The Use of Medicinal Plants during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Meknes, Morocco: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Since ancient times, using plants for therapeutic purposes has been part of Moroccan culture to treat human health problems. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, this practice has been increasingly adopted to reduce or treat symptoms related to this new virus. This study was conducted, for the first time in north-central Morocco and aimed to identify the medicinal plants used by the population during the pandemic and related factors. A cross-sectional survey was carried out among on the general population of the city of Meknes from March 31 to June 30, 2023. The survey included 875 respondents with a median age of 33.5 [22-46] years. A total of 74.86% reported that they used medicinal plants to prevent or treat respiratory symptoms at least once. The origin of the information came in 33.59% of cases from family, followed by 23.97% from social media and 17.71% from popular culture. The most common plants reported were Allium sativum (90.08%), Eucalyptus globulus Labill (62.29%) and Syzygium aromaticum (47.63%). The primary mode of administration was oral and the preferred method of preparation was infusion. According to several studies, most medicinal plants are used to treat many respiratory diseases. These plants offer many advantages, but some of them may contain toxic substances, that can cause various overdose-induced toxicities and other health disorders.