Ethnobotanical study of some medicinal species of the Mauritanian flora

Ould Belle, Brahim Ould Elemine; Sall, Woury Aly Souleymane; Mohamed Mahmoud, El Weilla; Abidine, Mohamed Mahmoud; Soul&eacute;, Ahmedou; Salihi, Ahmedou Vadel

doi:10.21608/ejbo.2024.275606.2753

Ethnobotanical study of some medicinal species of the Mauritanian flora

Document Type : Regular issue (Original Article)

Authors

¹ department of chemistry/Faculty of Sciences and Techniques/University of Nouakchott

² Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences and Techniques, University of Nouakchott, Mauritania

³ Département des sciences exactes, École normale supérieure de Nouakchott, Mauritanie

⁴ Department of Biology, Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Université de Nouakchott, Mauritanie

10.21608/ejbo.2024.275606.2753

Abstract

In Mauritania, herbal medicine is an integral part of the culture of the society. However, ethno-medicinal data remain scarce and fragmentary. In this work the ethno-medicinal knowledge in five regions inhabited mainly by two Mauritanian ethnic groups: the "Maures" and the "Peulhs" was explored. These regions present the climatic stages of the country from hyper arid to Sahelo-Saharan. This suggests that the use of plants by the population in their health care will depend on their presence in the environment.
Our methodology consists of a diagnosis of the current situation of this herbal medicine through an ethno-medical survey of healers in the regions of Tiris Zemmour, Inchiri, Adrar (North), Trarza and Brakna (South West). seventy-six informants were enrolled in this study.
Results showed that (93.42%) of the informants belong to the 'Maures' community and that women (64.45%) are more involved in this practice The majority of traditional healers are married (97.38%). The older person and least educated are the most present in the profession. The ethnobotanical study made it possible to inventory 56 medicinal species, used in phytotherapy, belonging to 25 families. The most cited are Ziziphus lotus, Ziziphus mauritiana, Vachellia tortilis, Adansonia digitata, Gymnosporia senegalensis and Senegalia senegal. No difference has been observed in the use of this medicine among ethnic groups. these data will serve as a basis for researchers and as a reference for establishing action plans for the conservation of Mauritanian flora in general and traditional medicine in particular.

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