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Abstract

This investigation assessed the healthcare deployed by herbalists to cure sicknesses in urbanized area. Fifteen herbalists from the city of Setif (Algeria) were interviewed, adopting a snowball sampling technical and using a semi-structured questionnaire. Thirty medicinal plant species derived from 13 botanical families were documented. Lamiaceae and Apiaceae were the most dominant families. The traded plant species had the ability to heal various types of ailments grouped under 14 ICD-categories. Digestive and respiratory ailment-categories appeared as the most common diseases occurring the study area. More than 15 species were reported to treat these disease- categories, which amassed 37 and 35 use-reports, respectively. The collected data were evaluated using four indices namely, use-reports (UR), use value (UV), fidelity level (FL) and informant consensus factor (ICF). Aloysia citriodora Palàu, Salvia rosmarinus Spenn, Chamaeleon gummifera (L) cass., Myrtus communis L, Dittrichia viscosa (L.) Greuter, and Senna alata ( L.) Roxb, had high use values and were among the most utilized plant species. A high fidelity level (100%) was reached by Ajuga iva Schreb., Mentha arvensis L., Origanum vulgare L., and Eucalyptus globulus Labill. These species deserve to be selected for further and deeper investigations. Diseases of the eye and adnexa (ICF =1.00), certain infectious and parasitic diseases (ICF= 0.73), diseases of the nervous system (ICF=0.71), endocrine nutrition and metabolism diseases (ICF=0.63), and diseases of the digestive system (ICF=0.58), appeared to be the most common ailment categories, occurring in the studied area. The high ICF value scored for diseases of the eye suggests that the respondents reached a consensus regarding the choice of Trigonella foenum-graecum L. to treat this category. This high ICF value confirms the exchange of knowledge among the sampled herbalists. It is concluded that the sampled herbalists have sufficient knowledge of ethnobotanical uses. Based on this knowledge, herbalists are a serious partner, in the same manner as the traditional healers, they contribute to the development of the marketing of medicinal plants for the benefit of the community of Setif-city.

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