ETHNOBOTANICAL APPROACHES TO NOCTURNAL ENURESIS: A STUDY OF YORUBA HERBAL PRACTICES IN NIGERIA

Abstract

This paper explores the indigenous knowledge of herbal, social, and bricoleur methods used to cure nocturnal enuresis (NE) among the Yoruba people of Southwestern Nigeria. The paper adopted an explanatory research methodology, using percentages mainly, to investigate how the NE is cured among the Yoruba cultural group in the study area. Multi-staged sampling technique was adopted in selecting the sample population. Primary data were collected, first, from a sample of 10 adults (comprising of 6 men and 4 women), out of a population of 15 adults whose treatments are on going at the period of collection of data for this research. The 15 adultswere suffering from the NE at the time of this survey. The 15 patients came directly to the indigenous healing centre at the secluded area of Modakeke town within the Ile-Ife cosmopolitan town at the time the data was collected. Using convenience sampling technique, 10 patients were marked down as sample for the survey because they resided around the Ife environs and could be quickly monitored  while the remaining 5 patients came from a faraway place within Nigeria. Second, also 10 healed ex-patients living in Ile-Ife environs, out of a population of 20 ex-patients who suffered in the past from NE, but who had received perfect healing in the past 5 years were followed up using the addresses indicated during their first registration at the healing centre. Intotal, the survey included 20 respondents from a population of 35. The information needed were also collected from secondary sources that have been classified as credible published articles. Subsequently, the data generated were analyzed for easy apprehension using appropriate descriptive and inferential tool, percentages. The findings showed that the indigenous bananastem herbal remedy is very effective in permanently curing NE among the patients/respondents.