Etude Ethnobotanique De Quelques Espèces Du Genre Corchorus Rencontrées En Côte d'Ivoire

To contribute to the valorization of Corchorus plants, fifteen (15) communities in Cote d'Ivoire have been visited and 432 participants were selected, during an ethnobotanical survey. This survey helped us to identify four (4) different species of Corchorus which are: C. aestuans, C. lobatus, C. olitorius and C. tridens. These different species are grown by farmers in general and also by farmers of vegetables and foods crops. In Cote d'Ivoire these plants are called “Kroala”. Kroala is the name given by Baoule people from the centre part of Cote d’Ivoire. Krola can be used as main ingredient in the cooking of soups and it can also be used as medicinal plant. At food level, the leaves of different species of Corchorus are used in the cooking of soups for several meals throughout the country. At ethnomedicinal level, these different plant species are used in the treatment of several pathologies such as anemia, constipation... For instance, leaves, roots, leafy stems and seeds of these plant species are used to make several monospecific drugs recipes. For the benefits brought by Corchorus plants to people, the growing of these plants must be encouraged throughout the country.