Etude ethnobotanique des plantes médicinales utilisées dans le traitement traditionnel de l’hypertension artérielle dans la région D’Ain Témouchent

Abstract

Phytotherapy, or treatmentusingmedicinal plants, remainsdeeplyrooted in local traditionalknowledge. This dissertation adopts an ethnobotanicalapproach to inventory the plant speciesused in the studyregion for the treatment of arterial hypertension (high blood pressure), to identify the methods of preparation and administration, and to evaluate the socio- cultural factorsinfluencingthese practices. A fieldsurveywasconductedamong the local population, enabling the collection of demographic, ethnomedical (origin and transmission of knowledge, perceivedeffectiveness, reasons for choosingtraditionalmedicine), and phytotherapeutic data. A total of 40 medicinal plant speciesbelonging to 21 botanicalfamilieswererecorded, Dominated by the Lamiaceae (24%), the Asteraceae (14%), and the Apiaceae (10%). In terms of treatment, infusion wasidentified as the main method of preparation (71%), mainlyusingleaves (43%) and aerial parts (33%).reflectingsignificantfloristicdiversity and a considerablerichness of local therapeuticknowledge. The analysis of ethnobotanical data revealedthatknowledgerelated to medicinal plants istransmittedmainlythroughfamily traditions, highlighting the fundamentalrole of cultural heritage in preserving local knowledge. The methods of use and preparationidentifieddirectlyreflect the experienceaccumulated by local populations in utilizingavailable plant resources to regulateblood pressure. The reasons for the use of phytotherapy are driven by several key factors, mainly the perceivedeffectiveness of traditionaltreatments, cultural traditions, the availability of plants in the region, and the desire to reducesideeffectscompared to modern medicine. These plants are usedeither as a primarytreatment or as a complement to conventionalmedicaltherapies. Finally, thisstudy highlights the urgent need to document and preservethistraditionalknowledge, whichisthreatened by socio-cultural changes. It alsoemphasizes the importance of furtherphytochemical and pharmacologicalresearch in order to scientificallyevaluate the effectiveness, mechanisms of action, and safety of the recordedmedicinal plants for the development of new therapeuticapproaches in the management of arterial hypertension.