Ethnobotanical Study of Medicinal Plants Used as Therapeutic Agents to Manage Diseases of Humans

Sanae Achour; Mohamed Chebaibi; Hanane Essabouni; Mohammed Bourhia; Lahcen Ouahmane; Ahmad Mohammad Salamatullah; Mourad A M Aboul-Soud; John P Giesy

doi:10.1155/2022/4104772

Ethnobotanical Study of Medicinal Plants Used as Therapeutic Agents to Manage Diseases of Humans

Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2022 Feb 17:2022:4104772. doi: 10.1155/2022/4104772. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Sanae Achour^{1

2}, Mohamed Chebaibi², Hanane Essabouni³, Mohammed Bourhia⁴, Lahcen Ouahmane⁴, Ahmad Mohammad Salamatullah⁵, Mourad A M Aboul-Soud⁶, John P Giesy^{7

8

9

10}

Affiliations

¹ Laboratory of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University Hospital Hassan II, Fez, Morocco.
² Biomedical and Translational Research Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of the Fez, University of Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah, BP 1893, Km 22, Road of Sidi Harazem, Fez, Morocco.
³ Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences Dhar El Meharz, University of Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah, Fez, Morocco.
⁴ Laboratory of Microbial Biotechnology, Agro-Sciences and Environment (BioMAgE), Cadi Ayyad University, Marrakesh, Morocco.
⁵ Department of Food Science & Nutrition, College of Food and Agricultural Sciences, King Saud University, P. O. Box 2460, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia.
⁶ Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, P.O. Box 10219, Riyadh 11433, Saudi Arabia.
⁷ Toxicology Centre, University of Saskatchewan, 44 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK, Canada S7N 5B3.
⁸ Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada S7N 5B4.
⁹ Department of Integrative Biology, Center for Integrative Toxicology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
¹⁰ Department of Environmental Science, Baylor University, One Bear Place #97266, Waco, TX 76798-7266, USA.

Abstract

Objective: This work aimed to survey medicinal plants used in phytotherapy in the Fez-Boulemane region, Morocco.

Methods: A comprehensive ethnobotanical survey was conducted using a questionnaire to collect data from thirty herbalists on medicinal plants used for therapeutic purposes in the Fez-Boulemane region, Morocco.

Results: The mean age of herbalists interviewed was 52.13 years. Forty percent of the herbalists were illiterate, and 73% referred to the experiences of their parents as knowledge of the properties and uses of medicinal plants. One hundred and eight medicinal plants belonging to 51 botanical families were recommended by herbalists in the region of Fez-Boulemane, Morocco, for treatment. According to the respondents, Lawsonia inermis L., Rosmarinus officinalis L., and Lavandula coronopifolia L. were the most used plants with the percentage of 13%, 12%, and 11%, respectively. Most plants had been involved in the treatment of digestive disorders (25%) and osteoarticular diseases (24%). Some (7.4%) of the plants mentioned in our survey were potentially toxic.

Conclusion: It was learned that irrational use of toxic plants and unknown compositions of recipes are recommended to consumers. As a result, particular attention should be paid to risks related to plants used in traditional treatment without scientific validation. It is envisaged that increasing awareness, by conducting educational campaigns and transferring evidence-based scientific knowledge, on traditional treatments among the local population is expected to have beneficial impacts on health and disease management.