Abstract:
Approximately 80% of the rural population in developing countries relies on traditional
medicinal plants for their health care needs. As a result, people have developed their
knowledge of these traditional medicines through their experiences and daily
observations. In the Maasai community, this information is deeply rooted in their culture,
transferred from one generation to the next orally and along gender lines.
This study explored the traditional medicinal plants used by the Loita Maasai to treat
human health problems with the aim of identifying the salient medicinal plants of the
Loita Maasai and their uses (Chapter 2). In addition, due to their dependence on the
environment, the Maasai have developed traditional mechanisms to protect these plants.
To investigate these strategies, this study documented the traditional conservation
methods used by the Loita Maasai to protect their medicinal plants (Chapter 3). The data
was collected through face-to-face freelisting interviews of 31 women and men from the
three villages in Loita of Ilkerin, Inkopon and Entasekera, identified through purposive
sampling and snowball sampling and analyzed using ANTHROPAC software and
thematic analysis for qualitative data.
Orkonyil (Rhamnus prinoides), Oleparmunyo (Toddalia asiatica), Olkiloriti (Acacia
nilotica), Olamuriaki (Carissa edulis), Olngonguenyi (Acacia kirkii), Olmisigiyioi (Rhus
natalensis), Olperelengo, Oloirien (Olea europaea), and Osokonoi (Warburgia salutaris)
were identified as the most salient plants, with some reported to have more than one
medicinal use. In addition, the results revealed three primary traditional conservation
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strategies used in the study area to protect medicinal plants. Sustainable harvesting is a
technique used to harvest these plants without damaging them to ensure their availability
in the future. Second, the monitoring of these plants is seen as the collective
responsibility of all the members of the community, meaning that everyone is responsible
for protecting them. Third, a community structure is in place for resource management;
the Council of Elders, composed of members elected by the community, is tasked with
overseeing the management of natural resources in the study area
