Comprehensively expanding ethnobotanical insights into traditional health practices in Taza Province, Morocco

Authors

  • Badia El Aarage Natural Resources and Environment Laboratory, Polydisciplinary Faculty of Taza, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, Fez, Morocco
  • Issam Ghabbour Laboratory of Natural Resources and Environment, Polydisciplinary Faculty of Taza, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, Taza-Gare, Taza B.P. 1223, Morocco.
  • Abdelmajid Khabbach Biotechnology, Conservation and Valorization of Natural Resources Laboratory, Faculty of Sciences Dhar El Mahraz, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, Fez, Morocco
  • Khalil Hammani Natural Resources and Environment Laboratory, Polydisciplinary Faculty of Taza, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, Fez, Morocco
  • Nabil Ghabbour Natural Resources and Environment Laboratory, Polydisciplinary Faculty of Taza, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, Fez, Morocco

Abstract

Background: This study was conducted among residents of both previously documented communes and communes surveyed for the first time in Taza Province (Morocco). It aimed to update and expand knowledge on medicinal plant species traditionally used in herbal medicine, while highlighting the close relationships between local populations and plant resources, shaped by cultural practices, the transmission of traditional knowledge, and everyday needs.

Methods: An ethnobotanical survey was conducted (March-September 2025) among 186 participants from 10 communities in Taza province, using a semi-structured questionnaire. Data collected, focused on socio-demographic characteristics of the respondents and use of medicinal plants, were exploited for percentages and indices determination. All analyses were performed using IBM SPSS Statistics 26 software and the principal compound analyses (PCA) were done.

Results: The survey of 186 participants revealed a predominance of males (69.89%), married (80.64%), illiterate (65.60%), living mainly in rural areas (77.96%), with a monthly income of less than 2,000MAD (87.63%). Knowledge of medicinal plants came mainly from parents (65.59%). A total of 58 medicinal species, including 35 families, were recorded, with Mentha pulegium L., Rosmarinus officinalis L. and Calamintha nepeta subsp. spruneri (Boiss.) were the most common species. Lamiaceae was the most widely used family (FIV = 203.54; FUV = 1.9). PCA reveals the clear predominance of the Lamiaceae family in local ethnomedicinal practices within the study area. Five species: Origanum compactum, Thymus spp., Rosmarinus officinalis, Mentha pulegium, and Calamintha nepeta subsp. Spruneri were strongly associated with high ethnobotanical criteria and use frequency.

Conclusions: This study highlights that the use of medicinal plants in the province of Taza reflects both the richness of the local medicinal flora and the importance of ancestral knowledge deeply rooted in the cultural traditions of the population. The strong representation of five species belonging to the Lamiaceae family underscores their central role in local therapeutic practices and provides a relevant basis for the valorization and preservation of ethnobotanical knowledge related to the interaction between communities and plant resources.

Keywords: Medicinal plants, Taza province, Ethnobotanical survey, Quantitative analyses.

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Published

2026-03-23

How to Cite

El Aarage, B. ., Ghabbour, I., Khabbach , A., Hammani, K., & Ghabbour, N. (2026). Comprehensively expanding ethnobotanical insights into traditional health practices in Taza Province, Morocco. Ethnobotany Research and Applications, 33, 1–24. Retrieved from https://ethnobotanyjournal.org/index.php/era/article/view/8000

Issue

Vol. 33 (2026)

Section

Research

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