Table 1 Characteristics of studies on medicinal plants used for the treatment of malaria in Ethiopia
Evaluation parameters | Total number of studies (n = 82) | |
|---|---|---|
Criterion | Frequency (%) | |
Paper types | Published article | 64 (78.0) |
Unpublished thesis | 18 (22.0) | |
Botanical identification | Plant collected and verified with informant | 3 (3.6) |
Voucher specimen in herbarium | 18 (22.0) | |
Formal identification by botanist | 13 (15.9) | |
All | 44 (53.6) | |
None | 4 (4.9) | |
Informants reliability | ≥10 informants interviewed | |
 Yes | 74 (90.2) | |
 No | 8 (9.8) | |
≥2 informants mention use of plant for malaria treatment | ||
 Yes | 66 (80.5) | |
 No | 16 (19.5) | |
Informant(s) experience of treating malaria | ||
 Yes | 61 (74.4) | |
 No | 21 (25.6) | |
Reliable (fulfill all above criteria) | ||
 Yes | 53 (64.6) | |
 No | 29 (35.4) | |
Researcher reliability | Used same language as informants | |
 Yes | 78 (95.1) | |
 No | 4 (4.9) | |
Recorded Ethno-medicinal information | ||
 At least PU, PM and AR | 15 (18.3) | |
 Detailed | 58 (70.7) | |
 Poor | 9 (11.0) | |