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Ethnobotanical Study of Medicinal Plants Around Akbarabad Village in Kavar District, Fars Province, Iran

Tayebeh Sohrabi-Akbarabadi, Ahmad Reza Khosravi

Aim of the study: Ethnobotanical knowledge of medicinal plants is a part of any culture and plays an important role in health care system of local communities. Documentation of these information does not only preserve the traditional knowledge of local medicinal plants but also using these information by pharmaceutical industries, may lead to the discoveries of new drugs to be used against some incurable diseases. This study is the first report on native medicinal plants grown around Akbarabad village in Kavar district, Fars Province, Iran.

Materials and methods: The ethnobotanical survey was carried out to collect information of medicinal plants from local people living in Akbarabad village. To collect the information about local medicinal plants, semi-structured questionnaires and open-ended conversations were used to interview nineteen elderly villagers with the age ranging from 48 to 78 years. Medicinal plants were collected during November 2011 to September 2012 and information such as elevation, longitude, latitude, kind of slope, etc, was recorded. Medicinal plants were identified by identification keys. The data were analyzed using quantitative value indices, FIC, RFC and CI.

Result: In this survey, 72 species belonging to 33 families and 64 genera which are used by Akbarabad villagers to treat various ailments. Asteraceae with 11 species was the largest family. Most of the medicinal plants (68%) are used for the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases. Medicinal plants are often used as decoction (40%). Plants leaves are the most common parts being used. These plants are either wild (76.3%) or implants (23.7%). The Majority (80.5%) of medicinal plants are herbaceous species. Glycyrrhiza glabra, Achillea santolinoides, Artemisia sieberi and Ferula assa-foetida, has the largest virtue of Relative Frequency of Citation (RFC) index. Zataria multiflora has the largest value of Cultural Importance (CI) index. Respiratory disorders have the largest value of Informant consensus factor (FIC=0.810).

Conclusion: The diversity of medicinal plants and the broad knowledge of indigenous people about these plants indicate a rich ethnobotanical knowledge of such plants around Akbarabad village which can furnish valuable research tools in discovering new drugs in pharmaceutic industry. Mismanagement and excessive harvesting of medicinal plants are important risk factors for the protection of these valuable plants.

Ethnobotany; Medicinal plants; Akbarabad village; Kavar district; Fars Province; Iran