Ethnobotanic study of medicinal plants in the Guerbes-Sanhadja wetland complex (North East of Algeria)

Abstract

In order to inventory the medicinal flora and preserve the phytotherapeutic knowledge of the Guerbes-Sanhadja wetland complex, this study was undertaken on the basis of a sample made up of 400 users of medicinal plants, the majority of whom are aged between 40 and 60 years old, married, illiterate and unemployed or farmers. The analysis of the questionnaires allowed the census of 102 species with a clear predominance of Myrtus communis L. (158 citations), the results obtained have shown that the most used part of the plant is the leaf (58.25%). In addition, the decoction is the most used preparation method (52.28%). As for the diseases treated, gastrointestinal disorders dominate with the use of 59 species. Finally, the calculation of some ethnobotanical parameters allowed us to observe the wide use of Pistacia lentiscus L. (UV = 1.15), the specificity of Eucalyptus globulus Labill. to treat respiratory diseases (FL = 100%) and thus the consensus of users with respect to the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases (ICF = 0.91).