Characterization, activities, and ethnobotanical uses of Mentha species in Morocco

Abstract

This work is a summary of the characterization, activities, and ethnobotanical surveys about aromatic and medicinal plants belonging to the genus Mentha in Morocco. The Mentha species investigated are Mentha pulegium, Mentha spicata, Mentha viridis, Mentha suaveolens, Mentha longifolia, Mentha gattefossei, Mentha rotundifolia, and Mentha vulgare, with M. pulegium being the most studied species. M. spicata and M. viridis are poorly explored even though they are daily consumed by Moroccans in tea infusions. The elucidated factors affecting the composition of Mentha essential oils are fertilization, drying conditions, mechanical impedance, NaCl stress, and Gamma irradiation. Investigation of the activities of the Mentha species showed that the main interest was dedicated to addressing the antibacterial effect towards gram+ and gram- bacteria. Essential oils of Mentha species exhibited antifungal, antiviral, antioxidant, insecticidal, licidal, niticidal, allelopathic, antidiabetic, derma-protective, and anticorrosive activities. The ethnobotanical surveys revealed that Mentha species are used in seven regions: Tafilalet, High Atlas, Fez-Boulemane, Taounat, Oujda, Ouazzane, and Rabat. By calculating the Jaccard index, the highest degree of similarity was found between Tafilalet, Rabat, and Oujda regions. The wide use of the Mentha species in Morocco highlights the high ethnobotanical value of the genus.