Ethnobotany of medicinal and edible plants in Jubon village of Guilan province using descriptive statistics

Ethnobotany is the recording of traditional unwritten information for the rational exploitation of resources and the effective protection of biodiversity and cultural information in any community. The present study aimed at recording the local's indigenous knowledge of Jubon village in Rudbar city of Guilan province about using medicinal and edible plants. The research data were obtained through the semi-structured interviews with 35 local experts. The descriptive statistics models such as the relative frequency of citation, use value, and cultural significance indices were used to analyze the data. The results showed that 34 plant species from 19 families were used for therapeutic and edible purposes in the study area. Plants of the families apiaceae, lamiaceae, and asteraceae with the frequencies of 19, 16, and 9%, respectively, were the most used in the region. The most important medicinal plants in the region were Malva sylvestris L., Echium amoenum Fisch. & C.A.Mey., Urtica dioica L., Eryngium planum L., and Foeniculum vulgare Mill., respectively, which had the highest cultural significance and relative frequency of citation indices among the medicinal plants of the region. The findings also indicated that the most common purpose of therapeutic use of the plants was about the gastrointestinal diseases, which were mainly used orally in cooking. In general, the people of Jubon village have a rich knowledge about the use of medicinal and edible plants, and this knowledge has existed in the region for generations.