Plants used as remedies antirheumatic and antineuralgic in the traditional medicine of Lebanon.

AIM OF THE STUDY: In the present investigation, ethnobotanical and ethnopharmacological research of the traditional use of plants to cure antirheumatic and antineuralgic diseases was carried out in Lebanon.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: The information was collected from different cities and villages of the twenty-six districts "aqdya or qadaa" of the six governorates "mohaafazah" of Lebanon. The knowledge on the medicinal use of plants has been recorded directly on the basis of a detailed survey on herbalists "Attarin or dabbous", folk healers, on older experienced people and midwives "daye". This research was carried out for 5 years (2002-2007). RESULTS AND
CONCLUSIONS: In this survey, 231 species of which 5 are endemic, distributed in 79 botanical families, currently used as antirheumatic herbal remedies, were collected and identified. Among them 53.3% are indigenous, 19.2% are cultivated and 17.5% are imported. Their latin names, local names, local medicinal uses, the used parts of the plant and the preparations and the ways of administration are described. The anti-inflammatory properties due to the plant compounds have been demonstrated and discussed.