Ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants in Taounate, Pre-Rif of Morocco

Abstract

Background: Moroccan Pre-Rif is characterized by the abundance of its vegetable resources, especially its aromatic and medicinal plants. The Medicinal plants are used to treat certain diseases, as they have therapeutic properties. However, the region is not sufficiently studied, particularly in terms of its flora. Objectives: The ethnobotanical study carried out in the province of Taounate (Pre-rif of Morocco) aims to collect information on the medicinal and aromatic plants used in phytotherapy in order to draw up a floristic inventory of the region, and to highlight this plant heritage. Methods: An ethnobotanical survey was conducted among the population of some communes of the province of Taounate between May 2020 and May 2021. The study targeted people belonging to different categories of age, sex and family status. Data were collected using questionnaire forms based on structured interviews and analysed through the relative frequency of citation (RFC), the family importance value index (FIV) and the value of the plant part used (VPP). Results: The analysis of the results obtained revealed a total of 111 medicinal plant species belonging to 52 botanical families, the most abundant of which are the Lamiaceae (FIV=13.327%), the Asteraceae (FIV=6.164%), the Apiaceae (2.878%), the Fabaceae (FIV=5.07%) and the Rosaceae (FIV=2.998%). The most cited species are Origanum compactum Benth (RFC= 43.81%), Mentha pulegium L. (RFC=36.39%), Rosmarinus officinalis L. (RFC=30.85%), Chenopodium ambrosioides L. (RFC= 22.27%). This analysis also allowed to determine that most of the diseases, especially digestive, are treated by the leaves of the plants which represent the most used plant part and also by the decoction which constitutes the most frequent mode of preparation. Conclusion: According to the present survey, the population of the province of Taounate relies mainly on medicinal plants for treatment despite the development of modern medicine. Keywords: Pre-rif of Morocco, Taounate, Medicinal plants, Ethnobotanical surveys, Traditional medicine.