Plantes Médicinales & Aromatiques
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Ethnomedicinal Plants Used by the Populations of the Central High Atlas of Morocco for the Prevention and Relief of the Main Symptoms Similar to Coronavirus Diseases

Abdelaziz Moujane1*, Abdelali Boulli1, Abdellah Ouigmane2, Elhoucein Layati3

During the pandemic of COVID-19 and due to the absence of conventional drugs against this virus, citizens have requested to look for other ways to treat or minimize the negative impact of this epidemic. In Morocco, the population has used several medicinal plants to relieve and prevent against covid-19. The present work was carried out to elaborate a list of medicinal plants used during COVID-19 by the population living in different areas of the Central High Atlas Mountains, Morocco. The fieldwork was carried out between June 2020 and February 2021, corresponds to the period of the extension of coronavirus. The data were collected through questionnaires and other means (Telephone, WhatsApp, Face book). The results obtained in this study showed that COVID-19 influences the dietary habits of the citizens of the study area, especially on the frequency of use of medicinal plants that increased during this pandemic. The information collected from the survey also showed that the inhabitants of the Central High Atlas of Azilal use during COVID-19 a total of 50 species of medicinal plants belonging to 18 families, of which the most used species were mainly herbs (68%) and trees (20%) like Allium sativum, Trigonella foenumgraecum, Chenopodium ambrosioides, Lavandula pedunculata, Thymus satureioide, Eucalyptus globulus, Zingiber officinale, Alpinia officinarum, Thymus Zygis, Rosmarinus officinalis, Aloysia citriodora, Mentha pulegium. Based on the ICF value the five symptoms treated were the fever (ICF=0.90), followed by cough (ICF=0.79), headache with (ICF=0.68), breathing difficulties (ICF=0.61), diarrhea (ICF=0.31), and fatigue (ICF=0.22). The results showed that medicinal plants in the study area occupy an important place in the treatment of the principles similar to those of the coronavirus. In addition, these plants used in the region could be a database for further research in the field of antiviral drug discovery and in the search for new natural substances.