Focus on the ethnobotany of north Moroccan sage, false yellowhead, and carrot: insights into their pharmacological potential

Medicinal plants, including spontaneous or cultured herbaceous and forest products, represent an inexhaustible source of traditional and effective remedies thanks to their active major compounds. The present work consists of an ethnobotanical study of three species namely, Daucus carota, Dittrichia viscosa, and Salvia officinalis, commonly used in Taounate region (Northern Morocco) to treat various diseases.

An ethnopharmacological survey was conducted in Taounate region during a period of three months from January to March 2022, using semi-structured individual interviews. Then, the collected data were analyzed statistically using Microsoft Office software “Excel 2013” and System Package for Social Sciences (SPSS).

Leaves, flowers, and stems were the most common parts used to prepare traditional remedies. Decoction, infusion, and cataplasm were the most used preparation methods, and the oral route was the most common method of administration for the studied plants. Moreover, the plants intervened in the treatment of digestive, genito-urinary, dermatological, neurological, and metabolic diseases.

Information collected during this study shed light on the interesting know-how in traditional herbal medicine in the study area, and on the frequent use of medicinal plants as an alternative to synthetic drugs by the population of Taounate, to treat different diseases. Thereafter, the study’s results can constitute an important database for pharmacologists, phytochemists, toxicologists, and clinical researchers for the development of new drugs based on natural substances.