An ethnobotanical survey of galactogenic plants of the Berhoum District (M'sila, Algeria).

BACKGROUND/AIM: This work aimed an ethnobatanical study on the galactogenic plants used in the Berhoum region (East of M'sila, Algeria) as a part of different studies on the medicinal plants related to M'sila region.
METHODS: The fieldwork was undertaken as an ethnobotanical survey involving 76 informants (mean age: 50; 64% women, 36% men). Used the medicinal plants were identified, and the results were analyzed according to literature investigation dealing with ethnobotany. Use value (UV), fidelity level, and informant consensus factor (ICF) were used to analyze the obtained data.
RESULTS: A total of 29 plant species belonging to 29 genera and 12 families (mainly, Apiaceae and Fabaceae) have been registered. Fruits and seeds were the most commonly used plant parts (80%). The used plants are mainly prepared as an infusion and decoction (69%). Trigonella foenum-graecum L. (UV = 0.58) were the species most commonly used by local healers. The FIC factors ranging from 0.45 to 0.89 for the six uses categories retained for this study. The ICF (0.65) was registered for the use galactogenic category with 29 species.
CONCLUSION: This work showed that the population of the Berhoum District uses various medicinal plants for galactogenic purposes. Furthermore, ethnobotanical analysis will provide data on sustainable use and valorization of this plant heritage for ethnopharmacological and phytochemical studies.

INTRODUCTION

Milk is an important natural food for newborns. The importance of milk is due to the different nutrients which contain “high biological value proteins, essential amino acids, significant quantities of inorganic salts which are essential for the building up the skeleton, immunoglobulins and growth factors [1].” Breast milk is the best source of nutrition for newborns. Breastfeeding has well-established short-term benefits, particularly the reduction of morbidity and mortality due to infectious diseases in the first 2 years of life. The following long-term outcomes were reviewed: Blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, serum cholesterol, obesity, and intellectual performance [2]. Breastfeeding is a great choice that provides many benefits to the baby and the mother by way of improved health, development, and most importantly, a strong bond.

Many herbs are used to stimulate milk production; most of them have long histories of traditional use, mainly in stimulating milk production in animals. Reports on the traditional use of herbal products as galactagogue in Algeria are rare. The objective of this study is to collect data on the traditional uses of spontaneous and marketed medicinal plants used with to galactogenic effect by the population of the Berhoum District, which constantly turns toward the traditional pharmacopoeia and to preserve their use by the following generations. In addition, this document provides baseline data for future pharmacological and phytochemical studies. The socioeconomic and cultural contexts strongly influence the people’s choice in fighting several pathologies through the use of medicinal plants as does the high cost of modern medicine [3].

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Presentation of the Study Area

The Berhoum District is in a privileged position by being in the northeastern part of Algeria [Figure 1]. Berhoum is part of the M’sila province, which has about 23,620 inhabitants [4] and covers an area of 249.34 km2. This region is at an altitude of 596 m, is located between 35°39’18’’ N and 5°2’4’’E. The climate is characterized by a dry and cold semi-arid climate, with irregular and low amounts of rainfall [5]. The vegetation is sparse classified as a steppe and thorny brush.

Figure 1

Location of the study area (Berhoum District: M’sila, Algeria)

Sampling and Interviews

The field work and interview were conducted from February to April 2015. A questionnaire was given to the herbalists or sellers of plants in the district [Figure 2], through face-to-face interviews [6]. The information is divided into two parts; the first concerns the informant as the sole owner of the information, while the second gathers information concerning the medicinal plants such as local names, plant parts used, medicinal use, preparation, and price. In the process, plant specimens involved were collected, and subsequently preserved and stored in the herbarium of the Department of Nature and Life Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, University of M’sila. The identity of each plant species mentioned by the herbalists was verified and confirmed by botanists of the Department and by a bibliography [7,8]. A medicinal use was accepted as valid only if it was mentioned by at least three independent interviewees [9].

Figure 2

Questionnaire card of surveys (Sari et al., 2012)

Quantitative Analysis

For data analysis, informant consensus factor (ICF) was employed to indicate how far the information is homogeneous. All citations were placed into ailment categories for which the plant was claimed to be used. ICF values will be low (near 0) if plants are chosen randomly, or if informants do not exchange information about their use. Values will be high (near 1) if there is a well-defined selection criterion in the community and/or if information is exchanged between informants [10]. The ICF [11] is calculated as in the following formula:

ICF = Nur−Nt/Nur−1

Where Nur is the number of use citations in each category and Nt is the number of species used.

The use value of species (UV) [10], a quantitative method that demonstrates the relative importance of species known locally, was also calculated according to the following formula:

UV = U/N

Where U is the number of citations per species and N the number of informants.

FL (%) = (Np/N)×100

Where Np = Number of informants that claim a use of a plant species to treat a particular disease; N = Number of informants that use the plants as a medicine to treat any given disease [12].

Data of UV, ICF, and FL are shown in Tables 1-3, respectively.

Table 3

Most frequently used plants for different uses categories based on highest FL (%) in each uses category (total informants=76)

RESULTS

Ethnobotany Analysis

In our study, 76 sellers were interviewed in total [Figure 3], comprising 49 women (64%) and 27 men (36%). The age group of 40-60 is the most important among sellers in the district followed by the age group 20-40 and the group over 60 years (54, 28, and 18%, respectively). 61% of the herbalists have a primary-medium-secondary level, while 25% are illiterate and 14% have a university level.

Figure 3

Distribution of the traditional use of galactogenic plants in the Berhoum District according to different parameters

Different parts of galactogenic plants are used differently by the population in the study area. The distribution of organ use revealed that the seeds are most commonly used (50%) followed by fruits (17%), aerial parts (13%), leaves (10%), and 10% for the remaining parts.

In general, remedies are administered orally. Infusion is the most frequent mode of preparation (45%). This method consists of pouring a boiling liquid on the used part of medicinal plant. The decoction is used with a percentage of 24. Powder is the least common form of preparation (10%). The plants are dried and ground to obtain a powder to swallow with a glass of water. In general, these are the modes most used in traditional medicine [13]. The respondent also mentioned other methods of administration with a percentage of 10.

Floristic Analysis

In this study, 29 plant species under 12 families in the Berhoum District were reported as plants with galactogenic effect with a dominance of Apiaceae and Fabaceae (28% and 24%, respectively). Among the recorded taxa, herbs are represented by 26 species followed by shrubs tow and one tree. For each species botanical name, family, vernacular name, mode of administration, and part(s) used were recorded [Table 1].

Table 1

List of medicinal galactogenic plants in the Berhoum district (M’sila, Algeria)

The ICF values obtained for the categorized uses are presented in Table 2. Six categories were reported, namely, rheumatism, flu, asthma, galactogenic, gastric disorders, and blood sugar. ICF values obtained for the reported categories indicate the degree of shared knowledge for the uses of medicinal herbs. The ICF’s factors ranging from 0.45 to 0.89 per uses categories [Table 2]. The ICF (0.65) was registered for the use galactogenic category with 29 species, which may indicate a high incidence of this type in this region.

Table 2

ICF values of uses categories

DISCUSSION

Herbal medicine is used frequently by the population of the region of Berhoum, among other medicinal plants has galactogenic effect and in the least it makes use of modern medicine.

In this study, we report the use of 29 medicinal species belonging to 12 families. Our results showed that the most predominant families were the Apiaceae family represented with 8 species, 28% followed by the Fabaceae family with 7 species, or 24%. In addition, the predominance of Apiaceae and Fabaceae is second only to the Lamiaceae family and the Astearceae family according to most ethnobotanical studies conducted in Algeria [14,15]. Plant parts used, methods of preparation, and pharmaceutical form plant organs most commonly used for remedy preparation are aerial parts, fruits, and seeds (80%). In general, these are the plant parts that allow an easier identification to informants, so that they feel more confident to start with preparation.

According to our results, the most common methods of preparation in the Berhoum region are decoction and infusion with a percentage of 69. Decoction and infusion are highly valued and often preferred by local healers in Africa [16].

In our study, the informant consensus of medicinal plant use in the Berhoum District resulted in ICF factors ranging from 0.45 to 0.89 per uses categories [Table 2]. The consensus analysis revealed that ICF for our interviewees of the six categories selected found, shows that with three rheumatic species the ICF is 0.89%; for the ICF of flu is equal to 0.71% (13 species), concerning the IFC of the categories of use of asthma (10 species), lactation (29 species), gastric disorder are 0.69, 0.65, and 0.56%, respectively, and the blood sugar have intermediate ICF (0.45), indicating greater homogeneity among informants. The ICF values found are above average values (ICF > 0.5). These results reflect a wealth of traditional use of the populations of the Berhoum region strongly dominated by a number of twenty-nine listed species with galactogenic plants followed by twenty-one species listed for the use intended for gastric disorders.

Fidelity level (FL) quantifies the importance of a species for a given purpose. The FL of a plant species for the six categories selected in the study area varied between 14.47% and 53.63% [Table 3]. The maximum FL of 53.63% expressed by Trigonella foenum-graecum for the galactogenic category. On the other hand, the FL < 50% indicated less preferred species by the informants for galactogenic category.

Our quantitative analysis showed that T. foenum-graecum was the most commonly used species with 58% UV, followed by Foeniculum vulgare with 14% UV and the rest of the species used in the galactogenic category exhibited UV [Table 1]. In total, a percentage tends toward 1. This shows that T. foenum-graecum is the species most commonly used by breeding mothers and counselors in the Berhoum District.

CONCLUSION

Herbal medicine is used frequently by the population of the region of Berhoum among other medicinal plants has galactogenic effect and in the least it makes use of modern medicine. In total, 29 medicinal plant species belonging to 12 families were reported to be used by the population of the study area. Furthermore, local traditional informants from the Berhoum District demonstrated high consensus regarding galactogenic category, with FL (53%), and UV (58%) expressed by T. foenum-graecum. It is important that traditional herbal medicine contributes to develop the Algerian pharmacopoeia by the realization of appropriate in situ conservation and management program.