• Ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants in Lorestan Province and its application in the production of used drugs in medical science
  • Mihan Avesta,1 Shabnam Abbasi,2,*
    1. Biology student, Department of Biology, Faculty of basic science, Farhangian University, Isfahan, Iran
    2. Department of Biology, Faculty of basic science, Farhangian University, Tehran, Iran


  • Introduction: Humans have been using plants to treat diseases for thousands of years. Modern medicine also uses traditional medicine knowledge. Since existing chemical drugs are not acceptable particularly in the long term, so in recent years there has been a great approach to the use of herbal drugs among people. In the recent century, extensive research has been done on medicinal herbs and drugs with natural ingredients have opened new horizons for the research community of physicians and pharmacists. Use of information related to the applications of medicinal plants used by indigenous people in a province in the field of nutrition, treatment and production of drugs used in modern medicine has a great importance. Lorestan province is a mountainous region located in the west of Iran that Zagros Mountains cover all of it. Due to the diverse climatic conditions of Lorestan province such as numerous forests and rangelands, abundant surface water and rich groundwater reservoirs, this province has a great variety of vegetation and medicinal plants. Although 151 species of medicinal plants have been reported from this province so far, there is no evidence of the current utilization of medicinal plants in the province for the treatment of various diseases by Lorestan people. So in this comprehensive study, therapeutic use, consumption instruction and type of used plant organs for application in modern medicine are examined.
  • Methods: Specimens of medicinal plants of Lorestan province were collected during three seasons of spring, summer and autumn in 2017-2019. They were identified using reliable sources such as Flora of Iran, plant classification and Flora Iranica books. Then, questionnaires including information about age and literacy of indigenous urban and rural people, scientific and local name of the used plant, type of used plant organs, medicinal properties of these plants and consumption instruction by people were prepared. The number of respondents was 100, with a mean age of about 60 years and a primary literacy level. Data extracted from questionnaires were analyzed by Excel software.
  • Results: In this study, 91 medicinal plant species belonging to 44 families and 84 genera were identified. Among the identified families, 36 families belong to the dicotyledons, 6 families to monocotyledons, one family to gymnosperm and one family to Pteridaceae. According to our results, Lamiaceae (10 genera, 10 species), Asteraceae (8 genera, 8 species), Apiaceae (6 genera, 6 species), Fabaceae (6 genera, 6 species), Brassicaceae (5 genera, 5 species) and Amaryllidaceae (1 genus, 6 species) were the most important medicinal families, respectively. In other studies located in areas close to Lorestan Province with similar climatic conditions, these families are dominant. The most important used organs were leaves (31.86%), seeds (20.87%) and fruits (18.68%), respectively. The most common uses of medicinal plants in the Province were dry powder (36.26%), boiled (31.86%) and brewed (8.79%), respectively. The result of this study showed the most applications of used medicinal plants by Lorestan people were in treatment of gastrointestinal diseases (37.36%), pain treatment (28.57%) and treatment of skin and hair diseases (23.07%), respectively. Due to the similar climatic conditions between Lorestan province and Markazi, Khuzestan, Isfahan and Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari Provinces and comparing the medicinal plants used in Lorestan Province with these regions, there is a similar application in therapeutic use and type of used plant organs by people. The medicinal properties of 66 plant species used by Lorestan people are different with the medicinal properties of similar species in other Provinces.
  • Conclusion: Conclusion According to the results of this study, many medicinal plants of Lorestan Province are effective in treating indigenous people of the region and have pharmacological value. Ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants in this province is essential for achieving reasonable herbal remedies. Iran, due to its diverse geographical conditions and rich and unique vegetation, has the potential to develop ethnobotanical science and use of medicinal plants for medical science.
  • Keywords: Ethnobotany, medicinal plants, herbal drugs, Iran, pharmacology