scholarly journals Medicinal Plants Used by Traditional Healers in Algeria: A Multiregional Ethnobotanical Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Khadidja Belhouala ◽  
Bachir Benarba

Traditional medicine is the cornerstone that boosts scientific research to explore new therapeutic approaches. The study aimed to assess the traditional knowledge and use of medicinal plants to treat various ailments by Algerian traditional healers. Forty traditional healers were face-to-face interviewed in three different Algerian areas (West, Kabylia, and Sahara). The data collected were analyzed using quantitative indices such as fidelity level (FL) and informant consensus factor (FIC). A total of 167 species belonging to 70 families were recorded. Lamiaceae (13%), Asteraceae (13%), Apiaceae (7%), and Rosaceae and Fabaceae (5% each) were the most cited families. The survey revealed that leaves were the most used parts of the plants (29%). Furthermore, decoction (35%), raw (24%), and infusion (19%) were the common modes for the remedies’ preparation. Here, 15% of the total species were newly reported as medicinal plants. Besides, it was reported for the first time a total of 47 new therapeutic uses for 20 known plant species. Of 17 ailments categories, cancer was presented by 44 species, showing the highest FIC of 0.46. Marrubium vulgare L., Artemisia herba-alba Asso., Zingiber officinale Roscoe., and Juniperus phoenicea L. recorded the maximum fidelity value of 100%. Therefore, our study reveals strong ethnomedicinal knowledge shared by local populations living in the three regions studied. The medicinal species with a high FL could be promising candidates for identifying new bioactive molecules.

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 209-214
Author(s):  
Mostafa Ebadi ◽  
Rosa Eftekharian

Iran is an ancient country in the usage of medicinal plants and Ahar is known as one of the richest regions of medicinal plants. The traditional knowledge about medicinal plants is the basic step in many drug productions and these kinds of information should be documented through botanical investigations. The present study is the first survey conducted in this region and its primary point is to distinguish such plants and to present their application in traditional medicine. In this study, the data was gathered by talking with indigenous individuals to identify medicinal plants with local importance developed during the 2015 and 2016 growing seasons. Scientific names and therapeutic uses are also mentioned. The results obtained from the present study indicated that there were 46 medicinal species of 23 families in Ahar and local people mainly used Lamiaceae and Asteraceae then Rosaceae, Brassicaceae, Fabaceae, and Zygophyllaceae medicinal taxa. Medicinal plants were mostly used to treat intestinal-digestive disorders, for cold treatment and for soothing pain. According to results, significant ethnobotanical data on medicinal plants gives premise information to future pharmacological and phytochemical studies. Also, this document can be utilized as a part of protecting indigenous knowledge.


2017 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 83-104
Author(s):  
MICHELE FERNANDA MARQUES DE BRITO ◽  
EDNA ARÉVALO MARÍN ◽  
DENISE DIAS DA CRUZ

Abstract The goal of the present study was to conduct an ethnobotanical survey on the knowledge and the use of medicinal plants by five rural communities located within the Tambaba Environmental Protection Area, State of Paraiba. Data were collected by semi structured interviewing 58 key-informants aged 28 and 83 years. A total of 71 medicinal species, from 47 families, was identified and Leguminosae being the most cited. The leaves were the most used parts and the tea was the most common mode of use. Use Value index reveals the group of nine species mostly used by the communities. The Informant Consensus Factor indicated respiratory system disorders as the most commonly treated. The ANOSIM-one way permutation test revealed that the communities are very similar when compared in relation to the species and their therapeutic uses. These communities used medicinal plants as an efficient and immediate alternative to treat various everyday diseases.


2012 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 54-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rajendra Acharya

Present study aims to explore the ethnobotanical information on medicinal plants used by Magar community of Badagaun VDC of Gulmi district. The study was carried out during different periods of the year 2010. Informations on plant and plant parts uses were collected interviewing key informants by using semi-structured open-ended questionnaire. Altogether 161 different plant species belonging to 87 familes and 144 genera were documented and majority of them are herbs. In terms of plant parts use, leaf and stem/bark are in top priorities. These plants are used to treat different ailments ranging from gastro-intestinal to headache and fever, respiratory tract related problems to dermatological problems, snake bite to ophthalmic and cuts and wounds. Easy access to modern medicines and less recognition of traditional healers are the main causes leading to decrease in interest of young generation in the use of traditional medicinal practices. Scientific World, Vol. 10, No. 10, July 2012 p54-65 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/sw.v10i10.6863


Molecules ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (11) ◽  
pp. 2759 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel Odeyemi ◽  
Graeme Bradley

The use of medicinal plants for the management of diabetes mellitus is on the rise in the developing countries, including South Africa. There is increasing scientific evidence that supports the claims by the traditional healers. In this review, we compare the families of previously reported anti-diabetic plants in the Eastern Cape by rating the anti-diabetic activity, mode of action and also highlight their therapeutic potentials based on the available evidence on their pharmacology and toxicity. Forty-five plants mentioned in ethnobotanical surveys were subjected to a comprehensive literature search in the available electronic databases such as PubMed, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar and Elsevier, by using “plant name” and “family” as the keywords for the primary searches to determine the plants that have been scientifically investigated for anti-diabetic activity. The search returned 25 families with Asteraceae highly reported, followed by Asphodelaceae and Alliaceae. Most of the plants have been studied for their anti-diabetic potentials in vivo and/or in vitro, with most of the plants having a higher percentage of insulin release and inhibition against carbohydrate digesting enzymes as compared with insulin mimetic and peripheral glucose uptake. Almost all the investigated plants also inhibit oxidative stress as part of their hypoglycemic activity with less toxicity. However, the isolation of their bioactive molecules is still lacking. This review provides a resource to enable thorough assessments of the therapeutic profiles of available medicinal plants used for the management of diabetes in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Further studies such as the identification of the active ingredients of potent plants still need to be carried out; this may lead to new molecules in drug discovery and development.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mulugeta Berhanu ◽  
Tarekegn Tintagu ◽  
Selamawit Fentahun ◽  
Mirutse - Giday

Abstract Background: Traditional knowledge on the use of medicinal plants is in danger of extinction because of different changes taking place all over the world including Ethiopia and thus there is a need for its immediate documentation for the purpose of conservation, sustainable utilization and development. Thus, an ethnobotanical study was conducted in Ambo District, Oromia Regional State of Ethiopia to document and analyze local knowledge on medicinal plants used for the treatment of animal diseases.Methods: Data were collected between November, 2017 and April, 2018 mainly through semi-interviews conducted with purposively selected informants. Data collected mainly included demographic information of respondents, local names of medicinal plants, plant parts used, preparation methods, mode of applications, diseases treated, and habit and habitat of the reported plants. Based on data obtained through interviews, Informant Consensus Factor (ICF) values were computed.Results: A total of 55 medicinal plants used to manage livestock ailment were reported by informants in the Ambo District. Herbs were commonly used in the preparation of remedies. Leaf was the most frequently utilized plant part accounting for 49.1% of the total reported medicinal plants. The majority (69.0%) of the medicinal plants used in the study District were uncultivated ones mainly harvested from edges of forests and bushlands, roadsides, river banks and grasslands. High ICF values were obtained for ophthalmological (0.82), dermatological (0.79), febrile (0.77) and gastro-intestinal ailments (0.77).Conclusion: The current study shows that there is still rich traditional knowledge on the use of plants to control various animal diseases in study District. However, such claim needs to be scientifically verified with priority given to medicinal plants used in the treatment of ailment categories with high ICF values as such plants are considered to be good candidates for further pharmacological evaluation.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Mulugeta Berhanu ◽  
Tarekegn Tintagu ◽  
Selamawit Fentahun ◽  
Mirutse Giday

Traditional knowledge on the use of medicinal plants is in danger of extinction because of different changes taking place all over the world including Ethiopia, and thus, there is a need for its immediate documentation for the purpose of conservation, sustainable utilization, and development. Thus, an ethnobotanical study was conducted in Ambo District, Oromia Regional State of Ethiopia, to document and analyze local knowledge on medicinal plants used for the treatment of animal diseases. Data were collected between November 2017 and April 2018 mainly through semi-interviews conducted with purposively selected informants. Data collected mainly included demographic information of respondents, local names of medicinal plants, plant parts used, preparation methods, mode of applications, diseases treated, and habit and habitat of the reported plants. Based on data obtained through interviews, informant consensus factor (ICF) values were computed. A total of 55 medicinal plants used to manage livestock ailment were reported by informants in the Ambo District. Herbs were commonly used in the preparation of remedies. Leaf was the most frequently utilized plant part accounting for 49.1% of the total reported medicinal plants. The majority (69.0%) of the medicinal plants used in the study district were uncultivated ones mainly harvested from edges of forests and bushlands, roadsides, riverbanks, and grasslands. High ICF values were obtained for ophthalmological (0.82), dermatological (0.79), febrile (0.77), and gastrointestinal ailments (0.77). The current study shows that there is still rich traditional knowledge on the use of plants to control various animal diseases in the study district. However, such a claim needs to be scientifically verified with priority given to medicinal plants used in the treatment of ailment categories with high ICF values as such plants are considered to be good candidates for further pharmacological evaluation.


Medicines ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kwame Appiah ◽  
Clement Oppong ◽  
Hossein Mardani ◽  
Richard Omari ◽  
Sylvia Kpabitey ◽  
...  

Background: The in-depth traditional knowledge of medicinal plants is at risk of extinction due to the dependency on oral transmission, and as such, there is an urgent need to document such knowledge. This study aimed to document indigenous uses of medicinal plants among community members in the Ejisu-Juaben Municipality. Methods: Data was collected in 2016 from community members and local herbalists in the Ejisu-Juaben Municipality through a semi-structured questionnaire. Statistical tools and ethnobotanical indices, i.e., informant consensus factor (ICF), fidelity level (FL), and use value (UV) were used to analyse the data. Results: One hundred and six medicinal plants belonging to 45 families were reported to cure 68 different human diseases. The most frequently used plant part in this study was the leaves (52%). Decoction (57.5%) and oral administration (58.3%) were the most utilised herbal preparation and administration route respectively. Cleistopholis patens had the highest UV (0.54) with pain & fevers and skin diseases having the highest ICF values (0.88 and 0.85 respectively). Furthermore, new medicinal uses of Hilleria latifolia and ten other species were recorded for the treatment of the traditional local disease, aseram. Conclusions: The current knowledge and uses of medicinal plants are still high in the study area based on the high degree of consensus among informants. This study could allow for the preservation of knowledge and biodiversity of medicinal plants, both of which are threatened with extinction.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chadi Khatib ◽  
Abdulhakim Nattouf ◽  
Mohamad Isam Hasan Agha

Abstract Context: The use of traditional Arabic medicine (TAM) has spread to treat various diseases in Syria since ancient time. They are cost-effective with fewer side effects and are more suitable for long-term use compared with chemically synthesized medicines.Objective: We conducted ethnobotanical and ethno-medicine research on plants traditionally used as adjuvant therapy for COVID-19 symptoms in Syria. Methods: Information was collected in the period of (September 1st, 2020 to December 21st, 2020), from Southern Region (Damascus, As Suwayda, Dar'a), Northern region (especially Aleppo), Central region (Himis, Hamah), Western coastal region (Latakia, Tartus) Eastern Region (Dayr az Zawr, Al Hasakah) in Syria. 150 informants were divided into two group one of them is pharmacists who interested in herbal remedies 73.34% (63.64% female and 36.36% male of them), and the other is herbalists 26.66% who are called "attarin" traditional healers and bee therapists. Medicinal plants being mentioned by the Informants were recorded with local names and photographed. Each reported medicinal plant species was gathered, compressed, dehydrated, and identified.Results: In this research we listed a total of 26 medicinal species relating to 15 botanical families were generally utilized by pharmacists and herbalists in the prevention and treatment of COVID 19. The calculated results of medicinal use-value MUV showed that Pimpinella anisum L. was ranked first (MUV=0.933) followed by Zingiber officinale Roscoe. (MUV=0.920), then Thymus syriacus Boiss. (MUV=0.9).Conclusion: There may be some effective Syrian traditional herbal remedies in preventing and treating COVID-19 symptoms for some people, but the lack of information on the mechanism of effect, the appropriate dosage, side effects, toxicity and drug interactions makes them questionable, as they need more research and study.


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