IDENTIFICATION, USE AND CONSERVATION OF MEDICINAL PLANTS OF THE WEST-ALGERIAN STEPPE (CASE OF THE WILAYA OF SAÏDA)

An Ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants was conducted in the West Algerian (Region of Saida) steppe. It was made in order to establish the catalogue of medicinal plants and to gather information about the therapeutic uses practised by the local population in the study area.

The results have helped to identify 31 medicinal plants which represent 20 families, including the Asteraceae and the Lamiaceae. They study fond that the foliage and the whole plant are the frequently used plant part and most of the remedies are prepared as a decoction and infusion. In terms of the diseases treated, the treatment of disorders of the digestive tract occupy first place with 22%, followed by the treatment of the respiratory system (15%) and diseases of the blood (13%).

The results are a very valuable source of information for the study area and the medicinal flora in the Algerian steppe. They could be a database for further research particularly in the areas of phytochemistry and Pharmacology while contributing immensely in future exploration of new natural .