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Underutilized Medicinal Plant in Ethiopia: The Case of Aloe Species

Received: 7 February 2024     Accepted: 22 February 2024     Published: 7 March 2024
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Abstract

Ethiopian aloe species are known for traditional medicine for both human and livestock as well as for the preparation of various cosmetic products such as soap and lotion. The aloe species contributed great economic and social benefits for many local communities. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the use of aloe species in the beauty and wellness industry. Many international companies have started to source aloe from Ethiopia, recognizing its high quality and potency. However, there are concerns about the sustainability of aloe harvesting in Ethiopia. Due to the high demand for aloe products, there has been an increase in over-harvesting without replanting and unsustainable practices. This has led to a decline in some aloe species that hastens the need for better management and conservation efforts. Government and non-government groups should pay attention in order to minimize the damage to the aloe species. Traditional medicine practitioners, research institutes, and universities as well as biodiversity conservation institutes should give attention to the valuable aloe species in the country. As the species are declining from time to time, the devotions of the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Labor and Skill, and Biotechnology Institute are essential to ensure the sustainability and proper uses of these valuable plants for future generations.

Published in Biomedical Sciences (Volume 10, Issue 1)
DOI 10.11648/j.bs.20241001.11
Page(s) 1-5
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Aloe Species, Conservation, Medicinal Values

References
[1] Abdissa, D., Geleta, G., Bacha, K., Abdissa, N., 2017. Phytochemical investigation of Aloe pulcherrima roots and evaluation for its antibacterial and antiplasmodial activities. PLoS ONE 12, (3). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0173882e0173882
[2] Boudreau MD, Beland, FA. 2006 An evaluation of the biological and toxicological properties of Aloe Barbadensis (Miller), Aloe vera. J. Environ. Sci. Health C. 24, 103-154.
[3] Cousins, S. R. and Witkowski, E. T. F., 2012. African aloe ecology: a review. Journal of Arid Environments, 85, pp. 1-17.
[4] Demissew, S., 1998. A study of the vegetation and floristic composition of southern Wällo, Ethiopia. Journal of Ethiopian Studies, pp. 159-192.
[5] Demissew, S., Friis, I., Awas, T., Wilkin, P., Weber, O., Bachman, S. and Nordal, I., 2011. Four new species of Aloe (Aloaceae) from Ethiopia, with notes on the ethics of describing new taxa from foreign countries. Kew Bulletin, 66, pp. 111-121.
[6] Diriba, T. F. and Deresa, E. M., 2022. Botanical description, ethnomedicinal uses, phytochemistry, and pharmacological activities of genus Kniphofia and Aloe: A review. Arabian Journal of Chemistry, p. 104111.
[7] Egbuna, C., Gupta, E., Ezzat, S. M., Jeevanandam, J., Mishra, N., Akram, M., Sudharani, N., Adetunji, C. O., Singh, P., Ifemeje, J. C. and Deepak, M., 2020. Aloe species as valuable sources of functional bioactives. Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals: Bioactive Components, Formulations and Innovations, pp. 337-387.
[8] Geyid, A., Abebe, D., Debella, A., Makonnen, Z., Aberra, F., Teka, F., Kebede, T., Urga, K., Yersaw, K., Biza, T. and Mariam, B. H., 2005. Screening of some medicinal plants of Ethiopia for their anti-microbial properties and chemical profiles. Journal of ethnopharmacology, 97(3), pp. 421-427.
[9] Gilbert, M. G. and Demissew, S., 1997. Further notes on the genus Aloe in Ethiopia and Eritrea. Kew Bulletin, pp. 139-152.
[10] Grace, O. M., 2011. Current perspectives on the economic botany of the genus Aloe L. (Xanthorrhoeaceae). South African Journal of Botany, 77(4), pp. 980-987.
[11] Madzinga, M., Kritzinger, Q. and Lall, N., 2018. Medicinal plants used in the treatment of superficial skin infections: From traditional medicine to herbal soap formulations. In Medicinal plants for holistic health and well-being (pp. 255-275). Academic Press.
[12] Mebrahtom W. and Desta B. S., 2023. In vitro micropropagation of Aloe elegans Tod. using offshoot cuttings, BMC Research Notes: 6: 215.
[13] NURA, D. G., 2018. ECONOMIC IMPACT OF PASTORALIST WOMEN PARTICIPATION IN ALOE VERA SOAP PRODUCTION IN YABELLO WOREDA, BORANA ZONE OF OROMIA, ETHIOPIA.
[14] Oda, B. K. and Erena, B. A., 2017. Aloesof Ethiopia: A Review on Uses and Importance of Aloes in Ethiopia. Int J Plant Biol Res, 5(1), p. 1059.
[15] Salehi, B., Albayrak, S., Antolak, H., Kręgiel, D., Pawlikowska, E., Sharifi-Rad, M., Uprety, Y., Tsouh Fokou, P. V., Yousef, Z., Amiruddin Zakaria, Z. and Varoni, E. M., 2018. Aloe genus plants: from farm to food applications and phytopharmacotherapy. International journal of molecular sciences, 19(9), p. 2843.
[16] Sebsebe D., and Nordal I. 2010. Aloes and Lilies of Ethiopia and Eritrea. Colophon Page. Addis Ababa University and University of Oslo. Shama Books Addis Ababa. 2010; 42-109.
[17] Tewabe, Y. and Assefa, S., 2018. Antimalarial potential of the leaf exudate of Aloe macrocarpa todaro and its major constituents against plasmodium berghei. Clinical Experiment of Pharmacology, 8(1), pp. 2161-1459.
[18] Tewabe, Y., Kefarge, B., Belay, H., Bisrat, D., Hailu, A. and Asres, K., 2019. Antileishmanial evaluation of the leaf latex of Aloe macrocarpa, aloin A/B, and its semisynthetic derivatives against two leishmania species. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2019.
[19] TUFA, J. J., 2017. PHYTOCHEMICAL INVESTIGATION OF THE ROOT EXTRACT OF ALOE MACROCARPA (Doctoral dissertation).
[20] Vivero, J. L., Kelbessa, E. and Demissew, S., 2006. Progress on the red list of plants of Ethiopia and Eritrea: Conservation and biogeography of endemic flowering taxa. Taxonomy and ecology of African plants, their conservation and sustainable use, pp. 761-778.
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Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Banjaw, D. T. (2024). Underutilized Medicinal Plant in Ethiopia: The Case of Aloe Species. Biomedical Sciences, 10(1), 1-5. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.bs.20241001.11

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    ACS Style

    Banjaw, D. T. Underutilized Medicinal Plant in Ethiopia: The Case of Aloe Species. Biomed. Sci. 2024, 10(1), 1-5. doi: 10.11648/j.bs.20241001.11

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    AMA Style

    Banjaw DT. Underutilized Medicinal Plant in Ethiopia: The Case of Aloe Species. Biomed Sci. 2024;10(1):1-5. doi: 10.11648/j.bs.20241001.11

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  • @article{10.11648/j.bs.20241001.11,
      author = {Dejene Tadesse Banjaw},
      title = {Underutilized Medicinal Plant in Ethiopia: The Case of Aloe Species},
      journal = {Biomedical Sciences},
      volume = {10},
      number = {1},
      pages = {1-5},
      doi = {10.11648/j.bs.20241001.11},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.bs.20241001.11},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.bs.20241001.11},
      abstract = {Ethiopian aloe species are known for traditional medicine for both human and livestock as well as for the preparation of various cosmetic products such as soap and lotion. The aloe species contributed great economic and social benefits for many local communities. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the use of aloe species in the beauty and wellness industry. Many international companies have started to source aloe from Ethiopia, recognizing its high quality and potency. However, there are concerns about the sustainability of aloe harvesting in Ethiopia. Due to the high demand for aloe products, there has been an increase in over-harvesting without replanting and unsustainable practices. This has led to a decline in some aloe species that hastens the need for better management and conservation efforts. Government and non-government groups should pay attention in order to minimize the damage to the aloe species. Traditional medicine practitioners, research institutes, and universities as well as biodiversity conservation institutes should give attention to the valuable aloe species in the country. As the species are declining from time to time, the devotions of the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Labor and Skill, and Biotechnology Institute are essential to ensure the sustainability and proper uses of these valuable plants for future generations.
    },
     year = {2024}
    }
    

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    T1  - Underutilized Medicinal Plant in Ethiopia: The Case of Aloe Species
    AU  - Dejene Tadesse Banjaw
    Y1  - 2024/03/07
    PY  - 2024
    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.bs.20241001.11
    DO  - 10.11648/j.bs.20241001.11
    T2  - Biomedical Sciences
    JF  - Biomedical Sciences
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    EP  - 5
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2575-3932
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.bs.20241001.11
    AB  - Ethiopian aloe species are known for traditional medicine for both human and livestock as well as for the preparation of various cosmetic products such as soap and lotion. The aloe species contributed great economic and social benefits for many local communities. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the use of aloe species in the beauty and wellness industry. Many international companies have started to source aloe from Ethiopia, recognizing its high quality and potency. However, there are concerns about the sustainability of aloe harvesting in Ethiopia. Due to the high demand for aloe products, there has been an increase in over-harvesting without replanting and unsustainable practices. This has led to a decline in some aloe species that hastens the need for better management and conservation efforts. Government and non-government groups should pay attention in order to minimize the damage to the aloe species. Traditional medicine practitioners, research institutes, and universities as well as biodiversity conservation institutes should give attention to the valuable aloe species in the country. As the species are declining from time to time, the devotions of the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Labor and Skill, and Biotechnology Institute are essential to ensure the sustainability and proper uses of these valuable plants for future generations.
    
    VL  - 10
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Author Information
  • Crop Research Department, Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural (EIAR) Research-Wondo Genet Agricultural Research Center (WGARC), Wondo Genet, Ethiopia

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