Ethnomedicinal knowledge of plants used in alternative medicine as uterotonics in Lubumbashi, Haut-Katanga, Democratic Republic of Congo.

Abstract

Traditional medicine constitutes a principal component of primary healthcare in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), particularly in Lubumbashi. However, ethnobotanical knowledge related to its use remains incompletely documented and underutilized. The present study aimed to systematically document medicinal plants used as uterotonic among residents of Lubumbashi. Ethnobotanical data were collected through structured interviews with 207 informants (housewives, 𝑛 = 103; herbalists, 𝑛 = 26; traditional healers, 𝑛 = 78; sex ratio M/F = 0.5; mean age 35.6 ± 4.3 years; mean professional experience 13 ± 4.2 years). Informants cited 98 medicinal plant species, predominantly trees (38 species), distributed across 43 botanical families, with Fabaceae being the most represented family (16 species). Malaria was the most frequently reported non‑uterotonic indication (46 species). A total of 122 traditional oxytocic formulations were recorded; most involved leaves (43 recipes) and were principally administered as cataplasm (44 recipes). To our knowledge, 34 species were reported for the first time with oxytocic uses, of which eight are documented for the first time as medicinal plants in DRC. Among taxa, Hylodesmum repandum (relative citation frequency, RCF = 0.20) and Crassocephalum montuosum (RCF = 0.19) exhibited the highest citation frequencies, while Securidaca longepedunculata (use value, UV = 0.27) and Hibiscus sabdariffa (UV = 0.25) showed the greatest overall use values. These findings provide a baseline inventory for pharmacological, phytochemical, and toxicological studies, and support prioritization of bioassay-guided validation and conservation strategies for culturally important species.