Ethnobotanical Study of Medicinal Plants Used as Therapeutic Agents to Manage Diseases of Humans.

Sanae Achour,Ahmad Mohammad Salamatullah,Hanane Essabouni,Mourad A M Aboul-Soud,John P Giesy,Mohammed Bourhia,Mohamed Chebaibi,Lahcen Ouahmane,Sekar Vijayakumar

doi:10.1155/2022/4104772

Abstract

Objective This work aimed to survey medicinal plants used in phytotherapy in the Fez-Boulemane region, Morocco. Methods A comprehensive ethnobotanical survey was conducted using a questionnaire to collect data from thirty herbalists on medicinal plants used for therapeutic purposes in the Fez-Boulemane region, Morocco. Results The mean age of herbalists interviewed was 52.13 years. Forty percent of the herbalists were illiterate, and 73% referred to the experiences of their parents as knowledge of the properties and uses of medicinal plants. One hundred and eight medicinal plants belonging to 51 botanical families were recommended by herbalists in the region of Fez-Boulemane, Morocco, for treatment. According to the respondents, Lawsonia inermis L., Rosmarinus officinalis L., and Lavandula coronopifolia L. were the most used plants with the percentage of 13%, 12%, and 11%, respectively. Most plants had been involved in the treatment of digestive disorders (25%) and osteoarticular diseases (24%). Some (7.4%) of the plants mentioned in our survey were potentially toxic. Conclusion It was learned that irrational use of toxic plants and unknown compositions of recipes are recommended to consumers. As a result, particular attention should be paid to risks related to plants used in traditional treatment without scientific validation. It is envisaged that increasing awareness, by conducting educational campaigns and transferring evidence-based scientific knowledge, on traditional treatments among the local population is expected to have beneficial impacts on health and disease management.

Highlights

Traditional medicine is very ancient, and it is the sum of all knowledge, skills, and practices based on the theories, beliefs, and experiences specific to various cultures, whether explicable or not, and for which is used in the preservation of health, as well as in the prevention, diagnosis, improvement, or treatment of physical and mental illnesses [1]. e therapeutic effects of medicinal plants and their uses in several medicines encourage people to use herbal medicine to cure physical and mental illnesses
Illiteracy, the limited income of the Moroccan population, and sociocultural factors, in general, have resulted in a relatively large demand for treatment using plants. is frequent use is due to the belief of people that plants are natural products and have no adverse or toxic effects [7, 8]
Due to the absence of legislation and control, limitations such as little regulation of collection, sale, or use of plants exist. e lack of any formal studies of the medicinal plants used in Morocco has limited the valuation of these species and development of their use by modern medicine [9]. ere was no systematic listing of plants used in medicine in Morocco, and much of the information available was or an oral nature with little committed to writing

Summary

Introduction

Traditional medicine is very ancient, and it is the sum of all knowledge, skills, and practices based on the theories, beliefs, and experiences specific to various cultures, whether explicable or not, and for which is used in the preservation of health, as well as in the prevention, diagnosis, improvement, or treatment of physical and mental illnesses [1]. e therapeutic effects of medicinal plants and their uses in several medicines encourage people to use herbal medicine to cure physical and mental illnesses. E therapeutic effects of medicinal plants and their uses in several medicines encourage people to use herbal medicine to cure physical and mental illnesses. Is frequent use is due to the belief of people that plants are natural products and have no adverse or toxic effects [7, 8]. Ere was no systematic listing of plants used in medicine in Morocco, and much of the information available was or an oral nature with little committed to writing. It was deemed necessary to conduct an ethnobotanical survey among herbalists of the Fez-Boulemane region of Morocco in order to collect as much information as possible concerning the therapeutic uses of medicinal plants used by the indigenous population of the Fez-Boulemane-Morocco region

Methods

Discussion

Conclusion