Medicinal Plants Used in Traditional treatment for Gastrointestinal disorders and Diarrhea Treatment in South-West Algeria : An Ethnopharmacological Investigation.

Introduction: The study of ethnobotany is very important due to the importance of the healthy and the economic part of biodiversity that medicinal plants signify; several active natural compounds have been discovered from medicinal plants based on ethnobotanical surveys. Objectives: This work is devoted to the study of medicinal plants in the southern region of Bechar and their different uses in traditional medicine. Using a traditional herbal medicine knowledge is important for discovering new drugs, drug development and for improving community healthcare awareness. Methods: In this study, 80 plants species were reported to be used as ethnopharmacological remedies for the treatment of diarrhea and gastro-intestinal in south west Algeria, using a semi-structured questionnaire. The survey was carried out during the year (2021–2022), through face-to-face interviews, using a pre-prepared questionnaire. The form contains: Sociodemographic profile of each respondent, local name of medicinal species used, uses, their applications, the parts used, and the preparation methods. Results: The interviewed herbalists identified and recorded 80 plants species and 50 genera belonging to 25 plant families. Lamiaceae and Asteraceae were the most represented plant families. The leaves (44.44%) were the most commonly used plant part, while infusion and decoction were the most common method of traditional drug preparation, were listed. The analysis of the obtained results showed that the frequency of use of medicinal plants was recorded that the majority of remedies are prepared in the form of a decoction from the leaves of the different species, in order to treat a wide range of diseases especially those of the digestive tract. Conclusions: This study revealed rich ethnomedicinal knowledge in South-west Algeria, these medicinal plants may be incorporated into the healthcare delivery system of the country. A total of 83 herbalists were interviewed; men dominate the practice of traditional medicine in the region