Medicinal plants used in the management of cancers by residents in the Elgon Sub-Region, Uganda

This ethnobotanical study documented medicinal plants used for cancer treatment in Uganda’s Elgon sub-region. Through observations, questionnaires, interviews, and field trips, researchers identified 50 plant species from 36 families used in cancer management. The study found that herbal knowledge was mainly inherited, with Fabaceae and Asteraceae families comprising most species. Most plants were collected from forest reserves (63%), and leaves were primarily used in decoctions (43%). The ten most commonly used plants showed high preference ranking (60-86%) and reliability levels (74.1-93.9%), with ICF values close to 1 (0.84-0.95) for all cancers treated. The findings suggest these plants require further investigation for phytochemistry, toxicity, and effectiveness to potentially develop new anticancer medications.