Abstract:
Many studies have been carried out on the nutritive value of indigenous leafy vegetables but few have been done on the medicinal value of these traditional vegetables. A study was carried out to document the medicinal and immunoboosting value of indigenous leafy vegetables (ILVs) used traditionally by vulnerable groups (children, pregnant mothers, people living with HIV/AIDS) in Kenya. Descriptive data were collected from a total of 65 respondents. Using open-ended questionnaire, ethno medicinal surveys were carried out from November to December 2016 in Kakamega and Kilifi counties in Kenya. A total of 14 ILV species were described. Of these, 12 were reported by the respondents to boost body immunity across the vulnerable groups; 11 species were reported to treat various conditions across the groups. There was a general consensus of use of ILV species as therapeutic and immunoboosters across the three groups. A cross cultural analysis found that six ILV species were used in both counties of Kakamega and Kilifi. These were Amaranthusdubius, Cleome gynandra, Corchorusolitorius, Cucurbita maxima, Solanumvillosumand Vignaunguiculata. The study forms a basis for development of value added products in standardized formulations containing ILVs to address the documented or other related human health challenges. |
