A Systematic Review of Medicinal Plants Used for the Treatment of Headache in Ethiopia

Abstract

Headache is common neurological disorders and universal human experience in the general population. A web-based research article search strategy related to medicinal plants used for traditional headache treatment in Ethiopia was used to gather literature on traditional headache treatment and systematically reviewed and analyzed. Accordingly, data were collected from a total of 74 Ethiopian studies including published and unpublished (open access local university web sites were used) based on the predetermined criteria. Descriptive statistics, frequency, percentage, tables, and bar graphs were used to summarize relevant ethnobotanical information. A total of 127 different plant species (56 families) were used for headache treatment in different parts of Ethiopia. Variability of medicinal plants used for headache treatment was indicated across different geographic area. Most plant species (38.6 %) used for headache treatment were reported from the western and southwestern parts of the country. Leaves (51.2%) were the most commonly used plant parts followed by roots (23.6%) for remedy preparation in the treatment of headache. Pounding, powdering, concoction, and eating/chewing were the most frequently stated herbal remedy preparation methods. Notably, herbal remedies used for the trteatment of headache are administered orally. Studies on medicinal plants used for the treatment of headache in Ethiopia were intended for documentation of the indigenous practice and serve as baseline information for future pharmacological studies. Therefore, it is imperative to do more detail and comprehensive ethnobotanical studies to promote the use of traditional herbal remedies and discover alternative drugs for the treatment of headaches and other ailements.