The Medicinal Plants of the Region of El Oued (South-Eastern Algeria) : Inventory and Traditional Therapeutic Uses

Abstract

This work is based on an ethnobotanical inventory of plants used in traditional medicine in the El Oued region. The goal of this work was to enhance the medicinal plants in the region of El Oued through a survey directed to people who have information on medicinal plants and their use in the region as herbalists, traditional healers, nomads, and some of the city population. Therefore, we inventoried 73 plants belonging to 37 families, and the largest are the families Asteraceae and Lamiaceae, with 9 species each. According to the indigenous population, the spontaneous, local and perennial plants are the most used in the treatment because of their availability in a sustainable environment. Based on these plants and by oral administration with the decoction method of preparation, the population of El Oued uses the natural remedy to treat the majority of digestive and Broncho-pulmonary diseases, representing respectively the rates of (27,22%) and (13,29 %).