Ethnobotanical survey of medicinal and aromatic plants used in the treatment of skin burns in the Province of Sefrou of Morocco

Abstract

The inhabitants of Morocco and particularly of the province of Sefrou use traditional medicine based on aromatic and medicinal plants to treat many diseases such as digestive and respiratory problems, and skin burns Unfortunately, there are very few botanical studies on medicinal and aromatic plants used to treat skin burns in Morocco, especially in the province of Sefrou. This study describes the traditional practice of treating skin burns with medicinal plants in six cities of the province of Sefrou for future pharmacological validation. The survey was conducted using a semi-structured questionnaire in the province of Sefrou in the period of September 2020 and October 2022 which contains information on the plant, their family, and the method of preparation, and method of use. It was found that Lamiaceae and Asteraceae were the two most preferred families by the participants surveyed for the treatment of dermatological problems. The most used medicinal plants are Allium cepa, Curcuma longa, Eryngium tricuspidatum, Ricinus communis, Mentha pelugium, Origanum compactum.
It was found that the leaves are the most frequently used part of the plant with a percentage of 52%, followed by the whole plant with 26%. In most treatments, the powder is sprinkled directly on the burn. The study has documented the plants that are found in the province of Sefrou use to treat skin burns.