Testicular hernia and herbal medicine in Dodinda and Ngondong in western Logone occidental province in Chad

In Chad, testicular hernia is one of the public health problems with more than 1,423 cases treated in 2015. Medicinal plants are widely used by the local population to treat this disease. The objective of this work is to make an evaluation of the contribution of ethno-pharmacological knowledge of plants used in the treatment of testicular hernia in the villages of Dodinda and Ngondong, Department of Lac-Wey in Chad (Province of Logone Occidental).

Data on traditional testicular hernia treatments reviewed as well as surveys were carried out using semi-structured questionnaires between September 2019 and January 2021. A total of 100 active traditional practitioners and knowledgeable villagers estimated their contribution to this treatment. Data were analyzed based on use value (UV), fidelity level (FL) and relative citation frequency (RFC).Then, the most cited species were the subject of a photochemical study. All of six (06) plant species belonging to four (04) families have been reported. In the study area, 40% of healers use the combination of Cassia sieberiana bark with Cassia occidentalis roots. 35% use the combination of the bark of Indigofera tinctorium with the roots of Ipomoea hederifolia. 25% use the combination of the bark of Sacocephalus latifolius with the roots of Salix alba. Biochemical characterization of these six (06) main species used in the treatment of testicular hernia revealed considerable levels of chemical constituents with different colorations. Such results are a prerequisite for the development of improved traditional medicines.