Journal of Ethnopharmacology 110 (2007) 516–525 Medicinal plants of the Shinasha, Agew-awi and Amhara peoples in northwest Ethiopia Mirutse Giday ∗ , Tilahun Teklehaymanot, Abebe Animut, Yalemtsehay Mekonnen Aklilu Lemma Institute of Pathobiology, P.O. Box 1176, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Received 31 May 2006; received in revised form 10 October 2006; accepted 13 October 2006 Available online 20 October 2006 Abstract Study was conducted in two sub-districts in northwestern Ethiopia to compile and analyse knowledge on the use of medicinal plants for treatment or prevention of human ailments by three socio-cultural groups, namely the Amharas, Shinashas and Agew-Awis. Data were mainly collected through individual interviews conducted with selected knowledgeable farmers and professional healers of the three socio-cultural groups. A total of 76 medicinal plants belonging to 48 families were documented, of which 50 species were reported by the Amharas, 25 by the Shinashas and 20 by the Agew-Awis. Large proportions of medicinal plants were found to have been used for the treatments of gastro-intestinal complaints (26%), skin diseases (24%) and malaria (22%). Relatively, higher numbers of informants agreed on the use of Croton macrostachyus against malaria (21%), Cynoglossum coeruleum against ‘mich’, illness mainly characterized by fever, headache and sweating (18%) and Zehneria scabra against malaria (13%). The species Croton Macrostachyus, Calpurnia aurea, Clematis hirsuta and Plumbago zeylanica were found to have the highest diversity of medicinal applications. We recommend that priority for further investigation should be given to medicinal plants with higher informant consensuses, as this could indicate their better efficacy. Measures are needed to conserve plants that are reported as scarce in the study area but still are only harvested from the wild. © 2006 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Medicinal plants; Ethnobotany; Amhara; Shinahsa; Agew-Awi; Ethiopia 1. Introduction Traditional medicine has been practiced in Ethiopia since long time ago. The knowledge, largely oral, has been transferred from one generation to the next through professional healers, knowledgeable elders and/or ordinary people. It is estimated that about 80% of the Ethiopian population is still dependent on traditional medicine, which essentially involves the use of plants (Abebe and Hagos, 1991). Despite the great role of traditional medicine and medicinal plants in the primary health care, little work has so far been done in the country to properly document and promote the asso- ciated knowledge (Abate, 1989; Tadesse and Demissew, 1992; Abebe and Ayehu, 1993; Abbink, 1995; Giday et al., 2003) cov- ering only few out of the estimated 80 or more socio-cultural (language) groups in Ethiopia. More surveys should, therefore, be carried out in different parts of the country covering many ∗ Corresponding author. Tel.: +251 11 2763091; fax: +251 11 2755296. E-mail address: mirutseg@yahoo.com (M. Giday). more socio-cultural groups with the aim of obtaining knowledge considered representative of the country. The objective of this study was to document and anal- yse local knowledge regarding the use of plants for the treat- ment and prevention of various human ailments in three socio- cultural groups, namely the peoples of Shinasha, Agew-Awi and Amhara, residing in selected districts of the Metekel and Agew-Awi Administrative zones of the Benishangul-Gumuz and Amhara administrative regions of Ethiopia, respectively. 2. Materials and methods 2.1. Description of the study area The study was conducted in selected sites of two neigh- bouring sub-districts (woredas) in the northwestern part of Ethiopia: Dibatie and Guangua. Dibatie Sub-district administra- tively belongs to the Metekel Zone of the Benishangul-Gumuz Regional State, whereas Guangua Sub-district belongs to the Agew-Awi zone of the Amhara Regional State (Fig. 1). Pawe 0378-8741/$ – see front matter © 2006 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2006.10.011