Ethnobotanical Diversity of Trees and Shrubs of Iran: A Comprehensive Review

Abstract

Iran, possessing unique topographic and diverse climatic conditions, is the home of 8167 vascular plant species. Iran has a historical tradition in using plants for medicinal purposes. Approximately 2075 species over the whole are popularly characterized as medicinal or aromatic. Medicinal trees and shrubs compose a significant percentage of Iranian medicinal flora. Nonetheless, there are no integrated databases on their applications and most of the publications and documents have been scattered to date. Therefore, the present investigation aims to integrate the published literature considering its ethnobotanical aspects that would serve as promising precursors for developing potent medicines of plant origin. In the study, we compile information about ethnobotany of trees and shrubs of Iran. Our survey found 174 taxa belonging to 109 genera and 56 families. The majority of species were classified in Rosaceae, Fabaceae, Rutaceae, Salicaceae, and Lamiaceae families. Rosaceae was the most dominant, representing 21.8% of the total plant species recorded, among them, the genus with the highest number of species was Prunus (16 species). Berberis vulgaris, Citrus limon, and Betula pendula have the highest number of medicinal uses (24 number of uses) in Iran. Leaves (22.7%) represented the most dominant usage of the plant parts, while the most commonly used preparation method was infusion (33.5%). Most of the plant species have been consumed for digestive system treatment (21%), followed by immune system treatment (20%). The present review highlights that different trees and shrubs taxa have great traditional applications in various healing throughout the Iranian territory. The represented data can potentially be a precious reference containing useful information for directing further phytochemical, biological, and pharmacological investigations. Several endemic species of trees and shrubs, particularly Ribes khorasanicum, are frequently used in Iranian traditional medicine. Because of overharvesting, these species are calling a wake-up alarm for conservation.