Ethnobotany Of Medicinal Plants Used To Treat Various Mental Illnesses In Ethiopia: A Systematic Review

Background: Mental health is a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community. No review has been done that comprehensively expresses medicinal plants used to treat various mental illnesses. The aim of this review was to provide an overview of the Ethnobotany of medicinal plants used to treat mental illnesses in Ethiopia. Materials and methods: Databases (PubMed, Google Scholar, ResearchGate, and Hinari) were searched for published studies on the Ethnobotany of medicinal plants used to treat mental illnesses in Ethiopia without restriction in the year of publication or methodology. Some studies were also identified through manual Google search. Primary search terms were “mental illness”, “Ethiopia”, “medicinal plant”, “ethnobotany”, “epilepsy”, “evil eye”, “depression”, “schizophrenia” and “psychosis”. Studies that did not contain full ethnobotanical data of medicinal plants were excluded. Results: The database search produced a total of 233 papers. After adjustment for duplicates and inclusion and exclusion criteria, 59 studies were found suitable for the review. Most studies were qualitative in nature. A total of one hundred fifty four medicinal plants have been identified and recorded for their use in management of various mental illnesses in Ethiopia. Families, Fabaceae and Asteraceae each account 18 (11.7%) and 17(11%) respectively. Of the plants identified from the various studies, the common plant part used was root (41%) while majority of the plant remedies were given inhalationally (45%). Conclusion: Herbs and shrubs constitute majority of the plants while the commonly used plant part was root. While traditionally treating mental illnesses, most practitioners prefer inhalational route of administration. Though most of these medicinal plants are widely utilized in different parts of the country, safety and efficacy information of them are not scientifically tested in animals. Thus, it is relevant for researchers in the field to conduct the safety and efficacy study of the traditionally claimed medicinal plants.