Matrix Science Pharma (MSP)

Background: Carried out in Liberia’s Montserrado County, this ethnopharmacological survey was designed to record information about common therapeutic plants. Many of the herbal medications of the study area are still unpublished, and their usage is either poorly or entirely unrecorded, despite the high rate of their usage in the country. Such a study is of high importance in Liberia, where the effectiveness of a decent number of herbal medicines has been proved but yet to be documented. Objectives: The study sought to chronicle the many methods of herbal preparations and healing practices used in the study area, as well as to identify plants (and their various parts) that are often used by herbal medicine practitioners in Liberia’s Montserrado County. Materials and Methods: The study utilized a cross-sectional descriptive design and conducted a face-to-face interview for 32 willing THMPs (Traditional Herbal Medicine Practitioners) in the county. The survey documented the socio-demographic information of the respondents, their mostly utilized plants (and the parts used), mode of use, common and local names and details of the mode of preparation of herbal medicines. Results and conclusion: Information about the botanical components and formulas of their medicines, the sources of raw materials, and the kinds of illnesses that the plants are used to cure was supplied by the government-recognized herbalists in the study area. According to the respondents, a total of ninety-two (92) medicinal plant species from thirty-one (31) families are commonly utilized to prepare herbal medications for the treatment of fifteen (15) various medical ailments. The leaves were the most frequently used plant parts, and the Fabaceae family was the most frequently mentioned. Malaria, goa, typhoid, dysentery, the common cold, piles, and infertility were the illnesses that required the most treatment. The documented common medicinal plants used in traditional medicine preparation in the study area are indications of opportunities for pharmaceutical resources in the country which is known for high biodiversity. Further research on the identified plants and more is hoped to foster novel medicinal discoveries which will be of national or global impact in the future.