Volume 198, 23 February 2017, Pages 516–530
Abstract
Ethnopharmacological relevance
We
carried out an ethnobotanical survey in Tafilalet region. This region
is classified by the UNESCO as a reserve of biosphere and represents an
important area with important knowledge of traditional medicine,
especially the use of medicinal plants for human healthcare.
Furthermore, the geographic location of this region makes this site a
diverse and interesting resource of herbal biodiversity.
The aim of the study
The
study aimed to collect information about medicinal plants used in
Tafilalet region as well as the indigenous knowledge related to the use
of this natural resource in healthcare by the local population in order
to preserve and protect this invaluable inheritance from loss and
overlook. We aimed also to compare taxa used by the indigenous people of
Tafilalet for health-care purposes in comparison with other regions of
Morocco as well as neighboring countries.
Material and methods
The
total of informants interviewed in this study was 1616 (1500 were local
inhabitants and 116 were herbalists). This enquiry was carried out
through semi-structured and unstructured interviews and the sampling
technique used was the stratified sample (9 stratums). Data obtained
were analyzed calculating 6 indices: Use Value (UV), Family Use Value
(FUV), Fidelity Level (FL), Rank Order Priority (ROP), Informant
Consensus Factor (Fic) and Jaccard similarity Index (JI).
Results
194
species belonging to 69 families were inventoried in this survey and 17
species were cited for the first time in an ethnobotanical survey in
Morocco. The highest value of UV was obtained for Rosmarinus officinalis
L. (UV=0.24) and Liliaceae was the family frequently used by
inhabitants of Tafilalet (FUV=0.106). In addition, the highest value of
FL was recorded for Cistus salviifolius L. and Daphne gnidium L. with FL value of 100% for both species and Origanium vulgare
L. had the highest ROP with a value of 53% while the highest value of
FIC was mentioned for digestive system disorders (FIC=0.29). Concerning
the level of similarity between our study and other regions of Morocco,
the province of Tata seems to be the most similar to Tafilalet
(JI=42.97), while M'sila (Algeria) was the most similar to Tafilalet
among areas in neighboring countries (JI=13.00).
Conclusion
Despite
the richness which characterizes Tafilalet regarding diversity and
effectiveness of medicinal plants as well as the largest culture and
knowledge related to the popular phytotherapy among local people in this
region, several procedures must be realized to protect and to valorize
this interesting inheritance.
Graphical abstract
Keywords
- Ethnobotanical survey;
- Tafilalet;
- Medicinal plants;
- Rank order priority;
- Informant consensus factor;
- Jaccard similarity Index
