Inventory of herbal remedies used traditionally in the province of Taza, Northern Morocco: Ethnomedicinal survey

Context: The present ethnobotanical study was carried out in the province of Taza, Northeast of Morocco, between January 2021 and January 2023 to evaluate the potential of this region for medicinal and aromatic plants and their therapeutic uses. Aims: To evaluate ethnobotanically the potential of the Taza region for medicinal and aromatic plants. Methods: A semi-structured questionnaire and open-ended interviews were used to collect information from 300 respondents (57% females and 43% males) aged 17 to 60 years old and over, and quantitative ethnobotanical indices were calculated. Results: About 44% of informants were illiterate, married (54%), and unemployed (58%). Floristic analysis of the data collected identified 106 species belonging to 50 botanical families. Thus, Lamiaceae (FIV = 0.115), Apiaceae (FIV = 0.051), and Fabaceae (FIV = 0.046) were the most represented families. The most used species were Origanum compactum Benth (RFC = 0.383), Rosmarinus officinalis L. (RFC = 0.313), and Artemisia herba alba Asso (RFC = 0.237). Moreover, the local population reported that they use frequently leaves, infusion as a method of preparation, and oral route as a mod of administration. Medicinal and aromatic plants are used in our study area to heal mostly respiratory, digestive, and osteoarticular disorders. Conclusions: The ethnobotanical study revealed that Taza province contains a rich and diverse medicinal plant flora, it reveals also the abundance of information available on the use of medicinal plants for health and emphasizes the crucial role that the Taza people have had in the traditional usage of plants to treat a variety of ailments.