Abstract

Medicinal plants used for themedicalization and the cosmetics of the hair in a human population of the plain of the gharb (Morocco).

Author(s): Touria Bouhlal, Khadija Loukili, Souad Salhi, Mohammed Sobh, Lahcen Zidane, Mohamed Fadli

In many countries of the world, the use of the plants for medical or cosmetic by local human population is important. However, due to the increase of the frequency of use ofmodern medicines by the population, knowledge about the traditional use of plants may be lost. Of the present work, we contribute to the conservation of this heritage by studying the use of medicinal plants in medicalization or cosmetics by the indigenous human population of a large plain of Morocco, plain of the Gharb. 71 species arranged in 68 genera and 43 botanical families are used for cosmetic hair. 19 species are endemic spontaneous one, 43 plants are grown, others are imported. The Lamiaceae, Poaceae, Rosaceae, Fabaceae, Solanaceae and Myrtaceae families are represented in botanical species and genera. The results showed that for the activation of hair growth the main used species are Allium sativum, Lawsonia intermis. Softening hair Opuntia ficus indica, Musa coccinea, Lawsonia intermis; to make hair shiny the main used species are Musa coccinea, Rosmarinus officinalis, Allium sativum, Myrtus communis, Punica granatum, Lawsonia intermis, Citrus limonum ; to color the hair only one species is widely used, Lawsonia intermis. For the relative frequencies of use of different plant parts uilisées we have noted: leaf (45%), seed (21.12%), fruit (18%), the underground part (16.9%), flower (8.45%), oil (7%) and the latex is not used.