PJB-2022-285
SURVEY ON HOUSEHOLDS USAGE OF MEDICINAL PLANTS DURING SARS-COV-2 PANDEMIC IN SOUTH AFRICA
Olowoyo MM
Abstract
The use of medicinal plants in Africa has been in existence since the creation of man and has increased rapidly with the spread of SARS-COV-2 pandemic. Web-based survey was used to collect primary data related to the usage of medicinal plants during SARS-COV-2 by 590 respondents from different households in Pretoria, South Africa. Relative frequencies of usage were evaluated for the documented medicinal plants. The relationship between the information sources people follow and the respondent characteristics was assessed using chi-square test. The study revealed that the use of medicinal plants has increased during SARS-COV-2 and most of the respondents recommended medicinal plants to prevent SARS-COV-2. This study recorded a total of 83 plants commonly used by the participants belonging to 44 families. The plant leaves were the most frequently used part (40.38 %) and most of the people (60.34%) obtained medicinal plants from retail stores. Based on the relative frequency of usage, the most frequently used medicinal plants were ginger (81.86%), lemon (63.39%), turmeric (58.31%) and garlic (54.36%). Many households indicated that they used medicinal plants during the SARS-COV-2 pandemic period with the belief that they could prevent or cure SARS-COV-2. We recommend further investigation into the validity of these medicinal plants.
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