
































East Afr. J. Biophys. Comput. Sci. (2025), Vol. 6, Issue. 1, 15-25 
 

 

 

 
*Corresponding author: 

  Email: markonaldagm@gmail.com ,+251946526872 https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/eajbcs.v6i1.2S 
 

 

 
An Ethnobotanical Study of a Medicinal Plant Justicia Schimperiana (Sensel) in Adaba and 

Shashemene Districts West Arsi Zone, Southern Ethiopia 
 

Mekdes Tadesse Mekonen1*, Hewan Demissie Degu2  
 

1Ph.D. Student in the Department of Translational Agricultural Science, College of Biosciences and 
Biotechnology, National Cheng Kong University, Taiwan; Department of Biotechnology, College of Natural 
Science, Bule Hora University, Ethiopia 
2Plant Biotechnology, School of Plant and Horticulture Sciences, College of Agriculture, Hawassa University, 
P.O. Box 05, Hawassa, Ethiopia 
 

KEYWORDS:  

Ethnobotany; 

Justicia Schimperiana; 

Medicinal plant; 

Sensel; 

Southern Ethiopia 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ABSTRACT 

Justicia schimperiana is an evergreen shrub growing in the wet part of Ethiopia. The plant 
is known by different names among the localities and is commonly termed Sensel. It is 
usually used for medicinal purposes for various communicable and non-communicable 
diseases. However, the extent of the ethnobotany of this plant has not been studied well 
before, so the aim of this study is to assess the palaeobotanical knowledge of the Sensel 
plant (Justicia schimperiana). Parallel to the sample plant collection, a total of 30 
informants (21 male and 9 female) were selected to collect ethnobotanical information 
from two districts. Among the informants, 7 key informants who are known as traditional 
healers were selected purposefully. Ethnobotanical data were collected through semi-
structured interviews and group discussions were analyzed. The study indicates that the 
community, mainly those of low economic status and people who have failed to be healed 
by modern medication from their health problems, depend on an indigenous herbal 
remedy medication like sensel. Hence, the sensel plant is used to prepare a remedy for 
human and animal diseases like rabies, hepatitis, skin diseases, communicable diseases, 
asthma, malaria, abdominal disorders, livestock diseases, and other human-related ritual 
problems. 

INTRODUCTION 

Background of the Study 

Justicia schimperiana, a member of the 
Acanthaceae family, is also known as Adhatoda 
schimperiana or Gendarussa schimperiana. 
Locally, it is called dhumuugaa in Afan Oromo, 
sensel or simiza in Amharic, and surpa, kasha, 
or keteso in Sidama. This fast-growing, multi-
branched shrub (2–3 m tall) thrives in wet 

montane forests, riverbanks, and village hedges 
at altitudes of 1300–2700 m (Hedberg et al., 
2006). It is widely distributed in Ethiopia, 
Kenya, and Tanzania and is often used as a live 
fence (Abebe et al., 1993). 

In Ethiopia, the leaf decoction is traditionally 
consumed with local beer to treat asthma, while 
fresh leaves are used for contagious diseases. In 
Eastern Ethiopia, it serves as a laxative, while in 
Northern Ethiopia, alone or mixed with other 

East African Journal of Biophysical and Computational Sciences 

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Research article 



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plants, it is used for mental illness, epilepsy, eye 
diseases, leprosy, malaria, jaundice, rabies, 
gonorrhea, syphilis, measles, relapsing fever, 
vitiligo, gout, and febrile illnesses (Abebe, 
1996). In Southwest Ethiopia, fresh leaves are 
crushed and macerated in water for treating 
malaria and scabies (Teferi, 2003). 

Despite its medicinal importance for human and 
livestock diseases, indigenous knowledge about 
Sensel is at risk due to its oral transmission, 
leading to knowledge loss and deterioration 
(Mesfin, 1996). Ethnobotanical studies on 
Justicia species in the Americas, Asia, and 
Africa have primarily focused on various 
ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry, and 
biological properties (Sundaram and Purwar, 
2011). In Ethiopia, most research emphasizes 
traditional practitioners and the historical 
medico-magical and/or medico-spiritual 
manuscripts and ancient Gee'z manuscripts, 
overlooking the knowledge of local 
communities (Fasil, 2005). The oral transfer of 
herbal knowledge, however, risks losing critical 
information on plant use, preparation, and 
medicinal applications in animal and human 
diseases. Therefore, documentation of medicinal 
plants and the indigenous understanding 
associated with them are crucial to identify 
threatened medicinal plant species to present 
due attention to proper control and conservation 
(Moa, 2010). 

Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the 
ethnobotanical information on a medicinal plant 
Justicia schimperiana (Sensel) in Adaba and 
Shashemene districts in Southern Ethiopia. 

Ethnobotanical Background of Justicia 
schimperiana 

Ethnobotany is the scientific look at the 
conventional know-how and customs of a 
human being regarding the flora and their 
medical, religious, and different uses. Therefore, 
it's far well worth explaining the conventional 
remedy. A Traditional Medicine (TM) is 
described as the whole of the know-how and 
practices whether explicable or inexplicable, 
used inside the diagnosis, prevention, and 
removal of physical, mental, and/or social 
imbalance (WHO, 1979). Since time 
immemorial people have discovered treatments 
inside their habitat, and feature exceptional 
healing techniques relying upon the climatic, 
physiographic, floral, and faunal characteristics, 
in addition to the abnormal cultural and socio-
structural typologies. In doing so, human beings 
have used conventional remedies to treat diverse 
disorders. It has integrated plant, animal, and 
mineral-primarily totally based medicines, and 
non-secular therapies, consisting of strategies 
and exercises, implemented alone or in 
combination (Adewumi, 1991). Traditional 
medicine is primarily based on accumulated 
practical experience and observations passed 
down through generations, either orally or in 
written form. It encompasses healing practices 
that have existed for centuries, often predating 
modern medical treatments, and continue to be 
utilized today without widely documented 
adverse effects (Elujoba et al., 2005) 

Acanthaceae is a family of dicotyledonous 
flowering plants comprising almost 250 genera 
and about 2500 species (Reddy et al., 2013). 
Most are tropical herbs, shrubs, or twining 
vines; a few are epiphytes. Only some species 
are allotted in temperate areas. The 4 important 
facilities of distribution are Indonesia and 
Malaysia, Africa, Brazil, and Central America. 
The representatives of the own circle of 



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relatives may be discovered in almost every 
habitat, inclusive of dense or open forests, in 
scrub lands, on moist fields and valleys, on the 
seacoast and in marine areas, and in swamps 
and as a detail of mangrove woods. Justicia is 
the most essential genus of Acanthaceae, with 
about six hundred species which might be 
discovered in pan tropical and tropical areas 
(Correa and Alcantara, 2012).  

In Ethiopia, the shrub can most customarily be 
discovered in fences around homes and 
cultivated fields, wherein it has commonly been 
planted. In the wild, the plant grows at an 
altitude of 1250-2500 m, on mountain slopes, 
along roadsides, alongside rivers, in woodland 
and woodland edges. The plant may be 
discovered in plants and fruit all year-round, 
maximum abundantly so inside the dry duration 
from October until January (Sebald, 1972). 
Justicia schimperiana is shipped in excessive 
awareness in nearly all areas of Ethiopia and 
different East African nations like Eritrea, 
Somalia, Kenya, and Tanzania. Other research 
discovered that this inexperienced plant is one 
of the maximum abundant, widespread, and 
regenerative species in northwestern Ethiopia; 
northern Ethiopia (Haile et al., 2008); 
Southwestern Ethiopia (Nune, 2008); and 
southeastern Ethiopia (Moa, 2010).  

The plant grows in many of the Ethiopian 
ecosystems particularly in wet montane 
woodland, commonly close to streams and 
rivers, in evergreen scrub on hill slopes, 
woodland clearings, espresso plantations, waste 
floor or planted as hedges around homesteads in 
dry and wet `Woina Dega` and wet `Dega` agro-
climatic zones in Tigray, Gondar, Gojjam, 
Ilubabor, Keffa, Sidamo, Shoa and Harerghe 
(Tesemma, 2007). Justicia schimperiana is 

commonly propagated through cuttings, and 
seedlings also can be raised from it. It is 
likewise self-incompatible, and a totally 
excessive degree of geitonogamy is discovered 
in this species. The pollination device is 
anticipated to play a chief function in figuring 
out plant reproductive achievement within side 
the face of environmental variation and shaping 
its sample of genetic diversity. The plant is a 
great fence plant, forming a herbal barrier round 
compounds of house, and is mainly cultivated 
for this purpose. In Ethiopia, it does now no 
longer appear to be cultivated broadly for 
medicinal purposes (Amare, 1976).   

Chemical Composition and Pharmacological 
Activities 

Justicia schimperiana has been traditionally 
used for the treatment of Diabetes mellitus. 
Researchers have evaluated the hypoglycemic 
and antihyperglycemic activities of aqueous 
extract of Justicia schimperiana leaves in 
ordinary and streptozotocin-induced diabetic 
mice. The result showed that aqueous extract of 
the plant has substantial anti-hyperglycemic 
activity in streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice 
and enhancement in glucose tolerance as well as 
slight hypoglycemic activity in normal mice and 
vindicating the old claim for its use in diabetes. 
In addition, Justicia schimperiana contains 
alkaloids, phenols, and terpenoids. Any of these 
secondary metabolites may be responsible for 
glucose suppression in the blood (Andualem et 
al, 2016). 

It is indicated that Justicia schimperiana has a 
hepatoprotective activity which is the ability to 
prevent liver damage due to the presence of 
hydroalcoholic in the leaf extracts. As the 
hydroethanolic extracts offered higher 



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antioxidant activity, it is possible to establish the 
potential application of hydroalcoholic extracts 
from Justicia schimperiana in the development 
of products with antioxidant properties and 
demonstrate a promising pharmaceutical 
product. The methanol extracts of the plant also 
possess antioxidant activities. This justifies the 
traditional uses of Justicia schimperiana in 
Ethiopia for the treatment of some hepatic 
disorders and suggests the possible utilization of 
these plants as a source of new drugs (Umer et 
al., 2010).  

Justicia schimperiana is traditionally used for 
the treatment of malaria and the crude extract 
confirmed of the plant is endowed with anti-
malarial activity. Jemal (2014) evaluated the 
anti-malarial activities of chloroform, methanol, 
and aqueous fractions of the leaves of this plant 
against Plasmodium berghei in mice. 
Consequently, the methanol fraction 
significantly prevented the reduction in rectal 
temperature in the 4-day suppressive, curative, 
and repository tests. Thus, the high antimalarial 
activity observed in methanol and aqueous 
fraction indicates that the plant’s active 
constituents are semi-polar and polar. This 
proved that the traditional use of the plant could 
be a potential source of templates for the 
development of new anti-malarial agents (Jemal 
et al., 2014). 

The leave extracts of Ruta chalepensis and 
Justicia schimperiana were the most powerful 
medicinal value. The plant extraction was 
followed by ethanol, methanol acetone, diethyl 
ether, and hexane by using disc diffusion and 
broth dilution methods (MIC) against six human 
pathogenic bacterial strains (Shigella dysentery, 
Escherichia coli, Streptococcus aeruginosa, 
Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus 

aureus, Salmonella typhi, and Klebsiella 
pneumonia). The methanol extract of J. 
schimperiana showed strong inhibition activity 
against S. dysentery and E. coli.  Four 
antibiotics were used as standard for the testing 
of antibacterial activity against six different 
human pathogens. Among the antibiotics, 
Ciprofloxin showed a maximum zone of 
inhibition ranging from 20-35mm followed by 
Kanamycin, Tetracycline, and Chloramphenicol 
(Habtamu et al., 2019).  

Diarrhea is one of the leading causes of 
preventable death in developing countries and 
mainly affects children and infants. It has been 
reported that the leaf of Justicia schimperiana is 
used as an antidiarrheal agent in northwest 
Ethiopia. The 80% methanolic leaf extract of J. 
schimperiana was evaluated for its activity 
against castor oil-induced diarrhea enter polling 
and gastrointestinal motility in mice. The 
methanolic leaf extract of Justicia schimperiana 
has an antidiarrheal activity and this supports 
the use of this plant in the treatment of diarrhea 
in traditional settings (Mekonnen et al., 2018).  

MATERIALS AND METHODS 

Description of the Study Area 

This study was conducted in Adaba and 
Shashemene districts in West Arsi zone Oromia 
regional state, Ethiopia. Adaba is located at 335 
km from the capital Addis Ababa; Adaba 
district is bordered on the southwest by 
Nensebo, on the west by Dodola, on the 
northwest by the Shabelle River which separates 
it from the Gedeb Asasa, and on the east and 
south by Bale Zone. The astronomical location 
is 7.00376 latitude and 39.39063 longitudes 
with 7o 0’ 20” N and 39o23’ 38” E cordials. Its 



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altitude ranges from 1750 to 3400 m above sea 
level (West Arsi zone, 2006). The 2007 national 
census reported the total population of the 
woreda was 138,717. Adaba has an estimated 
population density of 63.8 people per square 
kilometre (CSA, 2007). 

Shashamane is located at a distance of 250 km 
south of Addis Ababa, the capital city of 
Ethiopia, and 25 km north of Awassa, SNNPRS. 
It is bordered to the south by SNNPR, west by 
Siraro, north by Arsi Negele, and east by East 
Arsi Zone. It has a latitude of 7° 12' north and a 
longitude of 38° 36' east. It is situated at an 
average altitude of 1924 m above sea level 
(Figure 1). 

 

Figure 1: Map of the study area (Source: 
Researcher) 

The rainfall of the study area is bimodal, with 
the main rainy season occurring between July 
and September. The dry season lasts from 
November to February, followed by the short 
rainy season during March and April. From the 
weather records of 1994-2004, the average 
rainfall of Adaba district was 733 - 1000 mm 
and the temperature ranges from 7-240 C. The 
agroecology of the Shashemene district is 
categorized as Kolla (50%), Woina Dega (29%), 
and Dega (21%). Shashemene district receives 
an annual rainfall of 700–950 mm and the 

minimum and maximum annual temperature of 
12 °C and 27 °C, respectively. The total land 
coverage of the area is 76,888 ha, of which 
48,975 ha is used for cropland and 7440 ha for 
forest land (West Arsi zone, 2006). 

Sampling Research Site 

The study area was selected based on the 
information obtained from the background 
studies and the researcher herself evident the 
concentration of medicinal plants in southern 
Ethiopia. As part of the medicinal plant, Justicia 
schimperiana is extensively distributed in high 
concentrations in almost all regions and 
particularly in the southern part of Ethiopia 
(Hedberg et al., 2006). Accordingly, the 
researcher has made a preliminary survey in 
southern Ethiopia specifically in the study area 
on the existence and distribution of the plant. 
The researcher has also existing knowledge 
about the medicinal value of the plant at the 
selected research sites where the plant is 
abundantly grown, and people use it for 
different treatments. Therefore, due to the above 
justification, the researcher has identified Adaba 
and Shashemene districts as the research sites.  

Sampling technique and sample size, Data 
collection, Data Analysis 

A total of thirty (21 Male and 9 Female) 
informants were selected out of the two study 
areas, 23 (12 from Adaba and 11 from 
Shshemene) were selected purposely based on 
the availability of sensel around their 
environment as general informants. All 
respondents are above 40 years old. They were 
selected during the plant sample collection 
survey based on the availability of the plant on 
their fence, compound, and village. They were 



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20 
 

asked to give their knowledge about the plants 
they were used, plant parts harvested, method of 
preparation for use, and other related 
information about the plant and its purpose. 
Seven (7) key informants or local healers (3 
from Shashemene district and 4 from Adaba 
district) were selected purposively based on the 
recommendation from elders of the study areas.  

The qualitative data were gathered through 
semi-structured questionnaire. Thus, the surveys 
were carried out from January 2020 to end of 
April 2021(in three phases) using semi-
structured interviews. Interview questions were 
determined beforehand, and some arose during 
the conversation to clarify the major questions 
in the questionnaire. Both general and 
ethnobotanical questions were translated to the 
local language for conversation. Before the 
administration of the interview, discussions 
were held to elaborate on the objective of the 
study and receive the consent of interviewees; 
and build on trust to share local knowledge 

about their experience on the Justicia 
schimperiana plant.  

The information gathered from the respondents 
was interpreted and cross-checked and 
secondary related literature was also consulted. 
Finally, a descriptive analysis was made to 
reconstruct the Indigenous knowledge of the 
respondents on the plant. 

RESULTS 

According to the demographic data (Table 1), 
the total number of respondents used to 
interview was 30. Among these 53.3% were 
from the Adaba district and 46.7 % were from 
the Shashemene district. Key informants were 
selected based on their indigenous knowledge as 
a traditional healer in the respective districts. 
Accordingly, from the total number of key 
informants, 57.14% of the key informants were 
interviewed in the Adaba district whereas the 
remaining 42.86% were interviewed in the 
Shashemene district.   

Table 1: Demographic Data of general informants, key informants, Respondent’s Occupation, and 
Respondents Knowledge about the plant 
 General informants 
District Male Female Total % 
Adaba 11  5 16 53.3 
Shashamane  10  4 14 46.7 
Total  21  9 30 100 
 Key informants 
Adaba  3 1 4 57.14 
Shashamane  3 - 3 42.86 
Total  6 1 7 100 
 Respondents’ occupation 
Occupations   Local elders Farmers Traditional healers Others 
In numbers 10 8 7 5 
In percentage 33% 27% 23% 17% 
 Respondents Knowledge about the sensel  plant 
 Medicine, livestock food and 

fence 
Fence Cleaning and firewood 

consumption 
Spiritual 
purpose 

In number 15 10 3 2 
In percentage 50% 33% 10% 7% 
 



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Most of the respondents were purposively 
selected from various occupations based on their 
knowledge and experience with the use of the 
plant in their localities. About 10(33%) of the 
respondents were local elders, 8(27%) were 
farmers and traditional healers which accounts 
for 7(23%) were selected as respondents 
followed by 5(17%) of the respondents who are 
religious fathers and government employee to 
constituted in this study areas. 

All of the respondents have knowledge about 
the plant mainly regarding the inhabitation of 
the sensel plant in their surroundings. As 
informants portrayed the plant grows both 
naturally and by human cultivation along their 
fence. The non-cultivated sensel plant usually 
grows in forests, shrubs and along the roadsides. 
According to the informants, they acquired the 
indigenous knowledge from their families who 
were traditional healers and informally adopted 
it from the community as habitual action against 
common diseases and for other activities. 

Table 1 shows that fifteen (50%) of the 
respondents including key informants of the 
study area have knowledge of the use of the 
sensel plant for various purposes like medicinal, 
livestock food and fence. About ten (33%) of 
the respondents have mentioned that the plant is 
used for fencing purposes. About three (10%) 
portrayed the sensel plant also used for cleaning 
clay pots and for firewood consumption in the 
study areas. Other respondents account for two 
(7%) of the respondents who have suggested 
that the plant is used for Spiritual purposes. 

The sensel plant widely grows in the study area 
both in human-made and natural ways. The 
plant is used by society for medicinal value in 
the very rear situation. It is commonly used for 
fencing purposes along the living quarter of the 
locality due to the evergreen, jungle and dense 
characteristics, and drought resistance nature of 
the plant (Figure 2). 

 

Figure 2: Justicia Schimperiana (Sensel)  

The indigenous knowledge of the study area 
indicates that the plant is used for medicinal 
value to humans and animals. From the part of 
the plant, the leave parts are used for the 

extraction and remedy of various health 
disorders. Accordingly, the following illness is 
identified that the traditional healers in the study 
area use the plant for treatment (Table 2). 



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Table 2: Traditional importance of Sensel (Justicia Schimperiana) plant in the society  
Purpose of the plant Part of the 

plant used 
Preparation, combination, and 
remedy 

Ways of Treatment  

Hepatitis  Fresh leave Squeezed and mixed with local 
beer 

Taking a cup of coffee  

Bronchial Asthma  Dried leave Powdered and mixed with local 
beer 

Taking half of a coffee cup 

Contagious disease  Fresh leave  Chopped and diluted with water Taking half of a coffee cup  
Abdominal illness  Fresh leave  Squeezed and mixed with powder 

of Vernonia amygdalina (grawa) 
and S.oxyacantha (tenadam) 

Take a coffee cup with many 
volumes of water daily until cured  

Dermal disease  Fresh leave  Crushed and socked with water Washing the affected area 
Rabies  Fresh leave  Crushed with calabash (qel) Taking half of a coffee cup with 

fresh milk 
Livestock disease  Leave  Squeezed, mixed with garlic and 

soaked with water 
Half of a litter is given to the cattle  

Spiritual  Leave  Soaked with water Sprinkled at the home of the 
household and local drink house  

Cleaning  Leave  Boiled with various herbs Washing home utensils and local 
jars. Washing early mothers who 
gave birth. 

 

Besides treatment of infectious diseases, the 
leaves are used by local people for protection 
and treatment of communicable sexually 
transmitted diseases. The traditional healer also 
elicited that the remedy is also used under 
normal conditions to protect against the risk of 
contagious diseases mainly transmitted through 
sexual intercourse. A dermal disease called 
scabies which is caused due to an insect bite and 
leprosy due to bacterial infection is treated and 
cured by herbal medicine made of sensel. The 
dose of the medicine is not determined rather it 
is based on the amount of the affected area of 
the dermis and applied until the skin regains its 
natural look. Informants of the study areas 
portrayed that the sensel plant is highly effective 
to treat rabies disease among domestic animals 
which are caused by viral infection due to the 
bite of infected animals. The plant is used both 
for protective and curative purposes. When 
there is a suspicion of rabies infection among 
the localities, people used to provide the remedy 

plant to the domestic animals because it is 
believed that sensel plant has anti-rabies 
treatment. However, if there is a certain 
condition of rabies infection among the 
domestic animals, the herbal medicine made of 
sensel is given to the affected animals within 
three days. The informants suggested that fresh 
milk has the role of reducing the acidic nature 
and the unpleasant smell of the remedy. 

DISCUSSION  

According to the informants, the plant is also 
used to treat cattle diseases for instance wounds 
and swelling appear inside the mouth of 
livestock. Sensel plant had also been used for 
the ritual aspects among the society for a long 
period of time. As respondents have evidenced 
that the society had been perceived and 
suggested that the sensel plant has the power of 
protection from the evil spirit like a sprit against 
the wealth and healthy wellbeing of peoples. 



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This has been practiced in two ways; the leave 
of sensel plant crushed and mixed with water 
then sprinkled in the living home and traditional 
alcohol drink houses like ‘tela bet’ and ‘tej bet’. 
The second way of protecting from the bad 
spirit is by planting the sensel plant along the 
living quarters as fencing.  However, such 
activities are declining recently due to the 
propagation of religious teaching and 
considering backward practices among the 
community. The plant is used for cleaning 
kitchen materials (utensils) and maintaining the 
good health of the woman’s skin. The big clay 
jar (insira) which is used for fermentation and 
preparation of local bear (tela) is cleaned using 
the leave of sensel plant. According to 
informants, the plant keeps the flavor, a test of 
the drink and neatness of the jar as well.  When 
a woman gives birth on the fifth day of her birth 
leave and rest, traditionally the baby mother 
showering event called sheneni is hosted. For 
such events, various medicinal herbs were 
collected and boiled with water. Thus, the 
sunset plant leave is highly selected and used as 
medicinal leave along with other herbs. Because 
the plant is believed that it has both spiritual 
roles to protect the mother against evil spirit and 
regains the skin and exhausted body of the baby 
mother. 

Generally, according to the indigenous 
knowledge of the study area, the sensel plant 
has been used for medication and non-
medication purposes. However, the dosage of 
the remedy is mostly determined by the physical 
maturity and age of the user rather than the 
chronic level of the disease. Thus, to manage the 
over dosage effect and associated contradiction 
and effect of the medication the traditional 
healer used to give milk and coffee along with 
the medication.  

According to the informants’ local knowledge in 
the study area, the Justicia schimperiana plant 
was traditionally used for the treatments of 
different diseases such as Hepatitis B (ye wef 
beshita), Bronchial asthma, Contagious 
diseases, Abdominal illness, Dermal disease, 
Rabies, Livestock disease. These findings were 
in line with other studies which were done 
before by different researchers in separate study 
areas in Ethiopia. Subsequently, Justicia 
schimperiana is used in the treatment of various 
ailments such as asthma and other inflammatory 
situations, excessive pellagra, and constipation 
(Yinebeb, 2008); gonorrhoea, rabies (Tolera, 
2017). Hepatitis B treatment (Haile et al., 2008), 
for diarrhoea treatment and also reported that 
the plant is used in the treatment of livestock 
ailment (blackleg) and internal parasites 
(Teklehaymanot and Giday, 2007). In addition, 
Justicia schimperiana is used to treat malaria 
and gonorrhoea in southern Ethiopia also 
indicating that the leaf and root of Justicia 
schimperiana are used in the treatment of rabies 
and coccidiosis in western Ethiopia (Tadesse 
and Dereje, 2015). Justicia schimperiana is used 
to treat skin lesions in Shinasha, Agew-awi and 
Amhara peoples in northwest Ethiopia (Giday et 
al., 2007). Furthermore, its fresh root is used to 
treat diseases in emergencies; the fresh leaf of 
Justicia schimperiana is used to treat rabies in 
Fiche District, Central Ethiopia (Abiyu, 2014).  

CONCLUSION & RECOMMENDATIONS 

Justicia schimperiana (Sensel) is an evergreen 
plant and grows in different parts of Ethiopia 
mostly as an unmanaged and managed plant. In 
most parts of the country, people use the plant 
for medicinal purposes and to fence their 
compounds. Based on the finding of this study, 
the community mainly those who are of low 



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economic status and people who have failed to 
be healed by modern medication from their 
health problems re-laid on an indigenous herbal 
remedy medication like sensel. Accordingly, the 
sensel plant is used to prepare a remedy for 
human and animal diseases like rabies, hepatitis, 
skin diseases, communicable diseases, asthma, 
malaria, abdominal illness / disorders, livestock 
diseases, and other human-related spiritual 
problems.  

It would be important to save the plant 
populations in different regions to limit 
population decline caused by large-scale 
environmental catastrophes. The species or at 
least a large part of its genetic diversity may be 
lost soon due to its medicinal and other uses, 
urbanization, and its consequent exploitation if 
proper conservation measures are not adopted. 
The government and the stakeholders in the 
respective field should give due consideration to 
the ethnobotanical studies. Thus, indigenous 
knowledge on medicinal plants in general and 
sensel plants in particular should be widely 
investigated and documented at various levels 
from the locality to higher research institutions 
in the country. To conserve the plant and to 
avoid the risk of endangerment of the plant in 
future, the sensel plant should be conserved or 
planted along with other medicinal plants in the 
home garden of households, species, and genetic 
conservation sites like the institute of national 

biodiversity. Under the current launched 
national green environment campaign and 
indigenous nursery afforestation, medicinal 
plants like sensel should also be planted along 
with the nurseries of trees. Consequently, it 
sustains the diversity of the sensel species and 
maintains the natural aspects of the ecosystem. 

Funding statement 

This research did not receive any specific grant 
from funding agencies in the public, 
commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. 

Data availability statement 

The data supporting the conclusion of this 
article are included within the article. Any 
queries regarding this data may be directed to 
the corresponding author. 

Declaration of interest 

The authors declare no conflict of interest. 

Acknowledgements 

The author would like to forward heartfelt 
gratitude to the study subjects for their 
willingness to participate in our study. I use this 
opportunity to thank Hawassa University, the 
School of Plant and Horticulture Sciences, 
Department of Biotechnology for their material 
assistance and encouragement. 

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