Benin. The role of spiritual values. Practices The contribution of tradi-tional religious beliefs to nature protection, however, is not limited to the creation of sacred groves or similar forms of ex-situ conservation. Spiritual values play an im-portant role in directing resource use to sus-tainable, ecologically-sound, and efficient practices. For instance, the so-called totems or interdits are a set of taboos that keep adepts of different cults from using animal and plant products. Taboo plants species with threat status in Benin and in West Africa include the toddy palm (Borassus aethiopum), the iroko tree (Milicia excelsa), and the candlewood tree (Zanthoxylum zanthoxyloides). The burning of wood from the silk cotton tree (Ceiba pentandra) and the red kapok tree (Bombax costatum) is also forbidden. Other species, albeit not endangered, offer important ecosystem services and forms of use that might pose a threat at the community level (such as extraction for lumber) are co
18 MEDICINAL PLANTS FOR TREATING DIABETES Among the challenging health conditions that are increasingly affecting human beings is diabetes. This is a disease condition caused by a metabolic disorder of the body systems as a result of chronic high blood sugar (hyperglycaemia). This sort of health challenge is often associated with disturbances in the metabolism of fat, carbohydrate and protein thereby causing defects in insulin activities and secretion due to the inability of the pancreas to produce enough insulin. This can also be as a result of the failure of the body cells to respond to already-produced insulin. This health condition has led to several mortalities and morbidities with highest cases recorded in Asia and Africa. According to World Health Organisation, several actions can be put in place to lower the impact of diabetes on human health. These actions can be through adopting healthy lifestyles such as eating healthy balanced diets, engaging in physical exerc