ETHNOBOTANICAL STUDY OF MEDICINAL PLANTS IN "EL- MERGUEB" NATURE RESERVE, M'SILA PROVINCE, NORTHERN ALGERIA

Medicinal plants are considered as a rich sources of bioactive compounds. The present study aimed to document the local knowledge of medicinal plants' use in El Mergueb natural reserve of the wilaya of M'sila, northern Algeria. The valorization of this natural heritage requires an ethnobotanical study which allows to describe the different uses of medicinal plants by the local population and to establish the catalogue of medicinal plants and their therapeutic uses. Ethnobotanical data were collected from 182 local informants through semi-structured questionnaires and open interviews. In the present study a total of 46 plant species belonging to 23 botanical families were recorded for the treatment of different ailments. Asteraceae was the most represented family with 9 species followed by Poaceae, Lamiaceae and Fabaceae. Artemisia herba-alba Asso (UV = 0.58), Stipa tenacissima L. (UV = 0.42), Artemisia campestris L. (UV = 0.3), Zyziphus lotus L. (UV = 0.16) and Marrubium vulgare L. (UV = 0.14) were the most frequently used by local informants, with the highest UV. Leaves (39.6%) were the most widely used plant parts. Most herbal remedies were consumed as decoction and infusion. The results obtained are very valuable source of information on the region studied and on the Algerian medicinal flora. They could serve as a database for further phytochemical and pharmacological investigations and for research into new natural sources of biomolecules beneficial to people.