Quantitative and Qualitative Ethnobotanical Study of Medicinal Plants used in Oulmes Region, Morocco for the Treatment of Diseases and Infections

Abstract

This work aimed to identify the medicinal plants used in phytotherapy in Oulmes region in Morocco using quantitative tools of ethnobotanical research. For this purpose, comprehensive ethnobotanical surveys were conducted using a semi-structured survey, through the field diary technique and focus groups to collect data from 97 practitioners (herbalists, traditional practitioners, and ordinary citizen) on medicinal plants used for therapeutic purposes in the studied area. As a result, the prevalence of medicinal plant use by men is 62,89% with a female/male sex ratio of 0,59. Seventy-seven medicinal plants belonging to 37 botanical families were recommended by practitioners. More than 58% of the plants are spontaneous and come from forests. Infusion and decoction are the two most commonly used preparation methods for the remedies. Quantitatively, the highest use value was noted for Origanum compactum Benth. (Use Value = 0,206). Most of the plants had been used in treating digestive disorders (66%) and cooking preparations (54%). Lavandula × intermedia Emeric ex Loisel. is noted as the plant with the greatest number of pharmacological properties exploited in the treatments of various ailments such as digestive and respiratory systems ones (Relative Importance = 92,5). In conclusion, we deduced that the Oulmes region has a large reservoir of ethnomedical knowledge and the recipes prescribed are the result of a traditional heritage passed down from one generation to the next and know-how accumulated over the years. Particular attention must be paid to the risks associated with plants used in traditional treatments without scientific validation. It is recommended that this mode of knowledge transmission be maintained with a transfer of evidence-based scientific knowledge.