Ethnobotanical study of the medicinal plants in Abadeh (Case study: Almalicheh rangelands)

The change in the community's approach toward the use of medicinal plants traces back to the long standing position of plants among people and their traditional knowledge about plants and side effects of chemical drugs. Ethnobotany is the knowledge that human beings obtain from botanical and environmental ecology of plants. In this study, an ethnobotanical analysis was carried out in Almalicheh Rangelands, located around 70 km south of the Abadeh city in Fars province. Due to the ecological diversity of Iran, identification and introduction of native plants in every region, their forms, and the traditional uses of them can provide useful information for medicinal activities and the community health system. The purpose of this study was to identify the medicinal plants using the knowledge and experience of native people, as well as the introduction of unknown plants attributes.

In this study, local medicinal plants were collected and identified using valid sources of botany after field studies and surveys. Also, the beliefs and knowledge of the local communities were documented using deep and semi-structured interviews. Accordingly, the scientific and local names, health benefits, used organ, and consumption instruction were collected for all plants.

In this study, 80 plant species belonging to 28 families were identified. The most common species were related to the families of Compositae (14 species), Lamiaceae (12 species), Apiaceae (10 species), and Rosaceae and Brassicaceae (each with 4 plant species). Local people had edible and medicinal uses from all plants. Among traditional and local uses, the most was for the treatment of digestive diseases, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, blood purification and regulation of blood pressure, disinfectants, spasticity, and cough and cold.

Considering the lack of sufficient documentation about some of these plants in this pristine region, 82 medicinal plants in the Almalicheh rangeland in Abadeh city is showing the richness of this area. Unfortunately, due to the disappearance of traditions, a large amount of indigenous knowledge is lost. Accordingly, identifying these plants, recording and documenting them can stop the loss of this knowledge.