An ethnobotanical study in some villages of Semnan County

Ethnobotany studies the knowledge of native people in different regions and their information about the use of plants. The purpose of this research is the ethnobotanical study of villages in the south and east of Semnan city including 7 villages: Abkhuri, Ahmadabad (North), Ahmedabad (South), Kheyrabad, Delazian, Roknabad and Alaa. After examining and getting to know the study area, in order to obtain the required information, the areas were visited and interviews were conducted randomly in March 2021. Information was collected in the form of a questionnaire and mostly from elderly people familiar with the use of medicinal plants. In this research, 47 species belonging to 48 genera and 24 plant families were introduced by local people. The richest plant families were Lamiaceae with 10 species, Apiaceae with 6 species, Asteraceae with 4 species, and Fabaceae with 3 species. The highest value of the Relative Frequency Citation index (RFC) is related to Mentha spicata with 0.73, Thymus kotschyanus with 0.65, Carum carvi with 0.63, Cuminu cyminum with 0.57, M. longifolia with 0.53, Anethum graveolens with 0.48, Achillea whilhemsii with 0.38, Cichorium intybus with 0.32, Matricaria chamomilla with 0.19 and Alhagi persarum with 0.09. According to this study, the most use of plants in the villages of Semnan city was related to digestive disorders and general health of the body, and the least use was for the treatment of diabetes and kidney problems. Also, the most widespread method of using medicinal plants in the study area was reported as a decoction and the most used plant organ was leaves. The study of ethnobotany and using it in different fields is very important before forgetting this knowledge and destroying the natural habitats of Semnan county. Thus this research can provide a basis for future studies.