Articles
THE WILD MEDICINAL PLANTS IN NORTH AFRICA: HISTORY AND PRESENT STATUS
The folk medicine in the region is full of recipes for curing various diseases.
From the early times of Ebers Papyrus in Egypt to the numerous treatises written by scholars all over the Islamic period represent a very rich history.
Thousands of plant species grow wild in N. Africa.
Some of these plants are on the brink of extinction.
No means have been taken to conserve these plants.
The erosion of such important genetic resources is accompanied with the disappearance of knowledge and traditional experience.
There is no complete inventory of these plants in the region.
In this paper, the plants are classified into two categories: the pharmacopoeial plants, and plants used in the folk medicine.
The pharmacopoeial plants include Hyoscyamus muticus, Urginea maritima, Colchicum autumnale, Senna alexandrina, Plantago afra, Juniperus communis, Anacyclus pyrethrum, and Citrullus colocynthis. A list of the plants in each group are given as well as their distribution, uses and status as regards conservation.
Some medicinal plants are endemic to the region, the majority of which are rare and endangered.
These include Argania spinosa, Arbutus pavari, Cedrus atlantica, Euphorbia echinus, Euphorbia resinifera, Senecio antieuphorbium, Thymus algeriensis, and Thymus broussonettii.