ISSN 2169-303X
International Journal of Medicinal Plant Research ISSN: 2169-303X Vol. 1 (7), pp. 099-123, December, 2012. © International Scholars Journals
Full Length Research Paper
An ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants used in the Tata Province, Morocco
Mustapha Abouri, Abdelhamid El Mousadik, Fouad Msanda*, Hassan Boubaker, Baha Saadi and Khalil Cherifi
Laboratoire de Biotechnologies et Valorisation des Ressources Naturelles, Université Ibn Zohr, Faculté des Sciences, B.P 8106, Agadir, Morocco.
*Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected].
Received 20 September, 2012; Accepted 03 December, 2012
Abstract
An ethnobotanical survey was conducted in the Tata Province (South-eastern Morocco) with the aim to collect the detailed information about the usage of plants in human therapy. The survey was carried out over a period of 24 months, by means of semi-structured and structured interviews. A total of 900 interviews were conducted with traditional health practitioners and knowledgeable villagers. A total of 163 plant species representing 134 genera and 56 families were used in the treatment of various diseases. The most encountered medicinal plant families were Lamiaceae (12.3% of use-reports), Asteraceae (7.4%), Apiaceae and Fabaceae (6.7%). Plant leaves were the most commonly used plant part, and decoction and infusion were the most common methods of traditional drug preparation. This study has established a monograph of medicinal plants used in traditional herbal medicine in Tata Province. This work is a contribution to the preservation of local knowledge in traditional herbal medicine.
Key words: Ethnobotanical survey, medicinal plants, traditional medicine, Tata Province, Morocco.