Ethnobotanical survey on the medicinal usage of two common medicinal plants in Taounate Region: Artemisia herba-alba Asso and Ormenis mixta (L.) Dumort.

Abstract

Background: This study aims to valorize two predominant medicinal plants commonly used in Taounate Region to treat and prevent many diseases, namely Artemisia herba-alba Asso (A. herba-alba) and Ormenis mixta (L.) Dumort (O. mixta). The objective of this study is to carry out a series of ethnobotanical surveys to collect information on the traditional use of these plants by the local population. Methods: An ethnobotanical survey was conducted in Taounate Region, in a period of four months (from March to June 2020). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 150 individuals from the population. A statistical analysis of the collected data was performed using SPSS (System Package for Social Sciences, version 21) and Microsoft Office "Excel 2016". The bibliometric research was carried out using international databases to confirm the ethnomedicinal practice of the surveyed medicinal plants. Results: In short, data revealed that leaves and stems are the most used plant parts for A. herba-alba. As for O. mixta, flowers are the most recommended to prepare natural remedies. Decoction was the most used preparation method, and oral route is the most common administration method for both plants. The two medicinal plants are involved in the treatment of digestive, genitourinary, metabolic, neurological, respiratory and osteo-articular diseases. No side effects were reported due to the use of O. mixta, whereas A. herba-alba can cause ulcers or allergies when used at a high dose. Conclusions: Information collected in our ethnobotanical study and data obtained from literature searching could provide basic data for future investigations on O. mixta and A. herba-alba. Thus, their ethnomedicinal use needs in-depth phytochemical, pharmacological, toxicological, and clinical research in order to clarify their effectiveness and safety. Keywords: medicinal plants, Ormenis mixta, Artemisia herba-alba, Taounate, Morocco, ethnobotanical.