPs) to population is between 1:200 and 1:400.
This contrasts with the availability of orthodox Practitioners for which the ratio is typically 1:20000 or less
(WHO, 2002). Moreover the distribution of such personnel may be uneven, with most being found in cities or
other urban areas and therefore difficult for rural populations to access. Traditional medicine is sometimes also
the only affordable source of healthcare. Research has shown in places like Ghana, Kenya and Mali, that a
course of pyrimethamine/suilfadoxine antimalarias can cost several dollars, yet per capital out-of-pocket health
expenditure amounts to only about 6US dollars per year. Conversely herbal medicines for treating malaria are
considerably cheaper and may sometimes even be paid for in kind and according to the wealth of clients
(WHO, 2002). The present study was carried out to document the activities of the Traditional Medicine
Practioners (TMP’s) in Southern Ijaw, Sagbama, and Ogbia Local Government Areas of Bayelsa state ,Nigeria.

Methodology
Study Area
Bayelsa state is located in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria, it is bounded on the west by Rivers State, on the
east and south by the Atlantic ocean and on the north by Delta State (Fig 1). It is a multiethnic state comprising
of many ethnic groups such as Kolokuma, Ekpetiama, Igbiran, Atissa and Biseni, others are Nembe, Ogbia and
Ogboin. Southern Ijaw,Sagbama and Ogbia are three of the 8 Local Government Areas of Bayelsa State (Fig.2).
Southern Ijaw has its headquarter in Oporoma in the north area at 4o48’17’’N6o4’44’’E. The area has a coastline
of approximately 60 km on the Bright of Bonny. It has an area of 2,682 km2 and a population of 319,413 at the
2006 Census (Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2007). Sagbama, on the otherhand has its headquaters in sagbama
town, part of the area lies within the Bayelsa National Forest, it has an area of 945 km2 and a population of 187,
146 at the 2006 census (Ferderal Republic of Nigeria, 2007) while Ogbia has its headquarters in Ogbia town, the
south part of the area at 4o39’00’’N 6o16’0oE. It has an area of 695 Km2 and a population of 179.926, the
inhabitants and immigrants are mainly Ijaw people (Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2007).

Figure 1: Map of Nigeria showing Bayelsa

State (Red - study area)

40
 G.O. Alade and O.R. Omobuwajo: Continental J. Pharmaceutical Sciences 4: 40 - 46, 2010

The people are mainly peasant/subsistence farmers and fishers predominantly living in rural communities,
which informed their dependence on Traditional Medicine Practitioners (TMPs) for their health care needs. For
the purpose of this work, four communities were chosen in each of the local government areas. Agbere,
Agoloma, Okunbiri and Ogobiri were selected at random in Sagbama while Amassoma, Ondewari, Opuama and
Oporoma were selected in Southern Ijaw. Otuasega, Kolo, Oruma and Imirigi were selected in Ogbia. The Ijaw
ethnic groups dominate these areas.

Figure 2: Map of Bayelsa State showing the Local government Areas

The study population for this survey was Traditional medical practitioners (TMP). This is a preliminary study
carried out in 2009. TMPs were identified and selected for this pilot stage. 23 TMPs were selected in each of the
three selected local governments; Southern Ijaw, Sagbama and Ogbia Local Government areas. The preliminary
survey was carried out through the use of a structured and pre-tested interview schedule to elicit information on
their demographic and socioeconomic data, role in the heaithcare system, clients, training received e.t.c. The
questionnaire was designed in an open-ended format. Other instruments used were oral interview and
observation. The questionnaire consisted of 25 questions and was of a self administrable type worded in simple
language, however, the investigator had to fill in the questionnaire in an interview type form, since most of the
TMPs were illiterate. The respondent’s consent was sought and obtained and the objective was clearly
explained. A few of the plants used by the various TMPs were identified at site by their local names and
collected. Herbarium specimens were deposited in herbarium of the Department of Pharmacognosy and Herbal
Medicine, Niger Delta University. Specimens were sent to the Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria, Ibadan, for
identification by their scientific names.

RESULTS
Table 1: Ages and Educational Background of the Traditional medicine Practitioners
Age Distribution Percentage (%) Educational background Percentage (%)
31 – 40 13 Primary School 40
41 – 50 30 Modern School 10
51 – 60 25 Secondary School 4
61 – 70 14 Higher Education 0
71 – 80 18 None 46

Table 2: Form of practice and Areas of specialization of the Traditional medicine Practitioners
Form of practice Percentage Areas of specialization Percentage Practice Percentage
(%) (%) (%)
Medical herbalist 35 General practice 37 Full time 80
Occultists/Spiritual 10 Paediatrics 2 Part time 20
Massage 10 Psychiatry 5
Birth Attendant 6 Obstetrics & Gynaecology 17
Combination 39 Bone setting 23
Occult/Spiritual 16

41
 G.O. Alade and O.R. Omobuwajo: Continental J. Pharmaceutical Sciences 4: 40 - 46, 2010

Table 3: Training of the Traditional medicine Practitioners

Mode of Percentage Number Percent Number of Percenta Years of Percent
training (%) of people age (%) Biological ge (%) training age (%)
trained children
trained
Apprentice 15 1 -10 44 1 4 From 43
Birth
Parental 79 11 – 20 6 2 2 1 – 10 40
Inheritance
Workshop 0 None 41 3 2 11 -20 17
Others 6 No 9 None 92
response

Table 4: Causes of illness/disease and Methods of Diagnosis by the Traditional medicine Practitioners
Causes of Percentage (%) Method of diagnosis Percentage (%)
illness/disease
Physical 39 Visual 23
Esoteric 17 Clinical 10
Spiritual 15 Biological 45.5
Astral 5 Divination 6
Biological 24 Dream 10.5
Psychological 0 Anamnesia 5

Table 5: Treatment of Patients by Traditional Medicinal Practitioners

Form of Percentage Patient Referral Percentage Record of Percentage (%)
Patients (%) (%) Patients
Outpatie 45 From other TMP 47 Keep Record 29
nt
Admitted 20 From Church 28 Do not keep 71
Record
At home 35 From Chemist 10
From Hospital 15

Table 6: Source of medicinal plants and packaging materials of medicines by Traditional medicine
Practitioners
Source of Percentage (%) Package materials Percentage (%)
Plants
Farm 17.5 Plastic bottle 54
Herbsellers 7.5 Clay bottles 13
Garden 13 Animal horns 5
Cultivation 27 Dried leaves 8
Wild 35 Glass bottles 20

DISCUSSION
More than three-quarter of respondents are in the age range 41 – 80 and only 13 % between 31 – 40 (Table 1).
This shows that after the death of those within the main age range, there is likelihood of disappearance of
traditional medicine practice in these regions. About half of respondent do not have a formal education while
about 40 % had primary six certificates (Table 1). This, according to some of the respondents was as a result of
the terrain of Niger Delta which made these communities far from orthodox forms of education, most of these
areas were across waters during their (TMPs) early/formative years. Most of them had the knowledge and
practice of traditional medicine transferred to them verbally and not written. The problem of education has now
been overtaken as there are now schools and teachers are employed and posted to the rural areas. 35 % of
respondent are medical herbalists while about 40 % combine at least two forms of practice, 10% are into
massaging and less than 10 % are traditional birth attendants (Table 2). About 40 % are into general practice and
17 % are specialized in obstetrics and gynaecology, those in paediatrics are the smallest in number (Table 2).

42
 G.O. Alade and O.R. Omobuwajo: Continental J. Pharmaceutical Sciences 4: 40 - 46, 2010

More than three-quarters (80 %) are into full time practice (Table 2) . Approximately three-quarters (79 %) of
them were trained as TMPs through parental inheritance, while less than 20 % learnt by apprenticeship (Table
3). This indicates that indigenous knowledge about plants and their medicinal values are still kept in families
and passed down from generation to generation. Nearly 40 % have not trained anyone while about the same
percentage has trained only between 1 and 10 people (Table 3) since they started practice. Approximately 90%
have not trained any of their biological children, only less than 10 % have trained between 1 and 3 of their
children (Table 3) and this corroborates what has been earlier mentioned in Table 1, that the extinction of
traditional medicine practice in this region could be imminent, if nothing is done to encourage their practice.
This is as a result of modern education which has taken the full attention of their children and wards.
Approximately 40 % were trained from birth and around the same percentage had between 1 to 10 years of
training (Table 2). Causes of sicknesses were mainly attributed to either physical or biological (Table 4).
Physical causes of sickness are also known to orthodox medicine in which sickness can be as a result of
injurious elements entering the human system through food, drink, skin e.t.c. (Lambo, 1979, Sofowora, 2008).
Psychological causes of sickness, although known to orthodox doctors, are not known to TMPs (Lambo, 1979)
and this has been validated from the result as none of the respondents attributed cause to psychological problem
(Table 4). Diagnostic method is majorly by biological examination as about half of the respondent (45.5 % )
said they do so biologically (Table 4). Although, they lack knowledge of the scientific system of medicine in the
performance and interpretation of tests, the TMPs use their own sensory organs to carry out biological
examinations e.g tasting urine, smelling sores for putrefaction and observing the colour of vomited food which
sometimes indicates ingestion of poison (Sofowora, 2008). About half of these patients are outpatients , others
are either treated in their homes or admitted (Table 5). Referral of patients from other TMPs, chemist shops,
churches and hospitals is common among the respondents with other TMPs as the major (47 %) (Table 5).
Almost three-quarters of respondents do not keep records of clients (Table 5) probably because of their level of
literacy. Plant collection are majorly from wild, farms and gardens and from herbsellers (70 %) and this is done
very early in the morning with the belief that the spirit of the plant is responsible for the potency, only about 30
% cultivate medicinal plants (Table 6). Less than 10 % buy from herbsellers which is in contrast to TMPs who
buy mostly from herbsellers in the South west (Omobuwajo et al., 2008). This poses a serious bioconservation
problem on species of plants they exploit. It has been reported that wild populations of numerous species are
over exploited around the globe and the demand created by traditional medicine is one of the causes of
overexploitation and they are not immuned to the current environmental crisis in the world. Plastic bottles are
the main packaging materials (53 %), use of leaves and animal horns are getting obsolete and this is a pointer to
the fact that the TMPs are rising up to the challenge of hygiene (Table 6) .A list of the plants commonly used by
the TMPs and found in the region are given in Appendix I.

CONCLUSION
Part of Sagbama lies in the Bayelsa National Forest and if the activities of the TMPs are not controlled, many
species of plants will be endangered because the forest will be invaded,coupled with the activity of those felling
commercial timber without replanting causing destruction of the herbs/lower plants. The other Local
governments have major forests in them and Bayelas state is in the Niger Delta region considered one of the
Hots spots of biodiversity in the world. There is no doubt that a proper record of Traditional medicine Practice
in Bayelsa state as a whole is needed. The percentage of the populace who visit them is large. There is also the
need to organize workshops for TMPs on conservation of natural resources, hygiene etc. to enhance their role in
primary health care as they are a force to be reckoned with in healthcare. To deny they exist would do no good
to the people; training them and equiping them would enhace their role. One of the modes of traditional
medicine which is unique to the Ijaws is bone setting and this is next to those that are into general practice. It is
a common knowledge that there are few types of broken bones which cannot be set by the bone setters in Ijaw
land, some bone setters have referrals from some hospitals . There is an urgency to learn from their practice
before the information is lost, as they are a major source of information on medicinal plants which are leads to
new drugs.

REFERENCES
Bhat, R.B., Etejere, E.O. and V.T. Oladipo (1990). Ethnobotanical studies from Central Nigeria, Econ. Bot., 44
(3): 382-390.

Bodeker, G. (1994). Traditional Health Knowledge and Public Policy. Nat Resour., 30 (2) 91-106.

43
 G.O. Alade and O.R. Omobuwajo: Continental J. Pharmaceutical Sciences 4: 40 - 46, 2010

De Silva (1994). Industrial Utilization of medicinal plants in developing countries. In: Medicinal plants for
forest conservation and healthcare, Non-wood forest product, Bodeker G., Bhat, K.K.S., Burkey, J. and P.
Vantomme, (Eds.), No. 11 FAO Rome Italy

Federal Republic of Nigeria (2007). 2006 Census, Official Gazette, No. 24 vol. 94. Publisher: Federal
Government Printer, Lagos, Nigeria, FGP 71/52007/2,500 (DL24).

Lambo, J.O. (1979). The healing powers of herbs with special reference to obstetrics and gynaecology, African
Medicinal plants. (ed. Sofowora, E.A) University of Ife Press, Ile-Ife Press, Ile-Ife, pg 23.

Mahonge, C.P.I., Nsenga, J. V., Mtangi and A.C . Matte (2006). Utilization of medicinal plants by Walguru
people in east Uluguru mountains, Tanzania. Afr. J. Trad. CAM, 3 (4): 121-134

Omobuwajo , O.R. Alade, G. and A. Sowemimo (2008). Indigenous Knowledge and practices of women herb
sellers of Southwestern Nigeria . Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge, Vol. 7(3) : 505-510

Sofowora, A (2008). Medicinal Plants and Traditional Medicine in Africa. 3rd. Edition, Spectrum Books
Limited, Ibadan, Nigeria, 37-43, 249-258

World Health Organization (2002). Traditional Medicine Strategy 2002 – 2005, pg 1.

Received for Publication: 07/09/2010

Accepted for Publication: 19/10/2010

Corresponding Author
G.O. Alade
Department of Pharmacognosy and Herbal Medicine, Niger Delta University, Wilberforce Island, Nigeria

44
 G.O. Alade and O.R. Omobuwajo: Continental J. Pharmaceutical Sciences 4: 40 - 46, 2010

Appendix 1: Plants commonly used by Traditional medicinal practitioners in Southern Ijaw, Sagbama and Ogbia Local Government Areas

S/No Botanical Name Family Local Name Disease/ Part used Method of preparation
(Ijaw) Condition treated
1. Dracaena deremensis Agavaceae Asainkromor Chronic sore Hernia Leaf Water infusion of leaf for hernia,
leaf squeezed and apply locally to
sore
2. Costus lucanusianus Costaceae Eye disease Stem Expression of the sap of the stem
Ògbódó mixed with the expressed leaves
of Ocimum gratissimum.
3 Ocimum gratissimum Lamiaceae Furukana Eye diseases Leaf Expression of the leaves is used
with Costus lucanusianus for eye
disease
4 Ageratum conyzoides L Asteraceae Furotuka Sore, hernia Leaf Leaf boiled in water and drunk for
hernia
5 Alstonia boonei Apocynaceae Kingbou Male fertility Leaf Leaf soaked in local gin
6 Caesalpinia pulcherima Fabaceae - Sore Leaf Concoction of the leaves
L
7 Colocasia esculenta (L) Aracaceae Ikereburu, Antimicrobial leaf Bathing with extract
Schott & Endl. Izon odu

8 Cymbopogon citratus Gramineae Lemon grass Rheumatic fever Leaf Decoction of the leaves
Dc; Stupf Osunga
9 Azadirachta indica A. Meliaceae Dogoyaro Malaria Leaf Alcohol extract
Juss
10 Dracaena mannii Bak Agavaceae Boikperi Uterine stimulant Leaf Water infusion of leaf
11 Harugana Hyperiaceae Bou pulo Antimalaria Leaf Leaf and bark decoction
madagascariensis Lam.
Ex Poir
Clusiaceae
12 Hibiscus rosa-sinensis Malvaceae - Manpower leaf Leaf to be squeezed in water with
L red pepper

45
 G.O. Alade and O.R. Omobuwajo: Continental J. Pharmaceutical Sciences 4: 40 - 46, 2010

Appendix 1 ..........contd

13 Ipomoea batatas (L.) Convolvulaceae Beke buru, not disclosed

Lam

14 Irvingia gabonensis Ixonanthaceae Akpakpa Not disclosed

(Aubry-Lecomite ex
O’Rorke) Baillon
15 Kalanchoe crenata Crassulaceae - Leaf Not disclosed
(Andr.) Haw

16 Vernonia amygdalina Asteraceae Orugbo Malaria, Leaf Squeeze leaves in water and juice
Del. Hypertension taken
17 Musa paradisca Musaceae Punumo-abana Blood clotting agent Sap Fresh sap is applied locally
18 Brophyllum pinnatum Umbupele Stomach pain Leaf Warm the leaf gently and press the
juice
19 Psidium guajava Linn Myrtaceae oiaba gua – sore throats, Leaf and Used as gargle in sore throat
aba diarrhoea bark
20 Carica papaya Linn Caricaceae - Malaria Yellow Squeeze leaf in water
leaf

46