Ethnobotanical Study of Medicinal Plants of Hezar Mountain Allocated in South East of Iran
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Iranian Journal of Pharmaceutical Research (2012), 11 (4): 1153-1167 Copyright © 2012 by School of Pharmacy Received: August 2011 Shaheed Beheshti University of Medical Sciences and Health Services Accepted: October 2011 Original Article Ethnobotanical Study of Medicinal Plants of Hezar Mountain Allocated in South East of Iran Peyman Rajaeia* and Neda Mohamadib aDepartment of Biology, Faculty of Basic Science, Kerman Branch, Islamic Azad University, Kerman, Iran. bYoung Researchers and Elites Club, Kerman Branch, Islamic Azad University, Kerman, Iran. Abstract This manuscript is the result of ethnobotany and ethnopharmacology survey on the Hezar Mountain in SE of Iran. Traditional botanical medicine is the primary mode of healthcare for most of the population of this region. The plants were collected in and around Hezar mountain from 2008-2010. The authors have conducted an interview of total 75 informants; The traditional uses of 92 species belonging to 35 vascular plant families and 78 genera have been recorded. The largest number of medicinal species came from Lamiaceae (15.2%). The most common preparations were decoction and infusion. These species are utilized to treat several ailments which the most common of them are digestive disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, (25.4%), renal and genital disorders (13%), respiratory tract system disorders (11.8%), and heart-blood circulatory system disorders (10.2%) respectively. Keywords: Ethnomedicine; Ethnobotany; Hezar Mt.; South East Iran. Introduction reported a total of 30 medicinal plants from the west Azerbaijan villages (6). Naghibi et There are about 35,000 to 70,000 plant species al., represented 46 genera and 410 species and that have been used for medicinal purposes subspecies from Labiatae family in Iran that worldwide (1) from which, the application of many members of this family were used in 6,500 species is related to the Asia (2). Iran traditional and folk medicine (7, 8). has a long medicinal tradition and traditional The nearest main mountains to Hezar are learning of plant remedies. One of the earliest Lalezar with the highest peak of 4351 m in the ethnobotanical works that we could name here West and Jupar with the highest peak of 4135 m is a work by Hopper and Field (1973) on useful in the North. No ethnobotanical study has been plants and drugs of Iran and Iraq (3). Shokir reported from these mountains. Hezar is a high and Safaian (1993) also presented a list of 210 mountain and there are many villages around it, medicinal plants used in Mazandaran province far from the cities, so that their people have a little (4). An ethnobotanical work in Turkmen Sahra access to medical facilities. This fact encourages area in north of Iran has been done by Ghorbani local people to use herbal plants for the treatment (2005) (5). In their study, 136 species from of some daily diseases. Due to the fallowing 51 families were documented. Miraldi et al. reasons, this mountain has been chosen as an ethnomedicinal case study in the present survey: * Corresponding author: (a) Hezar mountain has a rich plant diversity, (b) E-mail: [email protected] Owing to the height of this mountain (4465 m), Rajaei P et al. / IJPR (2012), 11 (4): 1153-1167 Figure 1. Study area map in SE of Iran. Hezar has not been adequately explored, (c) The The main period of precipitation is during the rich traditional knowledge of the native habitants late of autumn, winter and early spring. The data regarding different plant species, handed down of Rayen station at the NW of Hezar, shows that from their predecessors. the winter, spring, autumn and summer rainfall The aim of this paper is to focus on the comprises 56%, 22%, 32% and 1% of the annual kinds of medical diversity found in the study precipitation, respectively. The average number area, depending on the frequency of the plants of frost days is 73 with a maximum during the medical applications, and to show the most January. Ecological climate diagram shows that common preparations mode of botanical drugs the period of aridity of this area starts from late used in Hezar ethnomedicine. April to the end of November. The period of The area under the study, Hezar (29°30/ N, humidity is pronounced to November during up 57°20/ E) with an area of 900 Km2 and height of to early April (Figure 2). 4465 m, is the 4th highest mountain allocated in The results of this study show the existence the south east of Iran (Figure 1). of five different habitats in the studied area as follows: Climate and vegetation overview I. Plain regions: They include all The climatic information was obtained mountain slopes and the flat plains between the from the nearest meteorological station-Rayen, mountains reaching areas mildly steeped. Being the station located at 15 Km NE of study area a region fit for agricultural activity, various at 2235 m altitude. The climate of this area is species belonging to Poaceae and Apiaceae arid and cold. The lowest and highest absolute distributed in this region: Conium maculatum, temperatures are -1°C and 40°C. In most parts of Levisticum officinale, Dorema aucheri, Dorema Hezar, the precipitation is increased by altitude. ammoniacum, Artemisia aucheri, Cirsium 1154 Medicinal Plants of Hezar Mountain Rayen (2235m) 2000-2010 32.6°C 14.9°C 293 mm 30.0 60 28.3 20.0 40 10.0 20 0.0 0 -5.1 -18.2 Figure 2. Ecological climate diagram of Rayen meteorological station, indicating monthly average of temperature and precipitation and relative humidity (hatched) and relative arid (stippled) seasons. arvense, Cousinia onopordioides, Echinops V. Degraded areas: These habitats lalesarensis, Hertia intermedia, Scorzonera include manipulated rural areas used for farming mucida, Scorzonera pussila, Tanacetum and gardening as well as diggings alongside the parthenium, Berberis integerrima and Lonicera roads and pathways. They are local to various nummulariifolia. grasses and weedy species such as: Malcolmia II. Rocky areas: These habitats are usually africana, Malva neglecta, Cynodon dactylon, situated on the slopes strew with rocks and Geranium tuberosum, and Cardaria draba. boulders. These areas are covered by species such as Experimental Corydalis rupestris, Graellsia saxifragifolia, Psychrogeton spp., Arnebia euchroma, Rosularia Data collection modesta, Melica persica and Parietaria judaica. The different slopes of Hezar were III. Screes are the major habitats of the alpine investigated and the specimens were collected zone in Hezar Mountain. Cicer tragacanthoides, by authors during 2008-2010 between March Asperula glomerata, Astragalus tenuiscapus, and October in each year. Then, ethnobotanical Silene daenensis and Nepeta natanzensis are the information have been gathered from the main important species of Hezar scree habitats. The villages in and around of Hezar Mountain. species richness of these habitats is very low. These villages have been selected based on their IV. Humid mountainous regions: In this population including Babini (2600 m), Ziarat- habitat, various grass species and some other gah (3000 m), Babzangi (3300 m), Ordikan families such as the followings are found: (3200 m), Rask (3000 m), Deh-morteza Artemisia tournefortiana, Primula capitellata, (2950 m) and Sahib-Abad (2500 m) (Figure Carex songorica, Glaux maritima, Orchis 1). The specimens were prepared according coriophora, Juncus inflexus, Taraxacum spp. to the established herbarium techniques. The and Veronica anagallis-aquatica. plant samples were recognized according to 1155 Rajaei P et al. / IJPR (2012), 11 (4): 1153-1167 Flora Iranica (9), Flora of Iran (10), Flora of disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, (25.4%), Iraq (11), and Flora of Turkey (12) and kept renal and genital disorders (13%), respiratory in the Avicenna Herbarium of Islamic Azad tract system disorders (11.8%), heart-blood University, Science and Research branch, circulatory system disorders (10.2%), fever Tehran, Iran (IAUH). (6.2%), skin disorders (6.2%), sedative (5.6%), bone fractures and arthritis (5%), nerve Interviews with local people disorders (5%), antiseptic (4.5%), liver-spleen The data were collected through direct disorders (3.4%) and others (nose bleeding, interviews. A questionnaire was administered body reinforcement, appetizing, etc.) (3.4%) to the local people (Appendix 1). After (Figure 3). collecting the specimens, we showed these Our results showed that several parts of fresh specimens to the local people in their individual plant species are used as medicine. houses and farms. We employed random The most widely used medicinal plant part was sampling techniques to identify potential the leaves (33 species) followed by flowers (18 participants and interviewed a total of 75 species), root (14 species), Seed (14 species), people (30 men and 45 women) whose age aerial parts (10 species), fruit (8 species), ranged from 40 to 75 years. The women whole plant (7 species), latex and seed (6 were said to have better knowledge about species), rhizome (4 species), stem (4 species), the medicinal application of plants than men. bulb (3 species), tuber (2 species) and bark (2 Most of the interviewees mainly belonged to species) (Figure 4). The most common mode of families which still have a strong connection preparation was decoction (44%) and followed with traditional agricultural and pastoral by infusion (21%), poultice (15%), oral (13%) activities. There were herbalists, healers and and Hydrodistillation (7%) (Figure 5). plant traders among the interviewees as well. The study of the growth form of the The same plant specimens were shown to medicinal plants revealed that herbs made up different people to confirm the accuracy of the the highest proportion of medicinal plants (80 results. The interviews consisted of obtaining species), followed by shrubs (7 species) and the information related to the identification of trees (5 species). plants, their vernacular names, their medical Chorology: Irano-Turanian elements uses and the preparation of remedies. compose 48% of the medicinal plants growing on the study area (Zohary, 1973).