Identification and Traditional Use of Some Medicinal Plants in Jafar Abad District of Qom Province, (Iran)

Considering the combination of traditional medicine application with popular culture in Iran as well as relationship between beliefs of people in each region and the amount and way of using medicinal plants (called ethnobotany), this study was carried out with the aim of identification and traditional use of some medicinal plants in Jafar Abad district of Qom Province.
This descriptive cross-sectional study was performed on 320 individuals using convenience sampling in Jafar Abad district of Qom Province (including Jafarieh city and its villages) in 2016. The data were collected by a checklist. Medicinal plants were identified using plant flora books.
Of 37 dominant plant species from 22 families, plants of the Lamiaceae and Asteraceae families, were the most frequent plant flora in the region. Among the collected medicinal plants, 23% was used in the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases as the most common diseases, 18% for respiratory diseases, 13% for removal of urinary system stones, 10% for hair and skin diseases, and 2% for oral and dental diseases. A few native people treated joint pains and infertility using medicinal plants.
Given the intactness of the region and lack of sufficient documentation, so far no information has been recorded in the past references on medicinal properties and way of using the plants of this area. Therefore, further investigations in this field can lead to identify new medicinal plants and provides an opportunity for farmers and locals to prepare the way for commercialization of medicinal plants through their cultivation.