Unveiling the potential of medicinal plants in managing respiratory disorders in Kenya: An ethnobotanical and pharmacological relevance

Plants have been used as indispensable sources of traditional medicines for humans since ancient times. In Kenya, medicinal plants continue to play an essential role in primary health care. However, the incidence and severity of respiratory illnesses continue to increase disease burden in the country. Numerous medicinal plants have been traditionally employed to remedy diverse respiratory ailments such as influenza and pneumonia. In this study, we synthesized information related to the herbal uses of medicinal plants employed to manage respiratory disorders in Kenya and their ethnopharmacological relevance. A total of 238 plant species belonging to 72 families and 167 genera have been reported to potentially remedy 13 distinct respiratory ailments. Plants in Fabaceae family were predominantly used to manage these ailments. Besides, leaves (33%) and roots (29%) were the major plant parts widely utilized by local healers to prepare ethnomedicinal recipes in form of decoction, and were primarily administered orally. Pharmacological investigations showed that the studied medicinal plants displayed diverse biological activities, which likely contributed to their therapeutic benefits. Toxicological analysis revealed that 92 (39%) plant species were safe. Moreover, the conservation status showed that 88 species were of least concern, 3 were data deficient, 3 were endangered, 2 were vulnerable, and 2 were nearly threatened. This study shows the abundance and widespread utilization of ethnomedicinal plants in treating respiratory illnesses in Kenya. The generated inventory is a valuable addition to the growing database of therapeutic plant resources and can serve as a vehicle for ethnopharmacological research in clinical application and drug discovery.