Diversity of Medicinal Botanicals Used by Local Inhabitants in the Northeastern Driouch District, Rif Region, Morocco

Abstract

Northern Morocco’s community has long relied on aromatic and medicinal plants in traditional folk medicine to treat various illnesses. However, this local knowledge has only recently been well documented. Ethnobotanical investigations into the medicinal benefits of these plants play a crucial role in advancing drug development and treatment modalities, as well as in safeguarding plant species. The purpose of this study was to present the results of an ethnobotanical survey conducted in the region to collect information on the therapeutic uses of medicinal plants practiced by the local people. Thus, the data was collected through field visits using semi-structured ethnobotanical interviews with 130 native informants from the four communes (13 locations) in the study area. The study enabled us to identify 50 species across 30 different families, mainly represented by Lamiaceae (21.54%), plant leaves accounted for the highest usage (32%) among plant parts, with decoction being the most prevalent method for traditional drug preparation (34%). Furthermore, most of the prepared recipes are orally prescribed (72.31%). Regarding diseases treated digestive tract disorders rank first (30.6%). The results obtained will be a database for future phytochemical, pharmacological, and toxicological studies.