Survey of Indigenous Methods for Prevention and Treatment of Respiratory Diseases and Their Prevalence in Western Area, Sierra Leone

Abstract

Background: Respiratory diseases impose a critical public health burden worldwide, disproportionately impacting low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) where conventional healthcare infrastructure is frequently strained. In Sierra Leone, traditional phytotherapeutic and indigenous healing modalities remain foundational in managing respiratory conditions like cough, coryza (cold), asthma, pneumonia, and tuberculosis. Despite the widespread reliance on these traditional practices, formal scientific documentation detailing their specific community utilization and prevalence remains scarce. This study evaluated the indigenous methods utilized for the prevention and treatment of respiratory tract infections and assessed their prevalence, utilization patterns, and community perceptions within the Western Area of Sierra Leone.

Methods: Utilizing a mixed-methods, descriptive cross-sectional design, field data were gathered from six traditional herbalists and fifty community residents across the Western Area. Data collection comprised an integrated approach involving structured questionnaires, ethnobotanical interviews, direct field observations, and site visits. Quantitative variables were processed using descriptive statistics, reporting absolute frequencies and percentages to synthesize usage patterns.

Results: Demographic profiling showed a predominantly male workforce among the traditional healers (83.3% male vs. 16.7% female), whereas the community cohort displayed a more balanced gender distribution (58.0% male vs. 42.0% female). Ethnobotanical mapping identified a diverse matrix of complex remedies formulated from local flora and natural products, including brown rice, pure honey, cassava (Manihot esculenta) leaves, tamarind (Tamarindus indica) leaves, lime, garlic, moringa, and groundnuts. These preparations were actively deployed against both acute upper respiratory tract symptoms and severe lower respiratory conditions. While 100% of surveyed healers asserted the absolute safety and clinical efficacy of their remedies, a striking 88.0% of community respondents reported a primary reliance on these home-based or herbal interventions over conventional hospital-based care during respiratory episodes. This sustained community preference was driven by structural accessibility, financial affordability, deep cultural alignment, and rapid perceived symptomatic relief.

Conclusion: Indigenous medical practices are deeply integrated into the health-seeking behavior of residents in Western Area, Sierra Leone, frequently serving as the primary baseline for respiratory care. Although these remedies enjoy high community trust, rigorous pharmacological validation, toxicity profiling, and dosage standardization are urgently required to safeguard patient health. Establishing collaborative referral frameworks between traditional healers and formal medical channels could optimize national healthcare delivery and ensure the preservation of valuable ethnobotanical knowledge.

Keywords: Indigenous medicine; Phytotherapy; Respiratory tract infections; Traditional healers; Ethnobotany; Sierra Leone.