Ethnomedicinal plants of Sarigöl district (Manisa), Turkey

This paper provides new and significant ethnopharmacological information on medicinal plants used by native people who live in Sarigöl and its surroundings in Turkey.

To compile herbal remedies from the area of Sarigöl with their traditional uses, parts of the plant used and form of administration as well as to calculate ethnobotanical indices and validate its therapeutic use.

Plant samples that have been collected by herbalists or informants from Sarigöl and its surroundings for medical purposes were studied by visiting the villages during the study period, and then brought to the laboratory to identify the species. The relative frequency citation (RFC), use value (UV), informant consensus factor (ICF) and fidelity level (FL) were computed for the plants included in the study as well as a pharmacological validation from International Official sources by using WHO, ESCOP and EMA monographs.

In this research conducted between 2010 and 2013, 141 taxa affiliated with 55 families, including 3 Gymnosperms, were determined as they used for medical purposes. The study was carried out by visiting 15 villages and 4 herbalist shops identified in Sarigöl and its surroundings. Asteraceae, Lamiaceae, Fabaceae, Rosaceae and Apiaceae have been detected as the most consumed families for medical purposes. The research showed that most of the informants agreed on the use of Vitis vinifera fruits to cure gastrointestinal diseases that demonstrated the highest fidelity level (0.62). Only 31, out of 141, of the species recorded in this study, currently have a monograph with a validated use.

During the survey, it was observed that local people consumed plants in the form of the infusion, whereas when using hard organs such as bark or branches, decoctions were preferred. It was identified that most of the medicinal plants have been used for gastrointestinal and respiratory disorders, and they are mainly utilized in the form of infusion or decoction. Vitis vinifera has a different traditional use compared to therapeutic indication proposed by monographs from Official sources like ESCOP or EMA.