Ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants used in the treatment of cancers in the city of casablanca (West-central of morocco)

Abstract

Medicinal plants play an essential role in traditional medicine for the treatment of different diseases. An ethnobotanical study was conducted to evaluate the different modes of use of medicinal plant materials, and enhance the traditional herbal-medicine knowledge on the medicinal plants used traditionally to treat cancers in the Casablanca-Morocco region. Cancer patients in Casablanca were interviewed face to face to get answers to the survey questionnaire. In this survey, 352 plant species from 49 botanical families are reported based on the informant’s data, names of plants used to treat cancers, parts of plants used, preparation methods, and route of administration. The study revealed that most of the plants were from the Lamiaceae, Asteraceae, and Myrtaceae families. In addition, the most valuable species include Syzygium aromaticum, Ajuga Iva, Marrubium vulgare, and Inula viscosa. Leaves and aerial parts were the most commonly used plant parts accounting for 26.38 and 25.55%, respectively. Preparations made, as a decoction and oral administration were the most frequently used method for recipes. This study showed that medicinal plants play a crucial role in the traditional treatment of different cancers. Therefore, cancer patients living in the economic capital of Morocco depend highly on traditional plant medicine.