Traditional and Ethnobotanical uses of medicinal plants by ancient populations in Khabr and Rouchon of Iran.

ABSTRACT

Ethnobotanical studies are a way to access to traditional knowledge about plants with therapeutic potential. Preservation of this information can be a valuable policy for good usage of natural sources and investigation in this field. The aim of the present work is study of ethnobotany of Khabr and Rouchon region in Kerman province which have widely used as medicinal plants. At the first, the information of the native people regarding the use of medicinal plants such as the indication of use, method of use, and the parts of plant which are used, were documented. The collection of plants takes place by field search method and a sample of each plant was transferred to herbarium center of Faculty of Pharmacy of Kerman (KF) for scientific identification. A number of 50 medicinal plant species are gathered from different localities of Khabr and Rouchon. The most of the medicinal plants belong to Lamiaceae, Apiaceae and Rosaceae families. These medicinal plants have been used mostly for gastrointestinal disorder, respiratory system and as analgesic. Considering the virginity of the studied region and lack of sufficient documents about the other therapeutic effects of these herbs, ethnobotanical studies are helpful. Documentation of these valuable experiences can provide a background for development of pharmaceutical sciences.