The ethnobotanical study of traditional medicinal plants in Orhangazi (Bursa–Türkiye)

Abstract This study aimed to document traditional plant uses and preserve cultural knowledge in Orhangazi before it is lost. Fieldwork was conducted, and plant samples, along with their corresponding data, were collected from 81 residents, including folk healers and elderly agricultural workers. A total of 68 taxa, comprising 48 wild and 20 cultivated plants, belonging to 41 families, were identified. The plants were predominantly used to treat digestive system diseases (22%), genitourinary system diseases (18%), respiratory system diseases (16%), musculoskeletal system or connective tissue diseases (9%), skin diseases (9%), and injuries, poisoning, or certain other consequences of external causes (9%). A comprehensive list of 115 ethnomedicinal uses was recorded, including 14 previously undocumented uses in Türkiye. This study represents a pioneering documentation of the traditional usage of medicinal plants in Orhangazi.