New insights into the indigenous knowledge of the uses of the common stinging nettle (Urtica massaica Mildbr.) in Rwanda

Figures & data

Figure 1. Location of respondents in surveyed districts of Rwanda.

Table 1. Socio-demographic characteristics of respondents.

Variables		Surveyed districts
		Kayonza	Muhanga	Musanze	Nyabihu	Nyagatare	Nyanza	Rubavu	Ruhango	Rulindo	Rutsiro	Rwamagana	Total (%)
Gender (%)	Female (%)	10.5	9.7	0.8	3.2	5.7	7.3	3.2	6.5	0.8	0.8	7.3	55.7
	Male (%)	2.4	2.4	4.0	3.2	7.3	6.5	4.0	7.3	0.8	1.6	4.8	44.4
Marital status	Single (%)	2.8	2.1	1.4	1.4	0.0	1.4	0.7	2.1	0.7	1.4	2.8	17.0
	Married (%)	8.6	6.4	2.8	4.2	11.4	10.7	5.7	10.0	0.7	0.7	8.6	69.9
	Widows/ Widowers (%)	3.9	4.3	0.0	0.0	0.7	0.7	0.0	2.8	0.0	0.0	0.7	13.1
Age class	<30 years (%)	4.0	0.8	2.4	1.6	1.6	1.6	0.8	0.8	0.8	0.8	3.2	18.6
	30–40 years (%)	4.0	4.0	1.6	2.4	4.0	2.4	3.2	3.2	0.8	0.0	2.4	28.2
	41–50 years (%)	0.0	0.8	0.8	1.6	1.6	3.2	3.2	3.2	0.0	0.8	4.0	19.4
	51–60 years (%)	1.6	2.4	0.0	0.8	4.0	2.4	0.0	5.7	0.0	0.0	2.4	19.4
	>60 years (%)	3.2	4.0	0.0	0.0	1.6	4.0	0.0	0.8	0.0	0.8	0.0	14.5
Literacy*	Yes (%)	8.9	9.7	4.8	6.5	12.1	12.9	7.3	10.5	1.6	2.4	10.5	87.1
	No (%)	4.0	2.4	0.0	0.0	0.8	0.8	0.0	3.2	0.0	0.0	1.6	12.9
Education	No formal education (%)	5.9	5.2	0.0	0.0	1.5	2.2	0.0	4.4	0.0	0.0	3.7	22.8
	Primary School (%)	5.2	5.9	2.2	3.7	5.9	7.4	3.7	6.6	0.0	0.7	3.7	44.8
	Secondary School (%)	1.5	1.5	1.5	1.5	4.4	2.9	0.7	2.2	1.5	1.5	4.4	23.5
	University (%)	0.0	0.7	0.7	0.7	0.7	0.0	2.3	0.7	0.0	0.0	0.7	6.7
	Others (%)	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.7	0.0	1.4	0.0	0.0	0.0	2.2

*Literacy in the context of Rwanda refers to knowing how to read and write.

Table 2. Major categories of stinging nettle uses as reported by respondents.

No	Use category	Uses	Part used	Main modes of use
1	Human medicine	Treatment of diseases such as stomach ulcers, blood purification, hypertension, injury (hemorrhage), neurological diseases (nerves, backache), kidneys, pain reliever, anemia, urinary tract, headache, skin diseases, STDs, stimulating and increasing breast milk, and food additives.	Leaves and roots	Cooked leaves, nettle juice (decoction), leaf powder (flour), and leaves mixed with cassava leaves and banana.
2	Veterinary medicine	Treatment of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in dogs, animal worms, animal cough, hemorrhage, and mastitis, fostering calf, goats and sheep, forage, and stimulating milk production.	Leaves	Fresh leaves rubbed on the udder to letting milk down, rubbing of fresh leaves on the vulva, watering boiled fresh leaves with water.
3	Human nutrition	Food (vegetable, tea, juice), food supplements, making local beer, food additives	Leaves	Powder, or picking fresh leaves, chopping, and cooking as vegetables (cooked alone or mixed with beans), or grinding and mixing with water and cook, tea (infusion), juice (decoction)
4	Animal feeding	Forage, feeds, or ingredient of feeds (feed additive)	Leaves	Green leaves, powder, boiled leaves, juice (to goat, sheep, cow), watering (juice mixed in water)
5	Others	Live fence, punishing children; crafts (such as weaving baskets and local mats)	Foliage/ leaves/ stem	Planting around the area to be protected; slashing (whipping) a twig with leaves on the buttock or other body parts; stem fibers

Figure 2. Categories and modes of uses of stinging nettle products (percent of respondents).

Figure 3. Reported diseases and disorders treated by stinging nettle products.

Table 3. Perceptions of local people on the stinging nettle (Urtica massaica Mildbr.).

Questions	Answer	Percent of respondents	Reasons
Is domestication of the stinging nettle plant relevant?	Yes	97.5	Nutrition (food), treatment of stomach ulcers, intestinal worms, neurological diseases (nerves, backache), metabolic diseases (diabetes and hypertension), making local beer, feeding animals, income generation through selling leave flour, fencing gardens, and home, treatment of animal disease like sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in dogs; etc.
	No	2.5	People are not aware of its importance, grown naturally, difficult to find seeds
Are stinging nettle products available?	Yes	55.3	Gardens of traditional healers, and a few farmers for income generation, food, and medicine. But not sufficiently available on the market.
	No	44.7	Not aware of its importance, people don’t like its stingy nature, may not grow in the region.
Are you willing to grow the stinging nettle?	Yes	99.2	If there is a market for income generation, food and medicine.
	No	0.8	Because of stinging hairs on the leaves