Ethnobotany Study of Medicinal Plants Used in the Treatment of Respiratory Diseases in the Middle Region of Oum Rbai

The ethnobotanical study carried out in the region of Oum Rbia (Morocco) made it possible to identify the medicinal plants used by the local population and to collect the maximum information on this use. A survey of 1360 people from the region's population noted that 170 people use medicinal plants against respiratory diseases. Women accounted for 55.3% of the workforce versus 44.7% for men; Married people 70% against 28% for singles. The illiteracy rate is high (34.1%). The leaves are the most widely used part of the plant. Infusion and decoction are the most commonly used methods for preparing traditional remedies. The most widely used species in the treatment of respiratory diseases are: Origanun glandulosum, Eucalyptus globulus, Nigella sativa, Mentha pulegium, Lavandula stoechas, Zingiber officinale, Ammodaucus leucotrichus, Ficus carica. In addition, some species have toxicity either because of the ignorance of the necessary dose or because the people treated are affected by other diseases. Thus, the survey made it possible to inventory 66 medicinal species which are divided into 36 plant families; Lamiaceae (21.2%), Myrtaceae (10.6%), Apiaceae (8.8%), Amaryllydaceae (7.7%) and Zingiberaceae (7.1%). These results resulted in a catalog of medicinal plants used in the study area to treat respiratory diseases. It is a local know-how that must be considered as a heritage to be preserved and developed.


INTRODUCTION
The respiratory system (nasal passages, bronchi and lungs) can be the subject of several diseases: acute infections such as pneumonia and bronchitis, or chronic conditions such as asthma and COPD. Thus, respiratory diseases, regardless of the age of the patients, represent approximately 5.5 million medical consultations per year (Ministry of Public Health, 2001). In the majority of cases (85%), these patients have acute respiratory diseases, mainly angina or acute bronchitis. The remaining cases (15%), have a chronic respiratory disease or a suspicion of pulmonary tuberculosis (Ministry of Public Health, 2001). Among chronic respiratory diseases, asthma occupies the first place and pulmonary tuberculosis accounts for only 4 to 5% of cases (Ministry of Public Health, 2001). The World Health Organization estimates that traditional medicine covers the primary health care needs of 80% of the population in developing countries (Vines, 2004). Plants still play a very important role in the medical traditions and life of the inhabitants of the Maghreb, but the rules of their use sometimes lack rigor and do not take into account the new demands of modern therapy (Bellakhdar, 2006). Morocco, whose geographical location has a flora rich in diversity, has about 4200 species of which only a hundred are currently exploited according to El Meskaoui (2008). In order to preserve the natural heritage of the Middle Oum Rbai region, we carried out an ethnobotanical study collecting the knowledge, attitudes and practices of the local population concerning all the plants used in the Treatment of respiratory diseases.

II.
MATERIAL AND METHOD 1.
The study area: Oum Rabia means the provinces of Khouribga, Fkih Ben Saleh and Kasbat Tadla. It is linked to the Beni Mellal-Khénifra region following the territorial division of 2015 (Fig. 1). The Beni Mellal-Khénifra region is limited to the west by

2.
The methodology: An ethnobotanical survey was conducted in the Oum Rbia region between 2010 and 2015 and was based on stratified random sampling; A pre-established questionnaire based on information on the profile of the informant (Age, intellectual level, family situation ...) and on the other hand on the use of plants in traditional medicine (vernacular name of the plant, part used, dose used, method of preparation, disease treated, etc.). Plants are collected in the wild or obtained in traditional healers. The local name of the plant is given by the interviewees or by the traditional healers and the scientific name is determined in the laboratory. Determination of species was carried out thanks to the New flora of Algeria and the southern desert regions Quézel & Santana (1962, 1963

1) The informant by sex:
The analysis of Figure 2 shows that women predominate in the use of medicinal plants in herbal medicine for respiratory diseases with 55% compared with 45% for men.

Fig.2: Use of Medicinal Plants by Sex in the Oum Rbai Region
2) The informant according to age: Analysis of the results obtained shows that 54% of the respondents belong to the age group] 30-50], 21% are over 50 years old, 18% are part of the age group] 20-30] and 7% are aged less than 20 years ( Figure 3).

3) The informant according to the intellectual level:
the results show that the illiterate persons represent 34% of the workforce, followed by secondary education with 27%, primary school with 17%, while the college level has 12 % And academics 10%.     Hmamouchi (1999), Mehdioui (2008) and El Hilah (2015). 54% of respondents belong to the age group] 30-50], 21% are older than 50 years, 18% are in the age group] 20-30] and 7% are less than 20 years. This can be explained by the company's return to the use of traditional herbal medicine with a good transmission of the popular knowledge of the elderly towards the young (Hseini, 2008). Illiterates represent 34% of the workforce, followed by secondary schooling with 27%, primary education 17%, college 12% and university 10%. A renewed interest in medicinal plants is noticed; People are beginning to become aware of the side effects of pharmaceutical treatments based on chemical molecules. The married population predominates with 70%, against the singles who represent 28% and the widowed 2%. These results are related to the responsibility of brides towards the needs of the family. This is consistent with the results obtained by other studies at the national level (Hseini, 2008 Myrtaceae (10.6%), Apiaceae (8.8%), Amaryllydaceae (7.7%) and Zingiberaceae (7.1%). These results resulted in a catalog of medicinal plants used in the region to treat respiratory diseases. The catalog of 66 species testifies to a local know-how of great value, it is a heritage that must be preserved and managed in the sustainability.