Ethnopharmacology of the native herbs of Helleh River (Bushehr Province/Iran)

Ethnopharmacology have been seen as a multidisciplinary approach for novel drug discovery. The main aim of this ethnopharmacological study was to identify the medicinal plants of the Helleh River region in the northern Persian Gulf area. The ethnopharmacological data were gathered from 61 local informants by face to face interviews. The relative frequency of citation (FRC) and cultural importance (CI) indices were calculated. A total of 63 medicinal plants belonging to 36 families were identified. Cichorium intybus، Achilleaeriophora DC، Plantagopsylliumand Malva parviflora had the highest cultural importance index. Ahilleaeriophora DC، Alhagi camelorum، Citrullus colocynthis، Plantagopsylliumand Malva parviflora had the highest FRC index، respectively. The highest application was for gasterointestinal diseases، nature of warm، respiratory disorders، infectious diseases and metabolic disorders، respectively. A vast variety of medicinal plants are used for different disorders in the Helleh River area which are very compatible with medicinal uses in other parts of Iran. The traditional uses of Plantagopsyllium for respiratory problems and drainage of infective boils، Achilleaeriophora DC for diabetes mellitus and abdominal pain، Malva parviflora for respiratory infections and Citrullus colocynthis for hemorrhoids، are promising for discovery of novel drugs for clinical applications.