• Willy Kibet Chebii, John Kaunga Muthee, and James Karatu Kiemo.
• Department of Earth and Climate science; Department of Plant Science and Crop Protection; University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya.
• Afr Health Sci. 2022 Dec 1; 22 (4): 695703695-703.

BackgroundThere exist vast traditional medicine and herbal remedies prescribed for diseases and socio-cultural ills that are sold in local medicine markets.ObjectivesTo assess the common traditional medicine traded in the local medicine markets and used for treating common diseases.MethodsThe study was carried out in nine purposively selected medicine markets spread out in seven administrative counties of Western Kenya. Purposive sampling with elements of snow ball method was employed in the identification of willing respondents. In addition, face to face interviews were conducted with the aid of a pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire that sought to extract a targeted and expertise information from the respondents.ResultsThe survey recorded 45 commonly traded plant families composed of 78 genera and 87 medicinal plant species. Meliaceae, Apocynaceae and Fabaceae were leading plant families whereas Trichilia emetica, Azadirachta indica, Dregea schimperi and Aloe spp. were commonly traded.ConclusionTraditional medicine traded in the local medicine markets continue to play a significant role in the treatment of common diseases. Frequently traded medicinal plant species should be prioritized for conservation.© 2022 Chebii WK et al.

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