Ethnobotanical study on the use of medicinal plants with antiviral interest, case of SARS-CoV-19, in the region of Seraidi (Annaba, north-east Algeria)

ABSTRACT

The taxonomic diversity and the richness of the region of Seraidi (North-East Algeria) in medicinal plants, as well as the appearance of diseases of viral origin, in particular, the current pandemic of SARS-CoV-2, led us to the realization of an ethnobotanical survey of plants with antiviral interests. The survey was conducted based on a pre-established quiz, with 120 people from different categories of the population of Seraidi, with the aim of listing the medicinal plants used in the treatment of viral diseases and collecting as much information as possible on this subject. After analyzing, the information provided by the people interviewed, we listed 32 species belonging to 20 families, of which the Lamiaceae family is the most represented. Older women are the most affected by the use of plants;people without a higher intellectual level have the most knowledge about the use of plants with antiviral interest. The leaf is the most widely used organ, in the form of a decoction or infusion, administered orally.