Abstract
Medicinal plants are currently used by local populations to treat different diseases around the world. In the present study, the local knowledge of medicinal plants used by indigenous populations living in the Park of Tlemcen (North-West Algeria) has been documented. A total of 254 informants with a strong ethnomedicinal knowledge living in the national park of Tlemcen were interviewed by using a questionnaire. Data collected was analyzed using quantitative indices such as the ethnobotanicity index (EI), use value (UV), and Informant Consensus Factor (FIC). 109 species belonging to 54 families were identified and used by indigenous populations to treat different diseases. The most frequent families were lamiaceae (15.5%), asteraceae (11.9%), and rosaceae (5.5%). Roots, rhizomes or tubers were the most used part for medical care (37.6%), followed by leaves (33.6%), other aerial parts (16%), fruits (8%), flowers (1.6%), and seeds (3.2%). Regarding modes of preparation, we noticed that decoction (40.4%) and infusion (28.5%) were the most predominant. Moreover, Thymus lanceolatus (UV=0.96), Origon glandulosum (UV=0.96) and Ammoides verticillata (UV=0.94) were the most frequently used species. FIC values ranged from 0.65 to 0.98. The highest FIC were recorded for reproductive and sexual disorders (0.98), respiratory tract diseases (0.98), cardiovascular system disease and blood disorders (0.94), digestive disorders (0.93), and general health (0.93). A variety of species are used to treat several ailments. Recorded species with high UV should be prioritized for conservation and subjected to further phytochemical and pharmacological studies.
Highlights
Man used medicinal plants to treat several health problems, and still uses this ancestral knowledge despite the enormous progress made by modern medicine
Even though the clinical use of a drug based on active principles derived from plants involves several disciplines such as botany, chemistry and pharmacology, so-called traditional medicine relating to the use of plants according to ancestral tradition and the ethnobotanical investigations among ethnic groups facilitate the search for these active principles (Rates, 2001; Radford et al, 2011)
In spite of several ethnobotanical studies carried out to document the popular knowledge related to the use of medicinal plants in Algeria (Benarba et al, 2015a; Benarba et al, 2015b; Benarba, 2016; Benarba et al, Boudjelal et al, 2013, Ramdane et al, 2015, Azzi et al, 2012), The present study is the first comprehensive ethnobotanical investigation among indigenous populations living in the Park of Tlemcen (North-West Algeria)
Summary
Man used medicinal plants to treat several health problems, and still uses this ancestral knowledge despite the enormous progress made by modern medicine. Even though the clinical use of a drug based on active principles derived from plants involves several disciplines such as botany, chemistry and pharmacology, so-called traditional medicine relating to the use of plants according to ancestral tradition and the ethnobotanical investigations among ethnic groups facilitate the search for these active principles (Rates, 2001; Radford et al, 2011). In spite of several ethnobotanical studies carried out to document the popular knowledge related to the use of medicinal plants in Algeria (Benarba et al, 2015a; Benarba et al, 2015b; Benarba, 2016; Benarba et al, Boudjelal et al, 2013, Ramdane et al, 2015, Azzi et al, 2012), The present study is the first comprehensive ethnobotanical investigation among indigenous populations living in the Park of Tlemcen (North-West Algeria)
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