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This study was aimed at identifying and documenting medicinal plants used as medicines in the traditional treatment of infections of the digestive tract (diarrhea, oral thrush and anites) by traditional healers in the central region of Togo. The data were collected by semi-structured interviews method from 45 traditional practitioners. This study identified 61 plants species, from 54 genera and 26 botanical families. The most represented families were Fabaceae (9 genera / 9 species), Asteraceae (5/5), Combretaceae (4/5), Moraceae (2/5) and Euphorbiaceae (4/4). The most cited species are: Parkia biglobosa (Frequency of Citation = Frequency of citation = 12.92%), Pteleopsis suberosa (Frequency of Citation = 8.31%), Maytenus senegalensis (Frequency of Citation = 8.31%), Anchomanes difformis (Frequency of Citation = 7.38%) and Hymenocardia acida (Frequency of Citation = 4.37%). Sixty-seven percent (67%) of the identified plants are used in the treatment of childhood diarrhea. The leaves (30%) are the most used plant parts followed by stem barks. The decoction (59%) is the most used mode of preparation. The oral route (66%) remains the main route of administration of the phytomedicines. The medicinal plants are important in the traditional treatment of childhood infections in the central region of Togo. It is therefore necessary to investigate the effectiveness and toxicity of these plants for a better traditional use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In Togo, a little is known about latex plants of the flora used for medicinal purposes., Objective: The aim of this study was to identify the latex plant species and their medicinal uses in the Maritime Region of Togo., Materials and Methods: The methodology was based on ethnobotanical semi-structural individual interviews of 220 informants. Quantitative ethnobotanical index was used to analyze the data., Results: A total of 33 latex plants species were recorded, from 12 botanical families and 24 genera. The most represented families were Euphorbiaceae and Moraceae with eight species each. The relative importance (RI) value of each species and the informant consensus factor (ICF) of the ailments categories showed that Pergularia daemia (Forssk.) Chiov. (RI = 2.00) and Euphorbia hirta L. (RI = 1.91) were the most versatile in relation to their uses, and infectious diseases (ICF = 0.922) were the category with the greatest consensus among 17 categories., Conclusion: These latex plants of Togolese flora are variously used in traditional medicine and it would be important to undertake further investigations in phytochemistry, pharmacology, and toxicology to validate their uses. Abbreviations Used: UV: use value ICF: informant consensus factor RI: relative importance PP: pharmacological properties attributed to a species for a specific ailments AC: ailment categories treated by a given species.