Abstract
The Moroccan population heavily rely on herbal remedies to control diabetes mellitus. The population of the central-western region of Morocco uses a number of anti-diabetic medicinal plants, but there is a lack of good ethnobotanical information on these plants. Thus, the present survey was conducted in the Safi and Essaouira provinces to inventory the main medicinal plants used in folk medicine to treat diabetes mellitus. Seventy-seven traditional health practitioners were interviewed face-to-face throughout different sites in the study area. The data were analyzed using relative frequency of citation (RFC), Jaccard index (JI), Jaccard distance, and Sorensen's similarity index (QS). In total, 84 plants species belonging to 41 families were reported. Lamiaceae, Fabaceae, Apiaceae, and Asteraceae were reported as the most represented families. Eight taxa were described for the first time for treating diabetes mellitus. The most frequently cited plants species were Trigonella foenum-graecum L., Artemisia herba-alba Asso, Olea europaea subsp. europaea L., Allium sativum L., and Origanum compactum Benth. Leaves and fruits were the most cited plant parts used, and decoction and infusion were the preferred modes of preparation. As for the level of similarity to other regions of Morocco, the province of Tarafaya in the south seems to be the most like the study area (JI=36.94). The current survey represents a valuable contribution that can help preserve ethnobotanical knowledge in this area as well as explore medicinal plant, phytochemical, and pharmacological potential. 
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