Ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants used by QizilbashTribe in North of Iran

Iran is of the species-rich areas of the diversity of plants, especially medicinal plants, being renowned worldwide as crucial for people’s health. This present study aims to identify medicinal plants being used widely by Qizilbash tribe in the north of Iran, document indigenous knowledge concerning medicinal plants used by local people, and collect information about diseases to be treated by such plants. An ethnobotanical survey was conducted to document indigenous knowledge of medicinal plants of local people in the north of Iran within 2 years (2018-2020). The data were collected by using field observation, participation, and semi-structured interviews with 41 people (11 male, 30 female). A snowball sampling technique was used to select the interviewees. The collected information was categorized based on local names, and parts consumed, medicinal properties, consumption habits, and other uses of wild edible plants, WEPs. Eighty-four plant species belonging to 27 families were identified in the study area. Most plant species in the region were respectively Lamiaceae (20 species), Compositae (12 species), and Legominaceae (6 species). The results showed that the most frequent medicinal plants were used for gastrointestinal problems (34%), cough and colds (18%), and respiratory disease (13%). The presence of various species of medicinal plants and vast indigenous knowledge in Khoshyilagh rangelands indicates the richness of this area. Research on these plants can pave the way for discovering new medicine in the field of treatment and preserving these valuable reserves as well as preventing the disappearance and destruction of herbs.