Floristic and Ethnobotanical Study of Medicinal Plants Used in the Treatment of Respiratory Diseases in Seksaoua Region (Western High Moroccan Atlas)

This paper presents the results of a floristic and ethnobotanical study carried out in Seksaoua region (western High Atlas, Morocco), which aims to collect and document information about the diversity of medicinal flora used in traditional herbal medicines in this region.

The study, which covered 30 stations, was conducted during the season 2014-2015 using 746 investigation sheets and stratified method for sampling. The results obtained reported a total of 98 plant species used against respiratory diseases by the local population of Seksaoua. These species were identified as belonging to 81 genera and 43 families with the domination of Lamiaceae (19), Asteraceae (8) and Apiaceae (7). Leaves (22.33%) and seeds (20.58%) were the most used plant parts and decoction was the most used method for medicine preparation.

This study presents a useful data and starting point for future research on chemical compounds of medicinal plants. It also provides a scientific basis to sensitize people to the importance of local medicinal plant heritage and to adjust their traditional use of these plants in such a way to avoid toxicities.