Mineral elements of some wild plants of traditional uses in the Moroccan Rif Mountains

Wild edible plants (WEPs) that are part of the Mediterranean diet and used in Moroccan traditional food and therapy are now less or not used. This requires their valorization to avoid the threat of their disappearance. The objective of this work was therefore to determine the mineral content in the parts of some WEPs species used for their health benefits in the Rif in Morocco.

The parts of the WEPs species used, the leaves of Tetraclinis articulata (Vahl) masters, the aerial parts of Lavandula stoechas L., the stems of Rubia peregrina L., the seeds of Ammodaucus leucotrichus Coss. & Dur., known under the local names of Laaraar, Halhal, Foua, and Kamoun soufi respectively, are washed with distilled water, dried in an oven and crushed. The extracts of the powders obtained are analyzed for the quantification of mineral elements by ICP spectrophotometer.

The analysis results of ICP-OES show that the aerial parts of Lavandula stoechas L. are rich in K, Mg, Fe, Na, and Zn. The stems of Rubia peregrina L. are rich in Fe, Na, Mg, Zn, K, Ca, and Mn. The leaves of Tetraclinis articulata (Vahl) masters are rich in Fe, Ca, K, Na, Mn and Mg and the seeds of Ammodaucus leucotrichus Coss. & Dur. are rich in K, Ca, Mg, Na.

The results reported in the samples of the WEPs analyzed present significant contents in minerals, in particular in K, Fe, Ca, Mg, Na, Zn and Mn and show that in addition to their medicinal values these species have a nutritional potential and could contribute to the dietary balance.