Ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants in the central district of the Zanjan county, Zanjan province, Iran

The aim of this study was to document the medicinal uses of plants in the central district of Zanjan county. Experimental: In the frequent field trips, plants species were collected, and their ethnopharmacological importance were reported by personal visits to a total of 32 informants. 77 plant species belonging to 32 families were reported. Results revealed that from the total of 32 families, Asteraceae with 14 species was the largest medicinal plant family. The most frequently used plant parts were shoot (27%). Among the 77 species, Achillea millefolium, Achillea tenuifolia, Achillea wilhelmsii, Alcea transcaucasica, Anchusa strigosa, Cichorium intybus, Cichorium pumilum, Descurainia sophia, Elaeagnus angustifolia, Falcaria vulgaris, Fumaria asepala,  Glycyrrhiza glabra, Juglans regia, Malva  neglecta, Mentha longifolia, Nasturtium officinalis,  Peganum harmala, Rosa canina, Stachys lavandulifolia, Thymus kotschyanus, Tragopogon graminifolius, with 32 number of informants was the highest which showed that they were well known and therefore used by most residents. FIC were calculated for each of the 14 categories of disease, and the values revealed that Cold & Pulmonary problems had the highest agreement with an FIC value of 0.92. Considering the great variety of medicinal plants in the region, ethnobotany studies is essential to preserving a valuable treasure of medical experience, preservation and conservation the existing herb resources, cultivating and developing medicinal plants that are adapted to the ecological conditions of the region, acquiring new drugs and advancing the pharmaceutical industry and developing employment plans.