Ethnobotanical Medicinal Plants Used as Chewing Sticks among the Kenyan Communities

Background: Dental infections are among the most pursued global oral health problems. They are caused by plaque forming bacteria such as Myces, Actinobacillus, Streptococcus and Candida species which reside in the oral cavity. Chewing sticks have remained a common and acceptable teeth cleaning agent in different parts of the world especially in developing countries despite the widespread use of tooth brushes and tooth pastes. These are secondary forest products used by many communities in Kenya. They are used to treat wide range of oral infections and some have been reported by the herbalist to possess pharmacological properties. Despite their wide usage, not much has been investigated about the species mentioned for their importance according to local communities.

Aim: In view of this, the purpose of this research was to undertake an ethnobotanical study and evaluation of phytochemicals of the locally used medicinal plants as chewing sticks among western communities in Kenya.

Place and Duration: Research was carried out at University of Kabianga from January to May 2016.

Methodology: Secondary literature search and structured interviews among local informants in 5 Counties, Western Kenya was used to collect data. They were requested to list the species used as chewing sticks and to rank them by priority. To evaluate the pharmacological importance, phytochemical screening was done on organic extracts (leaves and stems) of the three species listed as priority according to local perceptions.

Results: In our findings, fifteen plant species belonging to different families were documented. It was observed that plants used by the locals are carefully selected for properties such as hardness, or bitterness and certain species were more popular than others among the users. Some of these species had medicinal properties and were used for the treatment of malaria, stomach upsets, cough, diarrhea, dysentery, and tuberculosis. The oral health status of the users, especially the youths and the middle aged were suggestions of the possible dental recipe, contained in some of these plant species especially the frequently used. Phytochemical screening of the extracts from the three species ranked as priority revealed the presence of alkaloids, tannins, flavonoids, saponins, terpenoids and carotenoids. Therefore the extracts contains compounds (phytochemicals) that have been reported to have an effect on oral pathogens and other ailments and thus prevent tooth decay and gum diseases.

Conclusion: Thus, the study ascertains the value of medicinal plants used in the Western Kenya and Kenya as a whole, which could be of considerable interest to the development of new drugs and production of new antibiotic. Use of these plants as chewing sticks can also be commercialized and be a source of income for many poor Kenyans upon scientific validation of their toxicity.