Unraveling Traditional Knowledge of Ajuga iva (L.) Schreb. Used in the Fez-Meknes Area in Morocco

The traditional knowledge of Ajuga iva (L.) Schreb. used in Moroccan folk medicine may provide insight into its utilities for further in vitro and in vivo evaluation. The present work was undertaken with a view to highlighting one of the medicinal plants ''musk herb'', which has a wide geographical distribution in Morocco and which would be of great added value for the Moroccan pharmacopeia in general. An ethnopharmacological survey was conducted to interview a total of 207 informants, a questionnaire targeted the population of Fez-Meknes region. The interviewed people about the utility of A. iva confirmed the effectiveness of this plant in the treatment of numerous illnesses especially those affected digestive system (40.99%), headache (14.07%), fever (11.85%), and other pathologies represented 16.04%. The most part used is the leaves (48.30%) followed by the whole plant (43.47%). The present survey displays the importance of A. iva in the medical culture of Fez-Meknes population for the primary and secondary prevention of different disorders. Future mechanistic studies, as well as clinical trials, are needed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of this medicinal plant according to its ethnopharmacological uses.