Background The traditional knowledge on wild edible plants has been shown in many studies a worrying decline throughout the last few decades. Therefore, the first aim of this study was to document the population knowledge on wild edible plants among the Messiwa people. The second objective was to assess the traditional knowledge of our informants according to their socio-economic status. Methods The survey was conducted among 149 informants through a semi-structured questionnaire. The relative importance of the plants was obtained by calculating the relative frequency of citation (RFC) for each species. To compare means, we used Student's t test for two-group comparisons and Snedecor's F-test for multi-group comparisons. The multi-range Duncan test was used for multiple mean comparisons. The correspondence factor analysis (CFA) was also used. Results A set of 64 species belonging to 56 genera from 34 families has been collected and identified. The species used for nutritional and medicinal purposes represent 56%, while 44% were used exclusively as nutritional plants. The most used parts are, respectively, the aerial parts (58%), the fruits (17%), the underground parts (13%), the seeds (8%), and finally the flowers (5%). On the other hand, the higher level of knowledge on wild edible plants was found among women, the elderly, illiterate, married people, and those engaged in agricultural occupations. Conclusion This work could be a basis to be reproduced on other regions in Morocco and to be widened through pharmacological and nutritional studies in order to promote and valorize these wild edible plants.

This study aimed to evaluate the antioxidant and the antibacterial activities of the essential oils from three Moroccan species of the genus Lavandula (Lavandula dentata L., Lavandula mairei Humbert and, Lavandula stoechas L.). The antibacterial activities were evaluated by the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and the disc diffusion method, against Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Citrobacter koseri) and Gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus). The antioxidant potential was evaluated using free radical Scavenging against 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrzyl (DPPH), ferric reducing activity power (FRAP), and total antioxidant capacity (TAC). The antibacterial activity of the essential oils showed higher activity against tested nosocomial bacteria especially against Klebsiella pneumoniae, Citrobacter koseri, and Staphylococcus aureus. The essential oil of Lavandula stoechas L. revealed the higher antioxidant activity as measured by DPPH (IC50 = 3,11 ± 0,13 mg/ml), FRAP (EC50 = 6,88 ± 0,8 mg/ml) and TAC (443,2 ± 38 mg AAE/g EO) assays. The essential oil of Moroccan Lavandula stoechas L. could have potential as antimicrobial compounds for the treatment of many infectious bacterial diseases, including multi-resistant bacterial strains of nosocomial origin.

Context: The infection by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a global health emergency. The management of this crisis requires the discovery of new drugs able to cure or reduce the severity of SARS-CoV-2. Aims: To explore the medicinal plants consumed by the rural population of Al-Haouz region against the emergence of the COVID-19, and to assess in silico the main phytochemicals present in the essential oils and the extracts of these medicinal plants, as potential inhibitors of the COVID-19 main protease (Mpro). Methods: The survey was conducted through a semi-structured questionnaire among 85 respondents aged 30 years and above, in the Al-Haouz region, Morocco. AutoDock Vina, was used to assess the binding affinity of the phytochemicals to the Mpro. Results: Eleven wild medicinal species were cited; 10 belonging to the Lamiaceae family and one to the Compositae family. Thymus saturejoides Coss., Artemisia herba-alba Asso.and Mentha suaveolens Ehrh. were respectively the three most cited species during the survey. The rosmarinic acid (-7.7 kcal/mol), hesperetin (-7.2 kcal/mol), gallocatechin (-7.2 kcal/mol) and cyasterone (-7.2 kcal/mol) have shown the higher inhibitory potential against covid-19 Mpro respectively. Conclusions: In addition to their different recognized biological activities, the medicinal plants used in the Al-Haouz region have shown good inhibitory potential against SARAS-CoV-2 Mpro. Furthermore, the phytochemicals that exhibited the highest inhibitory potentials in this virtual study require further investigation in vitro and in vivo.

Wild edible plants are used in various traditional dishes in rural areas. The present study aims to determine the nutritional value and chemical composition of six wild edible plants (Nasturtium officinale, Malva sylvestris, Portulaca oleracea, Silene vulgaris, Scolymus hispanicus, and Emex spinosa) commonly consumed in the Al- Haouz region of Morocco. Moisture, proteins, and ashes contents were analyzed according to the official Association of the Official Analytical Chemists Methods (AOAC) and fats content was determined by the Mojonnier method. The results revealed that these wild edible plants are rich sources of carbohydrates and proteins, while they had revealed low amounts of fats. The highest values of total carbohydrates, fat, and ash were found in Emex spinosa, Malva sylvestris, and Silene vulgaris. Finally, these wild edible plants seem to be important nutritional resources that should be valued to promote rural areas and conserve the gene pool that is threatened due to domestication.

BACKGROUND: Medicinal plants have been used for therapeutic purposes and have shown important biological properties. This study aimed to evaluate for the first time the antioxidant activities, total flavonoid, and total phenolic contents of Lavandula mairei Humbert. The ethanol, methanol, ethyl-acetate, and water extracts were used for this purpose. METHODS: The antioxidant activities were assessed in vitro by free radical scavenging activity against 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrzyl (DPPH), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), and total antioxidant capacity (TAC). The total flavonoid and phenolic contents were determined spectrophotometrically with gallic acid and Quercetin as standards. RESULTS: In either Soxhlet or maceration methods, the flavonoids and the total phenolic contents were significantly higher in the methanolic extract (P<0.05) compared to other extracts. The total flavonoid content of L. mairei ranged between 119 and 224.6 mg QE/g DW for Soxhlet extracts and from 111.8 to 148.51 mg QE/g DW for maceration extracts. While the total phenolic content was between 35.12 and 99.37 mg GAE/g DW for Soxhlet extracts and 27.63 to 58.99 mg GAE/g DW for maceration extracts. In either the Soxhlet or maceration method, the highest total antioxidant capacity (TAC) was obtained using the ethanolic extract, while the aqueous extract had the highest antioxidant activity for DPPH and FRAP assays. CONCLUSION: These results showed that Lavandula mairei Humbert has great potential to be a promising candidate for natural plant sources of antioxidants.