Status of therapeutic macromycetes in traditional medicine in Daloa (Centre- West, Côte d’Ivoire)

The objective of this work is to contribute to the knowledge of the superior mushrooms used in traditional medicine in Daloa. The study was carried out using ethnomycological survey forms from 100 practitioners in the city of Daloa. Among these practitioners, 70 people use macromycetes in the formulation of their remedies. The investigations concerned the sex, age of the practitioners and the pathologies treated. The results of this study identified five macromycetes. They are : Volvariella volvacea, Auricularia auricula-judae, Psathyrella tuberculata, Termitomyces le-testui, Daldinia concentrica which are commonly used in traditional medicine. These fungal species are used in the treatment of thirteen (13) pathologies. The way macromycetes are used in traditional medicine differs from one practitioner to another. The analysis of the data shows that the age of the practitioners interviewed has no influence on their knowledge of therapeutic mushrooms. Men (52) know more therapeutic species than women (24) and the difference is significant between the two groups.