Ethnobotany Among Bedouin Tribes in the Middle East

Abstract

This paper describes beliefs and treatments for several illnesses and diseases in the Middle East, by traditional herbalists among the Bedouin tribes. One of the most famous medicines in the Middle East is the arba'yn, which consists of a mixture of 40 different types of plants and considered a cure for all aches and pains. This medicine is sold by the `attar (local herbalist/pharmacologist and vendor of medicinal spices). We found that the Bedouin use various parts of the plants, including leaves, flowers, barks, stems, stalks, roots, rhizomes, bulbs, tubers, fruit, corns, shells, seeds, stones/pits (in fruits), soft seed pods, grain buds, shoots, twigs, oils, resins and gums. These parts are used fresh and soft; cooked or dried. It should be noted, that some plants are used similarly throughout the Middle East, while some plants have different uses in different countries in the region. Analysis of the findings shows that the Middle East is the geographic origin of both wild and cultivated medicinal plants. The author found that the most significant plants that used for medicine and/or food are found in the following families: Apiaceae, Asclepiadaceae, Capparidaceae, Compositae, Cruciferae, Euphorbiaceae, Gramineae, Iridaceae, Labiate, Liliaceae, Papilionaceae, Salicaceae, Solanaceae, Umbelliferae.