Medicinal Vascular Plants Traditionally Used for Treating Respiratory Ailments in Dereboğazı Village (Erzurum, Türkiye)

This study was conducted to investigate the traditional medicinal plants used by local people in order to treat various types of respiratory disorders in Dereboğazı village (Erzurum). The present ethnomedical study was conducted in Dereboğazı (Palandöken, Erzurum - East Anatolia), between 2019-2020 years. Information on the ethnobotanical use of plant taxa were gathered through in-person interviews with Dereboğazı people and recorded using a questionnaire form. In order to gather ethnomedical data, 63 informants—16 men and 47 women—participated in the study. Samples of plants were prepared and placed in the Herbarium of Karadeniz Technical University Faculty of Forestry (KATO). This study reported 32 native and exotic vascular plant taxa from 13 families and 24 genera from Dereboğazı being ethnomedicinally used for treating various types of respiratory problems such as asthma, bronchitis, common cold, cough, flu and sore throat. The most common traditional method of using plants for therapeutic purposes is decoction (23 plant taxa). As a result of the study, the families with the highest number of plant taxa were Lamiaceae (9 taxa), Rosaceae (6), Asteraceae and Moraceae (3). The most commonly used plant parts by the local people were identified as aerial parts (13 taxa), fruits (8 taxa), leaves and dried fruits (7 taxa) and flowers (6 taxa). The present and similar studies, which include ethnomedical information on biological resources, will contribute to the field of pharmacy and medical science.