It was concluded that the traditional medical knowledge is at risk of being lost in the study area because most of the apprentices were children from other parents, whereas, most traditional herbal medical practitioners preferred to transmit knowledge only to their children. The study revealed that in Nigeria, most rural communities lack access to orthodox medical facilities despite an expansion of orthodox health care facilities and an increase in the number of orthodox health care providers. Over 90% of Nigerians in rural areas thus depend partly on traditional medicine. This situation has led to a call for the utilization of traditional herbal medical practitioners in primary healthcare delivery. Hence, the persistence of the knowledge of traditional medicine, especially in the rural communities where it is the only means of primary health care, has been a concern to information professionals.
The study identified some obstacles to the traditional medical knowledge which is at risk of being lost, as most of apprentices were children from their parents and most traditional herbal medical practitioners preferred to transmit knowledge only to their children. The study is related to this study on the relationship between information accessibility, knowledge acquisition and management and transfer system among traditional herbal medical practitioners in South West Nigeria. Since it is on the preservation of traditional medical knowledge through modes of transmission, these findings are very useful to this study and could be employed in the information accessibility, knowledge acquisition, knowledge management and knowledge transfer among traditional herbal medical practitioners in South West Nigeria.
Moreover, (Ibrahim, Egbarevba, Jegede, Ugbabe, Muazzim, Kunle, Gamaniel, 2016) studied medicinal plants used and the perception of plant endangerment by the traditional herbal medical practitioners of Nassarawa State, Nigeria. A pilot study was conducted to document the medicinal plants used by traditional herbal medical practitioners (TMPS) and those they perceived to be scarce or endangered in Nasarawa State, Nigeria. Sixty traditional herbal medical practitioners were interviewed orally with the use of structured questionnaire. A total number of 120 medicinal plants species were identified from the 150 specimens surveyed for treatment of various ailments. Forty eight percent (48%) of the respondents did not agree that wild collection of medicinal plants without replacement can increase extinction risk of such plants of the medicinal plants mentioned by the traditional herbal medical practitioners to be scarce. Only 33 were identified taxonomically and 75% of them are trees, while 3% are herbs. The study reveals the urgent need for raising of awareness level of the traditional herbal medical practitioners on plant endangerment, training on good collection practice, sustainable collection, and as well as sensitisation on sustainable biodiversity conservation practice.
The study revealed that the growing role of traditional medicine practice in the health care delivery system of most countries of the world cannot be over emphasised. Needless to say, more than 90% of the remedies used by the practitioners of traditional herbal medicine are medicinal plant based. The growing demand for these plants for medicinal use and the subsequent unsustainable harvesting, livestock browsing and infrastructural development has led to the endangerment of some of the species. The findings are also useful to this study since it is dealing with role of traditional medicine in the health care delivering system.
In an assessment carried out by Regassa (2013) on indigenous knowledge of medicinal plant practice and mode of service delivery in Hawassa Ethiopia shows that an assessment of indigenous knowledge of medicinal plant was carried out to collect and document information on the use of traditional medicinal plants of local people of Hawassa city, Southern Ethiopia. Group discussion, semi- structure interviews, field observations, or guided field walks with informants to obtain indigenous knowledge of the local community on health, vegetation of the locality, use, conservation and threats of medicinal plants were carried out. A total of 83 medicinal plants and 11 medicinal animals were collected to treat 53 human and livestock ailments. Among the total traditional medicinal plants, 71 species (85.5%) were used against human ailments, 3 species (3.6%) were used to treat health problems of livestock and 9 (10.84%) species were used to treat both human and livestock ailments. Fabacaae was the most dominant medicinal plant family reported. Leaves were the dominant plant part used to prepare remedies (31.9%), followed by seeds (19%). High degree of informant consensus factor (ICT) was observed among traditional healers in treating gonorrhea (ICF= 0.77), wound (ICF = 0.76) and stomach ace (0.76). The species with the highest level of fidelity (FL= 100%) in treatment of malaria. Traditional remedies were processed mainly through crushing (28.2%), chewing (12.27%), squeezed (12.27%) and powdered (9.2%). The findings are find useful, since it is on the use of traditional medicinal plants of local people.
There are more points in the study of Soewu and Ayodele (2009) who carried out research on the use of Pangolin (Manis sps) in traditional Yoruba medicine in Ijebu Province, Ogun State of Nigeria. The paper examined the use of commercialisation of pangolins for traditional medicinal purposes amongst the Ijebus, South Western Nigeria, and the implications of this utilization for the conservation of these specie. Traditional Yoruba Medical Practitioners (TYMPS) (16) and dealers in traditional medicinal ingredients (56) in public markets in Ijebu province, Nigeria, were interviewed using open ended questionnaires. The dynamic stock movement of pangolins in the stalls of dealers was also monitored to determine quantity of pangolis sold into traditional Yoruba medicinal practices. Specific conditions treated and the parts required were also documented. The study revealed that, the use of endangered and threatened species in traditional medicine escalated as populations of many species plummeted because of poaching for the medicinal trade. Nigeria is known for a long and valued tradition of using wild animals and plants for medicinal purposes. The studies identified some obstacle; medicinal animals are still scarce when compared to those focusing on medicinal plants, Utilization of wild animals in traditional Yoruba medical practices was indiscriminate as it involved threatened species. By touting the medicinal properties of these species, traditional medicine fuel continuing demand, thereby subjecting such species to further threats.
