Table 2 Medicinal Plants for diarrhoea treatment among under-five children
SN | Local language name of the plant | Scientific Botanical Name | Family Name | Parts used | How the medicine is prepared |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Mpera - (Swahili) | Psidium guajava | Myrtaceae | Leaves | Pick fresh guava leaves, then grind them until they are very fine, mix with very little water, squeeze and filter it well to get fluid, and give it to the child. For under-five year children, give the amount of a teaspoon three times per day for three consecutive days. |
2 | Mlama – (Swahili/Zigua) | Combretum molle | Combretaceae | Roots | Dig fresh roots, wash and soak them for a few hours to get a liquid substance, and give it to the patient to drink. One small cup three times a day for three days. Alternatively, dig fresh roots, wash and mix them with two cups of water, boil the medicine until one and a half cups of water remain, and then give it to the patient. You give him/her one cup of medicine twice a day for three days. |
Leaves | Pick fresh leaves, grind them well, mix them with very little water, squeeze and filter them well to get their fluid, and give them to the child. The child should drink two tablespoons once per day for three days. | ||||
Roots or Barks | Fresh barks or roots should be dried and ground into powder before being mixed into porridge or warm water and given to the patient. One tablespoon powder in the porridge. For three days, three times every day. | ||||
3 | Mdaula – (Swahili/Zigua) | Zanha africana | Sapindaceae | Roots | Dig fresh roots, remove the outer layer, wash them, mix with one litre of water, and boil until you get half a litre. The child should take two tablespoons three times a day for three days. Alternatively, dig fresh roots, take the outer layer, wash and grind them, then dry under the sun. The powder can be used with porridge or warm water. One tablespoon of powder three times per day for three days. |
4 | Mtula – (Zigua/Sambaa) Ndulele – (Swahili) | Solanum incanum | Solanaceae | Roots | Dig fresh roots, add one litre of water, and boil until you get half a litre. For seven days, the child consumes half a cup three times a day. |
5 | Mtundwi – (Zigua) | Ximenia americana | Olacaceae | Leaves | Pick fresh leaves, dry, and grind them until they become powder. Store it in a dry place (where there is no humidity). The medicine can be used with tea or porridge. The child should take one teaspoon of powder three times per day until the child recovers. |
Roots | Dig the roots and wash them well, then mix with water and boil. If it is one litre of water, boil it until you get half a litre. The child takes a quarter of a cup, three times a day until the child recovers. | ||||
6 | Mkumbi (Zigua/Swahili | Ochna holstii | Ochnaceae | Barks | Pick the barks from the tree, grind them well to get the powder, sift, and store the powder in a bottle. The medicine is used by mixing it with hot water half a litre with one tablespoon of medicine. The child should take two tablespoons three times a day for three or four days. |
7 | Mnenekanda (Zigua/Swahili) | Elaeodendron schlechtarianum | Celastraceae | Leaves | Pluck fresh leaves, grind them well, squeeze, and filter well to get the juice. Store it in a cool place. The child takes two teaspoons three times a day for two days. |
Barks | Take the barks, dry them before grinding them to get a powder, and then mix the powder with water and give one tablespoon to a child once per day until the child recovers. | ||||
8 | Kivumbasi/Mzumbasha – (Sambaa/Zigua) | Ocimum suave | Lamiaceae | Leaves | Pluck fresh leaves, grind them well, mix with a litre of water, squeeze, and filter well to get a watery substance. The child takes the amount of liquid, three or four tablespoons, three times, a day for two days. |
| Â | Â | Â | Â | Roots | Dig fresh roots, wash them well, and then mix with water and boil. If it is one litre of water, boil it until you get half a litre. The child should take half a cup three times a day for three days. |
| Â | Â | Â | Â | Leaves and Roots | Take fresh leaves and roots, dry them properly, and grind to get a powder. Add a small amount of hot water and use it. The child takes one tablespoon once per day until s/he recovers. The dose of the medicine can be increased accordingly to a quarter of a cup, depending on the age of the child. |
9 | Chegonde - (Sambaa), (Mkumba in Swahili) | Rhus natalensis | Anacardiaceae | Leaves | Pick fresh leaves, grind them well, and soak for a quarter of an hour or half an hour. The child takes the amount of six tablespoons: two in the morning, two in the afternoon, and two in the evening for three days |
10 | Mlwati (Zigua) | Dombeya rotundifolia | Malvaceae | Leaves | Grind fresh leaves, squeeze, and filter them well to get a liquid substance. The child takes one tablespoon twice a day for one or two days. |
| Â | Â | Â | Â | Cords or the Barks | Peal the cords or the barks and soak them in water for one hour. The child takes the amount of one cup or half of a cup twice a day for one or two days. |
11 | Mkwaju - (Swahili) | Tamarindus indica | Fabaceae | Leaves | Grind fresh leaves, mangle them, and filter well to get a liquid substance. The child takes the amount of one tablespoon twice or three times a day for two or three days. |
12 | Mkala – (Zigua) | Ozoroa insignis | Anacardiaceae | Leaves | Grind fresh leaves, squeeze, and filter them well to get the liquid substance. The child takes two teaspoons three times a day for two days. |
13 | Mfuleta – (Swahili) | Albizia anthelmintica | Fabaceae | Barks | Peel off the bark’s outer layer to remain with the cords. Mix the cords with one and a half cups of water and boil it a little. The child takes four tablespoons twice a day until the child recovers. Alternatively, peel the barks and soak them in water for one day only; the purpose is to get the sauce. The child takes the amount of a teaspoon twice a day until the child recovers. |
14 | Mkole - (Sambaa) | Grewia sp | Malvaceae | Leaves | Grind the leaves, and after that, boil and filter before you give it to the child to drink. The child takes two teaspoons once a day until the child recovers. |
15 | Mkusu - (Swahili) | Harrisonia abyssinica | Rutaceae | Leaves | Crush fresh, tender leaves; filter them well to get the liquid substance. The child takes two teaspoons twice a day for two or three days. |
16 | Mwembe - (Swahili) | Mangifera indica | Anacardiaceae | Leaves | Obtain fresh leaves, grind them well, mix with seven tablespoons of water, squeeze and filter well to get some sort of juice, and give it to the child. The child should drink three teaspoons every six hours for three days. |
17 | Mtwintwi – (Zigua) | Commiphora pteleifolia | Burseraceae | Barks | Peal the barks and soak them in the water for a few hours in order to get a liquid substance. The Child takes half a cup three times per day for five days. |
| Â | Â | Â | Â | Leaves | Pick fresh leaves, grind and mix them with water, wait for half an hour, then squeeze and put the medicine in a clean bottle. The child takes two tablespoons three times per day for three days. |
18 | Mwengele/Muhengele - (Zigua) | Cyphostemma njegerre | Vitaceae | Roots | Dig the roots, prepare them well by cutting them into small pieces, soak the pieces in water, wait until you get some sort of thick liquid substance, and give it to the child. The child takes a small amount of medicine three times a day until s/he recovers. On average for 7 days. |
19 | Mlama Mweusi - (Swahili) Malamla (Zigua) | Combretum molle | Combretaceae | Roots | Dig fresh roots, wash them well, soak for a few hours, and give it to the patient to drink. The child takes the amount of one cup three times a day until s/he recovers. |
20 | Mharashambuzi - (Zigua) | Indigofera swaziensis | Fabaceae | Roots | Dig fresh roots, wash them well, soak for a few hours, and then add a little amount of sugar or honey; it treats diarrhoea and stimulates blood production as well. The child takes two tablespoons three times a day until s/he recovers. |
21 | Mumbu - (Zigua) | Lannea schweinfurthii var. stuhlmannii | Anacardiaceae | Barks | Obtain the outer layer, soak it for a few hours, and give it to the patient to drink. The child takes the amount of one teaspoon three times a day until s/he recovers. |
22 | Mkundekunde – (Swahili) | Cassia abbreviata Oliv. | Fabaceae | Roots | Dig fresh roots, wash them well, mix with some water, and boil well. If it is one litre of water, boil it until you get half a litre. The child takes half a cup three times per day for up to three days. |
23 | Mnama – (Pare) | Combretum molle | Combretaceae | Barks | Get the barks, wash them well, strain, dry, and grind. Take the powder obtained from the barks and store it in a good place; wherever you store it, it must be clean. Then you take clean, boiled, and boiled water and put it in a cup, and the child may drink it. The child takes the amount of four tablespoons three times per day until s/he recovers. At this time, the child should also be drinking a lot of water, and s/he can take a mixture of oranges, lemons, and a little sugar. |
24 | Mkongowe – (Zigua) | Acacia gerrardii | Fabaceae | Roots | Dig fresh roots, wash them well, mix with some water, and soak for a few hours to get the fluid. The child takes one tablespoon every day for a week. |
25 | Leza - (Sambaa) | Ehretia sylvatica | Boraginaceae | Leaves | Pick fresh leaves, grind them, and mix with milk. If you don’t have milk, you can prepare by soaking them in water for some time, and then give the liquid substance to the patient. The child takes the amount of a tablespoon and takes it in the morning, then by noon s/he feels better. |
26 | Mshegheshe-(Sambaa) | Myrica salicifolia | Myricaceae | Leaves | Get fresh leaves, grind and mix them with a little water, then squeeze and filter to get a liquid substance. The child takes the amount of one tablespoon three times per day until s/he recovers. |
27 | Mhafie - (Sambaa) | Millettia lasiantha | Fabaceae | Barks | Peel the barks, grind them, and let them dry. When dry, filter, mix with hot water, and then give it to the patient according to his or her age. Under-five children are required to take one teaspoon of medication for two days only, and diarrhoea will stop completely. |
28 | Mtusi - (Zigua) | Vachellia nilotica | Fabaceae | Barks | Peel the barks and soak them for a few hours, then squeeze and filter to get a liquid substance. The child can take a small amount of medicine, one tablespoon twice daily, until s/he recovers. |
29 | Mgunku - (Zigua) | Stereospermum kunthianum | Bignoniaceae | Barks | Take the barks and soak them in water for a few hours, then squeeze and filter to get a liquid substance. The child can take a small amount of medicine—one tablespoon twice daily—until s/he recovers, usually for three days. |
30 | Makandiza - (Zigua) | Psorospermum febrifugum | Clusiaceae | Leaves | Get fresh leaves, grind and mix them with a little water, then squeeze and filter to get a liquid substance. The child takes the amount of two or three tablespoons once per day for two or three days, depending on the progress of the patient. |
31 | Mtulavuha - (Zigua) | Rytigynia schumannii | Rubiaceae | Roots | Dig fresh roots, wash them, mix with some water, and boil the roots well. If it is one litre of water, boil it until you get half a litre. The child takes two tablespoons three times per day. The patient’s progress will determine the number of days s/he will take the medicine. |
32 | Mkatakwa - (Zigua) | Brackenridgea zanguebarica | Ochnaceae | Barks | Get fresh barks from the tree and dry them. Not the inner barks, but the outer barks. Grind them to get the powder. Then boil water and put about one tablespoon of herbal powder in the water. Mix it well and then give it to the child, in the amount of one tablespoon of medicine, three times a day for three to four days. |
33 | Mnamang’ombe - (Zigua) | Combretum collinum | Combretaceae | Barks | Get the barks from the tree. Take the barks from the side of the sunrise. When harvesting, the barks that will be facing up by the time they are falling down from the tree are the ones that are supposed to be taken; however, those tree barks that have fallen and look down are not appropriate and should be abandoned. After getting the relevant barks, soak them in water for a few hours, then squeeze and filter to get a liquid substance. The child takes the amount of one teaspoon three times per day until s/he recovers. |
34 | Hoza - (Zigua and Swahili) | Cissus aralioides | Vitaceae | Leaves | Get fresh leaves and grind them until they become slimy. Stir in water and give it to a patient. The child takes one tablespoon twice per day for four days. |
35 | Konko - (Zigua) | Polyscias stuhlmannii | Araliaceae | Leaves | Get fresh leaves, grind and mix them with half a cup of water, then squeeze and filter to get a liquid substance. The liquid is administered to the child. Half a cup is divided into two, and the child only drinks it twice a day, in the morning and in the evening. |
36 | Mkwizinge - (Swahili) | Cassia abbreviata | Fabaceae | Roots | Dig fresh roots, wash them, mix with some water, and boil the roots well. If it is one litre of water, boil it until you get half a litre. The child takes half a cup three times per day for seven days. |
37 | Mvungaliza - (Zigua) | Synaptolepis kirkii | Thymelaeaceae | Leaves | Get fresh leaves of Mvungaliza (Synaptolepis kirkii), Mtwintwi (Commiphora pteleifolia), and Guava leaves, grind them together until it becomes slimy, and add water. With the water in the mill, keep on grinding as if to make a stew. After this, filter the water, and the medicine can be administered to the child according to their age. A quarter cup, half a cup, or a whole cup, according to their age. If it’s a 4- or 5-year-old, they can take a whole cup. If they are younger, say 2- or 3-year-old, you give them half a cup once per day until s/he recovers. |
38 | Kongukubwa - (Zigua) | Inhambanella henriquezii | Sapotaceae | Leaves | Pick fresh leaves, grind them well, and soak in water for five to ten minutes. Squeeze and filter it well to get the liquid substance. The child takes a quarter of a cup in the morning and evening for five days. |
39 | Mkongodeka - (Zigua) | Grewia microcarpa | Malvaceae | Leaves | Pick fresh leaves of Mkongodeka (Grewia microcarpa) and Guava leaves, grind them together well, and let it dry. The ground leaves need to dry well in a shady place because, when exposed to the sun for long, powder loses its healing properties. After drying, the medicine can be administered to the child by adding it to porridge or hot water. The child takes one tablespoon three times per day for three or four days. |
40 | Mhombe - (Zigua) | Heeria reticulata | Anacardiaceae | Roots | Fresh roots should be dug, washed, peeled, and dried. Thereafter, grind them until are powdery. The child is required to take the amount of one tablespoon of powder mixed with a glass of water three times per day for the period of one week. |
41 | Tungotungo - (Zigua) | Strychnos innocua | Loganiaceae | Roots | Dig fresh roots, peel them, and cut into pieces. Put in the sun to dry. Then grind until they form powder. The child is required to take one tablespoon of powder mixed with a glass of water three times per day for seven days, and s/he should not stop taking medicine even if s/he gets better. |
42 | Mvungawiza - (Sambaa) | Xymalos monospora | Monimiaceae | Roots | Dig fresh roots, wash and dry them, and then grind until they become powder. Take a teaspoon of this medicine and soak it in a cup of water for half an hour. Give the liquid substance to the patient to drink. If it is a young child, give him or her one teaspoon twice a day (morning and evening) for four days. |
43 | Mgotu - (Zigua) | Diospyros fischeri | Ebenaceae | Roots | Dig up fresh roots and cut them into pieces. Soak in water for a few hours to get the liquid substance and give it to the child to drink. The child takes one cup of medicine three times per day for four days. |
44 | Nyejeza - (Zigua) | Kigelia africana | Bignoniacaea | Leaves | Get fresh leaves, grind them, then squeeze and filter to get the juice. The liquid substance obtained is administered to the child. The child takes the amount of one tablespoon of medicine only once, and after a few minutes, s/he will feel better. |
45 | Mnukapala - (Sambaa) | Zanthoxylum chalybeum | Rutaceae | Leaves | Pick fresh leaves, grind them, and dry in the sun, and then mix the herbal powder (less than a tablespoon of herbal powder) with a quarter cup of water and give it to the child twice a day, or if he has nonstop diarrhoea, s/he can take it three times a day until s/he recovers. |
46 | Mchimbu - (Zigua) | Dombeya rotundifolia | Sterculiaceae | Roots | Dig the roots and wash them well, then mix with water and boil. If it is one litre of water, boil it until you get half a litre. The child takes the amount of a quarter of a cup because a child might spill some when they get medication. They can be given three times per day for three days. |
47 | Mnungumagoma - (Zigua/Swahili) | Erythrina abyssinica | Fabaceae | Roots | Dig fresh roots, wash them, soak in water for a few hours to get the liquid substance, and then give it to the child. The child takes the amount of one tablespoon three times per day for only one day. |
48 | Kiandama - (Sambaa) | Asparagus flagellaris | Asparagaceae | Leaves | Pick fresh leaves, grind them, and mix with water. Then squeeze and filter to get a watery substance. The child takes the amount of a teaspoon in the morning, afternoon, and evening for three days. |
49 | Mzuma - (Sambaa) | Harrisonia abyssinica | Rutaceae | Leaves | Pick fresh leaves, grind them, and mix with water. Then squeeze and filter to get a watery substance. The child takes the amount of a teaspoon in the morning, afternoon, and evening for three days. |
50 | Mzindanguwe - (Sambaa) | Blighia unijugata | Sapindaceae | Leaves | Pick fresh leaves, wash them, grind, mix with water, and filter before you give it to the child or an adult to drink. The child takes three teaspoons in the morning, afternoon, and evening for only one day. |
51 | Sutang’andu - (Zigua) | Salacia stuhlmanniana | Celastraceaea | Leaves | Pick fresh leaves, grind and mix them with a little water, and then squeeze to get a liquid substance. The child takes two tablespoons three times per day for three days. |
52 | Mfundofundo (Sambaa) – (Swahili - Kifundo) | Zenkerella grotei | Fabaceae | Leaves | Pick fresh leaves, grind and mix them with a little water, and then squeeze to get a liquid substance. The child takes a tablespoon three times per day for three days. An adult can chew these leaves, swallow them, and drink some water. |
53 | Mhaikanyoya - (Zigua) | Deinbollia borbonica | Sapindaceae | Roots | Dig fresh roots of Mhaikanyoya (Deinbollia borbonica) and Mtura (Solanum incanum), dice them, and boil together. If it is two litre of water, then boil it until you get one litre. If the child is under five years old but only one year old, then s/he’ll drink a quarter of a cup of tea. If s/he’s about 4 years old, then s/he can drink half a cup, and the 5-year-old can drink even a whole cup of tea, three times per day for three to seven days, depending on the condition of the patient. |
54 | Sitahula – Sambaa (Mzangaze - Swahili) | Achyranthes aspera | Amaranthaceae | Leaves | Pick fresh leaves, crush and combine them with two litres of water, then squeeze and filter to obtain the liquid ingredient. The child must take one cup of medication three times every day until s/he recovers. The medication causes the stool to harden fast. |