4. THE ROLE OF TREES IN LAND USE

4.5 Trees for medicine

Traditional medicine is very important for people in most rural areas. Access to a wide variety of species of trees and shrubs, as well as herbs, is, therefore, vital for the traditional healers. Usually, only a few trees of each species are required to meet these needs in a particular area, but when the desirable tree species become rare they tend to be over-used and may eventually die.

Sometimes the local people hold specific beliefs concerning the trees that they use for medicine, e.g. that planted trees do not have the same properties as trees of the same species growing naturally. Such beliefs may, of course, discourage planting of trees for medicine. Pastoralists normally have extensive knowledge of trees that can play a role in veterinary medicine. For people living in remote areas, access to other veterinary services may be limited and traditional knowledge of how to utilize the biodiversity of the surrounding areas then becomes essential.

Figure 4.17 Traditional doctors use the bark of Ficus sycomorus as a remedy for stomach problems