Ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants used for the treatment of diabetes, cardiac and renal diseases in the North centre region of Morocco (Fez-Boulemane).

In order to make an inventory of herbal remedies commonly used in the treatment of diabetes, hypertension and renal diseases in the North centre region of Morocco, 1527 patients (1095 diabetic patients, 274 with renal disorders and 158 with cardiac disorders) and 25 traditional herbal healers were interviewed in four different areas of Fez-Boulemane region. More than 1153 of the total patients interviewed (76%) used regularly medicinal plants to treat diabetes, cardiac and renal diseases. These data showed that phytotherapy has always be practiced in this region. All the persons interviewed have indicated that the reasons of using phytotherapy is that the plant medicines are cheapest (54%) and more efficient (38%) than modern medicine. They also reported that the result of phytotherapy is better (72%). Our survey started at May 1997. About 90 plants were cited (54 plants for diabetes, 11 for cardiac diseases, 19 for hypertension and 33 for renal diseases). The plants reported have been identified and are presented in a table with the vernacular name, useful parts, ecological distribution and medicinal uses. Only 12% of the total patients have a relative knowledge of the toxic plants. The result indicated that nine plants are extremely toxic at high doses and chronic treatment. Fifty nine percent of the interviewers have indicated that they used medicinal plants from the experience of the other.