Collection and identification of medicinal plants used by the indigenous people of Mobarakeh (Isfahan), southwestern Iran

Knowledge of the traditional application of plants is declining faster than the plants themselves; this study was conducted to record and store the local knowledge and cultural outcomes for using the medicinal plants in treating diseases in Mobarakeh region, Isfahan, Iran. This study has done based on applying the desert survey, information of local people, and identification, classification and introducing these plants. Then the plant species were collected and transferred to the department of botany in Isfahan Research Center for Natural Resources in order to be identified after drying and preparing their herbarium. Finally, 200 plant species were identified; from which 75 ones, belonged to 73 genera, and 33 families with medicinal properties, were identified. From this number, 75% are herbaceous, ten percent shrubby and 15 percent are arboreous. The highest number of medicinal species belongs to the Lamiaceae family with nine species, Asteraceae family with eight species, Rosaceae family with six species, and the families Apiaceae, Papilionaceae, and Brassicaceae with five species. These plants are used in traditional medicine for treatment of gastrointestinal ailments, relaxation, cough, diarrhea, low blood sugar, and hyperlipidemia. According to results of this study, the preservation and conservation of some herbs species is essential. This document can play a role in preserving the indigenous knowledge of using these plants.