Traditionally, the Berber diet was part of a semiautarkic economy. The suitability of the diet to the regional ecosystem has guaranteed food security for the Berber tribes of Morocco and other

No abstract

Background: This study aimed to protect the knowledge related to the traditional uses of wild plant resources which constituted untapped potential as dietary supplements and therapeutic products Methods: An ethnobotanical survey based on the Semi-Structured Interview method was carried out among the Sidi Bennour region from February 2019 to February 2020.Results: The results showed that a total of 56 plant species representing 56 genera and 27 families were used to make different food dishes and in the treatment of various diseases. The most cited wild edible plants (WEPs) families were Asteraceae (16%). The leaves (38%) and stems (32%) were the most parts commonly used in food. Four utilization categories were cited, vegetables, for seasoning, as a drink, and Other (plants used to decorate or flavor traditional dishes). The use of these WEPs as vegetables was the most cited mode of consumption (37.5%) by the local population. The leaves were the most commonly used part (35%) for medicinal uses of WEPs. Decoction (27.27%) was the most common method of preparing traditional medicines. The majority of preparations were administered orally (80.25%). The study results showed also that local people have sufficient information on the safe use of WEPs.Conclusions: The present study demonstrated that the people of the Sidi Bennour region, hold rich traditional knowledge of a large number of WEPs, however, the study population underlined the sharp decline in the consumption of most of the species recorded consequently the detailed documentation may effectively prevent knowledge loss through time.

Background: In the last years, obesity became of interest because of its association with osteoarthritis (OA) which is increasing with the increase of both life expectancy and the prevalence of obesity. Aims: The objective was to assess the association of obesity with the susceptibility of the lower limbs OA (LLOA) occurrence in women. Subjects and Methods: The symptomatic susceptibility of the onset of LLOA was evaluated on a sample of women from El Jadida (Morocco) using the Moroccan version of the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities osteoarthritis index (WOMAC) for the lower limbs. Sociodemographic and anthropometric data were collected too using a questionnaire. Results: The surveyed female population was 45±13 years old mostly obese (77%) with an average BMI: 29.18 ± 5.29 and a WHR: 0.93 ± 0.9. The susceptibility of the LLOA in both forms (knee and coccyx osteoarthritis) was highly prevalent in women older than 50 years (22%). The three dimensions of WOMAC (pain, stiffness and functional impairment) are felt much more among postmenopausal 44.37±26.67 (with a rate of 49%) than procreating women 29.58±22.44 (with a rate of 51%) among women with morbid obesity (69.40±8.27) than normal weight (31.67±4.40) and in women having android (86.13%) than those with a gynoid obesity morphotype (5.10%). Conclusions: The results report an association of obesity with the risk of osteoarthritis occurrence varying with age and OA location hence the importance of preventing osteoarthritis issues through the management of obesity. Keywords: Knee osteoarthritis, Coccyx osteoarthritis, WOMAC, Obesity, BMI, WHR.

To gather recipes for traditional sourdoughs used to bake traditional bread, a survey was conducted in Figuig, a town located in the southeast of Morocco. The data of this survey is collected from a random sample of 100 rural women using a structured questionnaire. The data shows a total of 17 different traditional recipes mentioned by the interviewed women. Among the ingredients used in these recipes, whole wheat flour and warm water had the highest percentage of citations (31 %). It was also observed that 9 local products were used in these sourdough recipes, including whey, locally called “leben” (19 %), dried beans (16 %) and dates (15 %). Lemon, garlic, dried figs, raisins, flax seeds and carob flour were also mentioned as ingredients (1%). The participants also stated that the sourdoughs are transferred to different shapes and types of utensils for incubation and were alive for a variable amount of time depending on climatic conditions.