Introduction and objectives ETHNOBOTANICAL SURVEY ON HERBAL MEDICINES USED BY DIABETIC PATIENTS IN RABAT Souad Skalli1, Rachida Hassikou1, Moustapha Arahou1 1Faculty of Sciences, MOHAMMED V UNIVERSITY IN RABAT International Symposium on Diabetes and Nutrition. Rabat, 6-8 July 2018 Introduction and objectives Traditional herbal remedies provide health services even in highly industrialized settings because they are important pillars of culture and human socialization (1). Numerous plants have been reported to possess an antidiabetic activity. Some of them may serve as an interesting source of drug candidates for the pharmaceutical research. The present study was undertaken to provide ethnobotanical information on medicinal plants used in folk medicine by diabetic patients (DPs) to treat diabetes.

Materials and methods Study design An ethnobotanical survey was performed among DPs of an association in Rabat. This survey was conducted from October 1st to November 30th 2018 and consisted of an oral interview using a semi-structured questionnaire. Questionnaire The questionnaire is composed of 10 questions: Patient: Surname and First Name; Age; Gender and Educational level Disease: Type of Diabetes Plant(s) used: Vernacular name; Parts used; Amount or dose used; Mode of preparation; Mode of administration Plant identification Patients were asked to bring back a sample of the plants used. The botanical names were identified using the Moroccan identification key ″FLORE PRATIQUE DU MAROC″ (2). Data analysis The data reported on the questionnaire were entered and listed on a Microsoft Excel database. These results were analyzed descriptively and comparatively.  

Ethnobotanical survey data Results From 270 DPs who participated to this survey, 115 diabetics (42.6%) use medicinal plants (MP). Table 1 displays the socio demographic profile of these DPs. Diabetes disease Among DPs who use MP, 85 (74%) of them have type 2 diabetes and 30 (26%) of DPs have type 1 diabetes. Table 1: Sociodemographic characteristics of diabetic patients Variable Subgroup Number Percentage (%) Sex Male 11 9.6 Female 104 90.4 Age < 20 years 3 2.6 [20-40years] 9 7.8 ]40-60 years] 50 43.5 > 60 years 53 46.1 Educational level Illiterates 77 67 Primary 22 19.1 Secondary 10 8.7 University 6 5.2 Ethnobotanical survey data This survey gathered information on 29 plants species reported by the DPs. The families with most antidiabetic plants included Lamiaceae with 8 species followed by Zingiberaceae with 2 species. The rest of the families were represented with 1 species each.

Results DPs reported that MP used have an antidiabetic effect and this is directly observed after the first measurement of blood glucose post ingestion of these plants. Two species namely Calamintha alpina L. and Mentha suaveolens Ehr., were reported in this survey for the first time as antidiabetic plants. Figure 1: plants used frequently by diabetic patients

Conclusions The wide variety of medicinal plants that are used to treat diabetes in this survey unveiled a significant diversity of potential antidiabetic medicinal plants and an ethnobotanical acknowledgement to these plants. Two plants are reported for the first time as used in traditional treatment of diabetes. The information documented on the medicinal plants used may serve as baseline data for future pharmacological and phytochemical studies and consequently the discovery of new drugs. References 1- Owuor, B., Mulemi, B., Kokwaro, J., 2005. Indigenous snake bite remedies of the Luo of western Kenya. J. Ethnobiol. 25, 129-141. 2- Fennane, M., Ibn Tattou, M., Mathez, J., Ouyahya, A., Oualidi, J., 2014. Flore Pratique du Maroc, Vol. 3 : Dicotyledones, Monocotylédones: Manuel de Détermination Travaux de l′Institut Scientifique, Série Botanique, no 40, Rabat.