Ethnobotanical profile of medicinal plants used by people of North-eastern Morocco:Cross-cultural and historical approach (part I)

Abstract

Background: Northeastern Morocco is characterized by a wide range of plants. However, the list of medicinal herbs used in this area has not been identified completely. This work aims to give an exhaustive compendium of medicinal plants used by people in this region. We then compare the plants listed with others documented in some ethnobotanical studies conducted through Morocco, as well as with Ibn Al Baytar’s compendium. Methods: A survey was carried out in North-eastern Morocco between 2015 and 2017, including 931 informants (887 ordinary inhabitants and 44 herbalists). An ethno-guided approach based on semi-structured interviews was used. Data obtained was analyzed through the Number of Citations (NC), Use Value (UV), Family Use-Value (FUV), Informant Consensus Factor (ICF), and Jaccard similarity Index (JI). Results: A total of 283 species regrouped in 80 botanical families were recorded. The most represented family is Asteraceae. The highest use value (UV) was attributed to Allium sativum L. (UV= 0.23), and the highest Family Use Value (FUV) was assigned to Amaryllidaceae (FUV=0.116). Considering the Informant Consensus Factor, the highest values of (ICF) were recorded for digestive problems (ICF=0.56). Comparatively, the high similarity in Morocco was observed with the Ksar Lakbir district (JI=37.1). Historically, 73.5% of the plants recorded in this study were mentioned in Ibn Al Baytar’s compendium. Conclusion: The results of this study show that the local population used plants extensively as medicine. This means that the plants used locally are a primary component of a distinct cultural domain in ancestral medical knowledge.