Exploration ethnobotanique sur Tephrosia vogelii hook f. et Thevetia neriifolia juss au Sud et au Centre du Bénin.

Abstract

The major subject of this study is to explore on the ethnobotanical knowledge of people from the southern and central of Benin on the Tephrosia vogelii Hook. f. and Thevetia neriifolia juss. The collecton of data was made by surveys in people who know the targeted plants in order to get information and details on their ethnobotanical values. A total of 127 people questioned about the T. vogelii and T. neriifolia have an idea related to those plants particularly in the traditional practices of the hunting, fishing, spirituality and traditherapy. About twenty of pathologies checked off from people are traditionally treated with the organs of the T. vogelii whereas only about ten are treated with the T. neriifolia. In the field of hunting and fishing, T. vogelii is used as a lethal plant which can cause the death of animals or fishes meanwhile the roots of T. neriifolia are only used in the hunting as baits against rodents. Only T. vogelii is used in spirituality. The vulnerability of this species is linked to several factors of which the main are: the use of recommended or not fishing nets which facilitates daily fishing, the no valorization of some plants in traditional medicine and the lack of ethnobotanical knowledge sharing between generations. The ethnobotanical knowledge collected on the two plants are very rich but held by few people.