ISSN: 2665-8488 JOURNAL OF ANALYTICAL SCIENCES AND APPLIED BIOTECHNOLOGY 2021, Vol. 3, Issue 1 An International Open Access, Peer Reviewed Research Journal Pages: 7-14 Biotechnology DOI: 10.48402/IMIST.PRSM/jasab-v3i1.24115 Ethnobotanical and ethnopharmacological study of medicinal plants used for the treatment of diseases of the digestive tract in the High Atlas Central of Morocco (North Africa) Souad BELHAJ*, Lahcen ZIDANE Natural Resources and Biodiversity Laboratory, Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Ibn Tofail University, BP 133 14000, Kenitra, Morocco ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Received December 18th,2020 This ethnopharmacological and ethnobotanical study was carried out between Received in revised form February 18th,2021 Accepted February 19th,2021 2015 and 2017 in the Central High Atlas of Morocco. The goal is to value herbal medicine used as remedies in traditional treatment of the digestive tract. This study identified 84 species. They are divided into 75 genera and 37 Botanical families Keywords: among which the most dominant are the Lamiaceae (14 species) and the Medicinal plants, Traditional Medicine, Asteraceae (5 species). Decoction (41.11%) is the most used method of Diseases of the digestive tract, preparation. Oral administration with 95% remains the main route of Ethnobotanical, administration of phytomedicines and drying the main method of preservation of Ethnopharmacological, drugs by the local population. These results reveal that medicinal plants play a High Atlas Central, Morocco. very important role in the traditional treatment of gastric diseases in this study area. They constitute a database for subsequent studies to experimentally assess the biological and chemical potentials of these plants. © 2021 EST-Khenifra, University of Sultan Moulay Slimane. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction: Diseases of the digestive system form a set of acute and chronic conditions that are very diverse in terms of Natural History. According to the WHO International Classification of diseases, diseases of the digestive system are classified into ten categories (diseases of the oral cavity, salivary glands and maxilla; diseases of the esophagus, stomach and duodenum; diseases of the appendix; hernias; enteritis and non-infectious colitis; other diseases of the intestine; diseases of the peritoneum; diseases of the liver; diseases of the gallbladder, bile ducts and pancreas and other diseases of the digestive tract) (who, 2016) [1]. In addition, some pathologies such as chronic atrophic gastritis, chronic stomach ulcer and adenomatous polyps have a significantly high risk of degenerating into gastric cancer [2]. This poses a diagnostic and therapeutic problem for surgeons who practice in countries with limited resources and contributes significantly to high morbidity and mortality [3]. This study focuses exclusively on the inventory of plants used to treat digestive tract diseases. In Africa, access to conventional medicines is reduced in rural areas and cultural practices still remain important (who, 2008). The use of traditional herbal practices and Pharmacopoeia is a very common practice in developing countries. Indeed, more than 80% of the African population use traditional medicine and Pharmacopoeia in primary health care [4]. This could be explained by the poverty of populations, the high cost of medicines, the lack of essential medicines for health care, the lack or lack of infrastructure and socio-health personnel in modern medicine, especially in rural areas [5]. However, more than 20,000 to 25,000 plants are used in the pharmacopoeia and more than 50% of the pharmaceutical products available on the market are of natural origin [1]. The High Atlas Central of Morocco, by its geographical location, these reliefs and its topography has promoted a rich diversity of Moroccan medicinal flora with a high rate of endemism. What constitutes a real plant genetic reservoir. On the contrary, data on medicinal plants in this region are scarce [6,7]. Moreover, no studies (* ) Corresponding author: Tel.: + +212 6 60 944 015 E-mail address: [email protected] Journal of Analytical Sciences and Applied Biotechnology Belhaj & Zidane have proven the effectiveness of medicinal plants in the treatment of diseases of the digestive tract in this region. Given these findings, we assessed the importance of the local population's use of medicinal plants in the treatment of this disease. 2. Material and methods: 2.1. Presentation of the study area: Due to its geographical position and climate, the High Atlas Central of Morocco offers a tremendous ecological and floristic diversity. Also, traditional phytotherapeutic knowledge is well represented in this region. The study was conducted in the center of the atlas chain of Azilal North, Ouarzazate, and Tinghir South, in the High Atlas Central (Figure 1). The municipalities of Tannant, Wawla, Ait Tamlil, Aït Majden, Aït M'hamed, Zaouiat Ahansal, Tabant, Demnat, Aït abbas, Aït blal, Sidi-boulkhalef, Tifni, Tidli-Fetouaka, Ouzoud, Aït Bou Oulli, belonging to the city of Azilal, which is geographically located in the center of the Kingdom and belongs to the Beni Mellal-Khenifra economic region, which existed from the regional division of 2015 from the three former regions: Meknes-Tafilalet, Chaouia-Ouardigha and Tadla- Azilal [8]. It occupies an area of about 1 million hectares, all mountainous, except for a tiny part of the Tadla plain. The climate is generally Mediterranean. It characterizes by heavy rainfall during winter and spring and a very severe summer drought [9]. Administratively, the Beni Mellal-Khenifra region comprises five provinces: Azilal, Beni Mellal, Fquih Ben Salah, Khenifra and Khouribga, 135 communes including 16 municipalities and 119 rural Communes [10]. About 80% of the surface area of the Province is situated at an altitude of more than 1000 m and 60% above 1500 m [11]. Geologically, the area of the province extends over nearly one million hectares and covers a large part of the high limestone Atlas of the secondary age [12]. Its population is 2520776 inhabitants, of which 1282037 are rural populations according to the national census of the population 2014 [10]. The main plant formations in the area are as follows: The Holm oaks, which occupy an area of 205,000 Ha or 57.59% of total forest area of the province followed by Junipers with 18.15%. The south side of the High Atlas Central (Figure 1). In the southern slope, our work was carried out in the provinces of Tinghir, Ouarzazate belonging to the Draa-Tafilalet region, which was established like the 11 other regions of the Kingdom, by the Decree of February 20st 2015, and published in Official Bulletin n ° 6340 of March 05th 2015 [8], encompasses an extension of 88,836 km: - With a total area of 1,112,460 ha, the province of Ouarzazate edges to the northern by the province of Azilal and Marrakech, to the east by the province of Tinghir, to the south by the province of Tata and Zagora and to the west by the province of Taroudant. It belongs to the arid bioclimatic zone with a continental tendency; the soils of this zone are 75% clayey-silt soils. The province's special crops occupy small areas, but still provide substantial income to producers. This includes saffron, which occupies 85 hectares with an average annual production of 215 Kg [13]. - With a total area of 908,960 ha, Tinghir province exists to the northern by the province of Azilal, to the east by the province of Errachidia, to the south and west by the province of Ouarzazate. It includes two circles, namely Tinghir, and Boumalne, tree municipalities (Tinghir, Kelaa M'gouna and Boumalne Dadés) and 17 rural commons. It belongs to the arid bioclimatic stage with a continental tendency. The total population of Tinghir Province is 22,966,666, of which 168,084 or 73.19% are rural. The soils of the two sub-basins, Todgha and Dades-Mgoun, are in most cases alluvial, undeveloped, deep, silty-sandy and sandy. These soils are 75% iso humic. Special crops in the province are in particularly perfume roses, which have produced an average of 2743 tons over the past five years [13]. Figure 1. Map situation of the study area: High Atlas Central (Realized by Belhaj according to the administrative division of 2015, Arcgis). 8 Journal of Analytical Sciences and Applied Biotechnology Belhaj & Zidane 2.2. Methodology of study: The prospective study was conducted between 2015 and 2017. It consisted in carrying out an ethnobotanical and ethnopharmacological survey among the inhabitants and medicinal plant sellers (herbalists and pharmacists) of the Central High Atlas of Morocco. This survey collected information on informants and plant species used in the treatment of diseases of the digestive tract. The approach of the populations was based on dialogue in Arabic dialect and Amazigh as appropriate and explained in simple terms and accessible to all. Interviews lasted about 30 minutes for each person. Most of the informants responded to the questionnaire without difficulty and with enthusiasm. 2.3. Identification of plants: After the collection of samples of each plant listed by the local population (sampling or purchase), the determination and identification of these species was carried out using documents concerning the vegetation and medicinal plants of Morocco, such as, medicinal plants of Morocco [14], the practical flora of Morocco [15]. Thus, by comparison with the herbarium samples available in the laboratory of plants, animal productions and agro-industry of the Faculty of Sciences of Kenitra, Morocco. The scientific names were supplemented with their vernacular names in local languages. A reference herbarium has been constituted and deposited at the Department of Biology of the University Ibn Tofail. 2.4. Data processing: Based on the sampled variables, in particular the profile of each respondent (age group, gender, marital status, level of education and monthly income), we were able to characterize the informants in our study area. For each plant, the data collected included the vernacular name, scientific name, organ used, method of preparation and mode of administration.