Herbal medicine: Clerics’ knowledge in a sub urban center in Niger Delta, Nigeria- a pilot study

Context: Places of worship such as churches and mosques can be dissemination centers for herbal medicines. Clerics play religious and social as well as political roles in the society and so exert a profound influence on their followers. Aims: To document the knowledge, belief, and disposition of clerics in Amassoma in Herbal Medicine as well as the medicinal plants mentioned by them. Methods: Using semi-structured questionnaires, information was gathered through personal interviews with thirty-two (32) clerics. Results: A total of 36 medicinal plant species representing 34 genera and 26 families were mentioned by the 32 clerics for various ailments. Approximately 85% of the clerics believed that neither the Quran, Bible nor their teaching was against the use of herbs. All the respondents have had contact with herbs, and a little above half of the population (53.1%) was highly satisfied with the results obtained from the use of herbs, while 22.0% showed low satisfaction and a quarter showed no satisfaction at all. Conclusions: The present study has shown that the clerics can serve as a good source of disseminating information on herbal medicines to the people. They can promote herbal medicine through their knowledge of it.