Ethnopharmacological Survey of Herbal Remedies Used for the Treatment of Cancer in the Greater Casablanca-Morocco

Mohammed Bourhia; Abdelaaty Abdelaziz Shahat; Omer Mohammed Almarfadi; Fahd Ali Naser; Wael Mostafa Abdelmageed; Amal Ait Haj Said; Fatiha El Gueddari; Abderrahim Naamane; Laila Benbacer; Naima Khlil

doi:10.1155/2019/1613457

Ethnopharmacological Survey of Herbal Remedies Used for the Treatment of Cancer in the Greater Casablanca-Morocco

Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2019 Jul 21:2019:1613457. doi: 10.1155/2019/1613457. eCollection 2019.

Affiliations

¹ Laboratory of Chemistry, Biochemistry Nutrition, and Environment, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, University Hassan II, Casablanca, Morocco.
² Department of Pharmacognosy (Medicinal Aromatic and poisonous Plants Research Center), College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2457, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia.
³ Chemistry of Medicinal Plants Department, National Research Centre, 33 El-Bohouth St., P.O. Box 12622, Dokki, Giza, Egypt.
⁴ Pharmacognosy Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Assiut University, Assiut 71526, Egypt.
⁵ Laboratory of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of Casablanca, Hassan II University, Casablanca, Morocco.
⁶ Life Science Division. National Centre for Energy, Sciences, and Nuclear Techniques. B.P 1382 RP, 10001 Rabat, Morocco.

Abstract

Medicinal plants played an important role in traditional medicine for the treatment of diseases since antiquities. The aim of the study is to carry out an ethnobotanical survey on medicinal plants used traditionally in cancer treatment in the region of Greater Casablanca-Morocco, and to enhance the traditional herbal medicine knowledge. 110 traditional healers in the study area were interviewed face to face to response a survey questionnaire including the names of plants used in cancer treatment, used parts, methods of preparation, and route of administration. Indices of Fidelity Level (FL), Use Value (UV), and Relative Frequency of Citation (RFC) were calculated to identify the most effective plants used for cancer treatment. Eight species were specified including Aristolochia baetica, Aristolochia paucinervis, Bryonia dioica, Aquilaria malaccensis, Marrubium vulgare, Lavandula maroccana, Ephedra alata, and Euphorbia resinifera belonging to 7 families. Aristolochiaceae, Aquilariaceae, and Cucurbitaceae were the most useful families in cancer treatment with high significant indices of UV, FL, and RFC with values of 1, 100%, and 1, respectively. Roots and leaves were the most commonly used plant parts. Decoction and powder mixed with honey were the frequently used method for remedies preparation. The present study showed that the people living in Morocco's economic capital are still highly dependent on traditional herbal medicine for the treatment of cancer. Therefore, it seems that herbal medicine still plays a crucial role in the primary healthcare system for the local population. During this survey, it was reported that even some plant families are highly toxic for humans like Aristolochiaceae that are frequently used in cancer treatment in the study area. As many people still rely on natural traditional medicine considering (it is safe with no side effects), so combined effort between all social categories including scientists and traditional healers should be established for involving the scientific validity of the used plants in the treatment of diseases.