Ethnobotanical study on the medicinal plants in khosh Yeilagh rangeland, Golestan province, Iran

Abstract BackgroundIran is of the species-rich areas in diversity of plants, especially medicinal plants being renowned worldwide as crucial for people’s health. Ethnobotany is the information retrieval science of unwritten experiences and is one of the valuable ways to develop the science of medicinal plants and herbal medicine. Objective : This present study aims to identify medicinal plants used widely by local people in Azad Shahr (Golestan province), collect information about diseases treated by using these plants, and boost indigenous knowledge concerning medicinal plants used by local people.MethodsAn ethnobotanical survey was conducted to document indigenous knowledge on medicinal plants uses among local people in Khosh Yeilagh rangelands within 2 years (2018-2020). The data were collected by using field observation, participatory and semi-structured interviews with 41 people (11 male, 30 female). A snowball sampling technique was used to selecte the interviewees. The collected information were categorized based on local names, parts consumed, medicinal properties, consumption habits, and other uses of wild edible plants, WEPs.ResultEighty-four plant species belonging to 27 families were identified in the study area. Most plant species in the region were respectively Lamiaceae (20 species), Compositae (12 species) and Legominaceae (6 species). The results showed that the most frequent medicinal plants were used for gastrointestinal problems (34%), cough and colds (18%), and respiratory disease (13%).ConclusionThe presence of various species of medicinal plants and vast indigenous knowledge in Khoshyilagh rangelands indicate the richness of this area. Research on these plants can pave the way for discovering new medicine in the field of treatment and for preserving these valuable reserves as well as preventing the disappearance and destruction of herbs.