An Ethnobotanical Survey of Medicinal Plants Used in the Tata Province, Morocco
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International Journal of Medicinal Plant Research ISSN: 2169-303X Vol. 1 (7), pp. 099-123, December, 2012. Available online at www.internationalscholarsjournals.org © 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. Received 20 September, 2012; Accepted 03 December, 2012 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. INTRODUCTION Today, despite the many advances in modern medicine, traditional pharmacopoeia continues to be an important there is a marked revival of interest with respect to source of remedies for primary healthcare in the country medicine and traditional pharmacopoeia. In the rural (Merzouki et al., 2000). areas of developing countries, herbal medicines serve The knowledge of the use of medicinal plants and the the health needs of about 80% of the world’s population procedures applied to their preparation is usually (Azaizeh et al., 2003). Plants are important sources of transmitted from generation to generation, but it is often therapeutic drugs and play an important role in the in danger because transmission between older and survival of the tribal and ethnic communities. Traditional younger generation is not always assured (Addo-Fordjour medicinal plants have several advantages; they are et al., 2008; 2012). Consequently, it is essential to affordable, easily accessible, and there is no evidence of document the medicinal component of the flora of any resistance to whole-plant extracts (Al-Adhroey et al., country for conservation and sustainable use. Many 2010). Morocco is known for its rich vegetation and plant authors have studied the traditional pharmacopoeia in biodiversity (Msanda et al., 2005), due to its geographical different areas of Morocco (Bellakhdar, 1997; Bellakhdar and climatic conditions. It is one of the Mediterranean et al., 1991; Sijelmassi, 1993; Ziyyat et al., 1997; countries with a long tradition in the field of phytotherapy Merzouki et al., 2000; Jouad et al., 2001; Eddouks et al., (Jouad et al., 2001; Scherrer et al., 2005). The local 2002; El-Hilaly et al., 2003; Tahraoui et al., 2007). However, no ethnobotanical work has been carried out in Tata region. Therefore, the aim of this study was to *Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected]. Tel: 212 systematically collect information about the usage of 0528 220957. Fax: 212 0528 220100. plants in human therapy in Tata province (south-eastern Abouri et al. 099 FigureFig.1.Location 1. Location o f ofstudy study area. area Morocco). In this region traditional plant medicines have Tata from March 2009 to March 2011, during which we always held a strong position for its ethnobotanical values conducted 900 interviews in different regions of the and therapeutic importance. province. The data was collected through semi-structured and structured interviews with traditional healers (called “Achab” in local dialect) and with people having knowledge of traditional medicine. Information was MATERIALS AND METHODS analyzed with the SPSS program. The people interviewed were either born or had been living in the Study area region for more than 20 years. The medicinal plants listed in this inventory were only included if they satisfied, two The study was carried out in different areas of Tata criteria: the herbal remedies handed down from oral region, situated in the southeast of Morocco. tradition, and only those plant species that could be Geographically the area corresponds to the southern side directly identified and/or collected by the person of the mountains of the Anti-Atlas and occupies an area interviewed are cited in this paper. of 26,274 sq.km. The area is characterized by a At each interview, the following data were gathered and hyperaridity marked by low rainfall of around 100 mm, of set on an identity card: stormy character, and large fluctuations in the daily and yearly temperatures. Its population is mainly rural (70%). • Age, sex, and cultural level; The region is a center of excellence at national level in • Geographic locality; folk-medicine with a strategic location between North • Date and place of gathering information; Africa, the Sahara and Sahel, and historical events such • Vernacular name (Arab or Berber) of the used plants as an intermingling of civilizations Amazigh (Berbers), and their distribution, local or imported, cultivated species Jews, Saharan and Arab-Muslim in these oases. Data or spontaneous; was collected in 27 localities in Tata Province (Figure 1). • Part of the plant being used; The study sites were selected based on utilization of • The reasons for using medicinal plants; traditional herbal medicines by the community in this • Form of use, mode of preparation and administration. region. A medicinal property was accepted as valid only if it was mentioned by at least five independent interviewees. Data collection Most of the interviews and discussions were held in Berber, the dialectal language of the region. An ethnobotanical survey was carried out in province of The medicinal plants mentioned by interviewees were 100 Int.J. Med.Plants.Res. Figure 2. Demographics of intervieews. collected and voucher specimens were deposited at the represented most of all the traditional medicinal herbarium of the Laboratory of Biotechnology and substances (Addis et al., 2001; Maroyi, 2011). Valorization of Natural Resources (LBVRN), Faculty of Previous studies have reported a wide range of the rate Sciences, Ibn Zohr University, Agadir. The plant species plant use (50-95%), which varied from region to region were identified following ‘Moroccan Flora’ (Fennane et according to ethnology, richness of medicinal plant sector al., 1999, 2007); ‘Vascular Flora of Morocco, Inventory and home environment (Sijelmassi, 1993; Bellakhdar, and Chorology’ (Fennane and Ibn Tattou, 2005, Ibn 1997; Ziyyat et al., 1997; Hmammouchi, 1999; Jouad et Tattou and Fennane, 2008), ‘Flora of North Africa’ (Maire, al., 2001; Eddouks et al., 2002; El-Hilaly et al., 2003; 1952-1980), ‘Moroccan Plants Catalogue’ (Jahandiez and Tahraoui et al., 2007). We observed that women Maire, 1931-1934) and ‘Flora of Sahara’ (Ozenda, 1977). frequently used more (67 %) medicinal plants than men (33 %). In contrast to men, women learn mainly from their mothers through routine observations. Similar findings RESULTS AND DISCUSSION were also reported in other parts of Morocco (Ziyyat et al., 1997; Jouad et al., 2001; Eddouks et al., 2002) and Demographic characteristics of interviewees elsewhere in world (Savo et al., 2011; Packer et al., 2012). The study showed that the frequency of medicinal Traditional healers and herbal medicine play an important plant use increased with age (Figure 2). role in the healthcare of rural areas in Morocco (El-Hilaly Interestingly, the frequency of use of medicinal plants et al., 2003). Local people have different kinds of was inversely related to the level of education of the indigenous knowledge systems to utilize local herbs. interviewed population; illiterate: 70%, primary education: Majority of interviewers acquired the traditional medical 21.5%, secondary education: 8% and university knowledge from members of their families mainly education: 0.5%. The youngest respondents and people grandparents and parents. Among a total of 900 who studied up to the age of 20 or over were more respondents, 612 were living in villages and 288 were inclined towards the modern medicines resulting in loss living in city centers. Majority of respondents replied that of valuable herbal-based knowledge. they use herbal medicine to treat their illness. A total of 420 individuals depend on herbal medicine alone, 400 individuals use both herbal medicine and modern Diversity of medicinal plants medicine, and 80 people have recourse to modern medicine alone. Majority of people opted for a traditional The present ethnobotanical survey recorded information treatment because of its low cost compared to modern on 163 plant species, belonging to 56 families and 134 medicine; that reflects the reality that local families have genera used to treat various ailments (Table 1). The low incomes and therefore resort to traditional medicine families with the most reported plant species were that is cheap.