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Medical pluralism on Mfangano Island: use of medicinal plants among persons living with HIV/AIDS in Suba District, Kenya |
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| Authors: | Nagata Jason M Jew Alan R Kimeu John M Salmen Charles R Bukusi Elizabeth A Cohen Craig R |
| Affiliation: | a Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology, University of Oxford, 51 Banbury Road, Oxford OX6 6PE, UK b School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, 513 Parnassus Ave., Box 0454, San Francisco, CA 94122, USA c School of Pharmacy, University of California, San Francisco, 513 Parnassus Ave., Box 0150, San Francisco, CA 94122, USA d East African Herbarium, National Museums of Kenya, P.O. Box 45166, Nairobi 00100, Kenya e Center for Microbiology Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Box 19464, Nairobi 00202, Kenya f Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94122, USA |
| Abstract: | Ethnopharmacological relevanceGiven the increasing coverage of antiretroviral therapy (ART) for HIV/AIDS treatment as well as the high utilization of herbal medicine, many persons living with HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa are thought to practice medical pluralism, or the adoption of more than one medical system for their care and treatment. Using a cross-sectional study we sought to document and identify the herbal medicines used by persons living with HIV/AIDS on Mfangano Island, Suba District, Nyanza Province, Kenya.Materials and methodsWe interviewed herbalists and knowledgeable mothers to obtain information regarding medicinal plants, particularly for HIV/AIDS-related symptoms, HIV/AIDS, and chira (an illness concept with similarities to HIV/AIDS regarding sexual transmission and wasting symptoms). Using systematic sampling, 67 persons living with HIV/AIDS (49 of whom were receiving ART) were selected from an Mfangano Island health clinic and participated in semi-structured interviews.ResultsInterviews with herbalists and mothers identified 40 plant species in 37 genera and 29 families that a person with HIV/AIDS or chira could use for herbal remedies. Overall, 70.1% of persons living with HIV/AIDS had used medicinal plants after HIV diagnosis, most commonly to treat symptoms related to HIV/AIDS. In addition to common vegetables and fruits that can serve medicinal purposes, Azadirachta indica A. Juss. (Meliaceae), Carissa edulis (Forssk.) Vahl (Apocynaceae), and Ximenia americana L. (Olacaceae) were the most frequently cited medicinal plants used by persons living with HIV/AIDS.ConclusionsCollaboration and communication between biomedical clinicians and herbalists should be encouraged given high rates of concomitant ART-herb usage. Pharmacological, toxicological, and ART-herb interaction studies based on the plants identified in this study and their constituent ingredients should be considered. |
| Keywords: | Medicinal plants Herbal medicine Herbalists Traditional remedies Ethnobotany HIV/AIDS Suba Luo Nyanza Province Kenya Africa |
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