Ethnobotanical Survey of Plants species used by Female in Cosmetic Practices in Katsina City - Nigeria

Abstract

Like humanity and civilization itself, the idea of beauty and cosmetics is very old. Beauty is a major obsession among women. They therefore utilize a variety of cosmetics to keep their skin glowing. Elderly women and traditional medicine practitioners (TMP) are increasingly experimenting/using herbs, trees, and shrubs to determine their efficacy for beauty and dermatological care as the demand for plant-based cosmetics rises. The study was aimed at survey of plants and recipes from used by females in Katsina City, of the Northwestern Nigeria. Using a semi-structured questionnaire, 15 (TMP) and 20 Traditional Cosmetic businesses spread over 15 different areas of the city were interviewed between November 2021 and August 2022. The survey resulted in the documentation of seventeen (17) plant species representing fourteen (14) distinct families and seventeen (17) recipes. The most often utilized plants were found to be Lawsonia inermis, Curcuma longa and Allium cepa with a frequency of 12.5, 8.5 and 8% respectively. Tomato and meant leaves each with 2% frequency, were found to be the least frequently used ingredients in recipes. Due to the plants' demonstrated efficacy, as stated by the respondents, adequate recording, conservation, cultivation, and use of these cosmetic plants are required in order to prevent their extinction or threatened status.