Ethnopharmacological study of the mixtures of Rass El Hanout and Lmssakhn used for therapeutic purposes in the region of Souk Sebt, Morocco

Abstract

In Morocco, medicinal plants have been used for a long time against diseases. In the great majority of cases, plants are part of a more complex preparation. Traditional herbal mixtures could well yield new clues to the treatment of a wide variety of disease. Several preparations are commercially available with no indication at the species, the quantities, composition or the date of use. The current work focuses on the study of the mixtures of Rass El Hanout and Lmssakhn used for therapeutic purposes in the region of Souk Sebt, Morocco. Information on the two mixtures was obtained through interviews with inhabitants in the study region. We identified frequencies of use of each mixture. Then, we obtained four samples of each mixture from different vendors. Results showed that the mixtures of Rass El Hanout and Lmssakhn are used mainly against colds, sexual and reproductive dysfunctions, to treat many digestive disorders and they are used as an aphrodisiac. Plant composition of each mixture differs among vendors and the sampling results show that there is not a standard composition for these mixtures. The total weight of the four samples and the percentage of each plant in each mixture varies among vendors. This article retains a written record of the mixtures Rass El Hanout and Lmssakhn whose transmission is based on the oral tradition. This work can also be exploited in scientific research in the field of pharmacology, phytochemistry and biochemistry.