Abstract
A survey of some indigenous medicinal plants used by the Oka-Akoko people of Ondo state was conducted through oral interviews using questionnaires administered to respondents. Plants were collected with the help of different informants (traditional herbalists, farmers, traders and herb sellers). Fifty plants species belonging to twenty-seven families were recorded. They were described using their botanical, common names, family and medicinal uses. The families Euphorbiaceae (12%), Asteraceae (10%) and Fabaceae (10%) recorded the highest number of plant species used in the study. The plants studied are used for a variety of remedies for different ailments. With respect to common ailments/diseases treated with the plants, headache/fever accounted for 20%, diarrhea (18%) malaria (14%), and veneral diseases (10%).
From the study, the leaves had the highest percentage of plant parts used (70%) followed by barks (26%) and roots (10%). These medicinal plants cater for most of the health care needs of humans, especially the Oka-Akoko people and should therefore be conserved to ensure its sustainability to serve the people of the community in general and the world at large.