The factual state of traditional herbal medicine in the health system of tafilalet populations (oriental high atlas)

In Morocco, the traditional herbal medicine is widely used: it is essential for populations in landlocked areas such as the High Atlas. The objective of this work is to present the current data on the different traditional therapeutic practices of medicinal plants used in the Tafilalt zone (High Atlas Oriental) using the ethnobotanical files submitted to 300 respondents. The analysis of the results obtained made it possible to identify 73 species of medicinal plants belonging to 68 genera and 33 families, the most represented being: Lamiaceae (10 species) and Asteraceae (7 species). The majority of the decoction-based remedies (59.66%) are the most commonly used (46.74%), and virtually all of the products obtained are administered orally (81.40%). Cooling conditions (43.02%) and digestive disorders (35.06%) are the most common pathologies associated with the use of medicinal plants in this region. Moreover, this study could provide a basis for future research in photochemistry and pharmacology, ethnobotanical files.