Rank-order priority

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Traditional Arabic Palestinian ethnoveterinary practices in animal health care: a field survey in the West Bank (Palestine)

Journal Title, Volume, Page: 
Journal of ethnopharmacology JEP9959 accepted 6 Feb 2016 · February 2016, DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2016.02.005
Year of Publication: 
2016
Authors: 
Mohammed S. Ali-Shtayeh
Biodiversity and Environmental Research Center-BERC, Til-Nablus, Palestine
Current Affiliation: 
Department of Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Science, An-Najah National University, Nablus, Palestine
Rana M. Jamous
Biodiversity and Environmental Research Center-BERC, Til-Nablus, Palestine
Rania M. Jamous
Biodiversity and Environmental Research Center-BERC, Til-Nablus, Palestine
Preferred Abstract (Original): 

Background In Palestine, medicinal plants have continued to play a vital role in fulfilling animal healthcare needs of rural communities. However, these valuable resources are being depleted mainly due to over-harvesting, inappropriate agricultural practices (e.g., over use of herbicides), agricultural expansion, and over-grazing. Therefore, immediate action is required to conserve these resources and document the associated knowledge. The purpose of this study was, thus, to document and analyze information associated with medicinal plants that are used in managing animal health problems in the West Bank, Palestine.
Materials and methods Ethnobotanical data were collected from Apr 2012, to Feb 2014 mainly using semi-structured interviews with informants sampled using purposive sampling technique and through field observations.
Results The study revealed the use of 138 medicinal plant species in the West Bank for the treatment of several livestock diseases, of these 75 species representing 70 genera and 33 families were reported by 3 independent informants or above. Classification of the ethnoveterinary plant species cited by three informants or above used in a rank-order priority (ROP) based on their claimed relative healing potential has demonstrated that the following are the plants with the highest efficacy: Camellia sinenses, Teucrium capitatum, and Salvia fruticosa with ROPs of 97.1, 93.2, and 91.4, respectively, are used primarily to relieve gastric disorders. Gastrointestinal disorders is the disease group in the study area that scored the highest Informant consensus factor (ICF) value (0.90), followed by urinary, and reproductive disorders (0.89). Conclusion Our study provided evidence that medicinal plants are still playing important role in the management of livestock diseases, and showed that ethnoveterinary plants used in animal health care in Palestine have been also recorded in human Traditional Arabic Palestinian Herbal Medicine (TAPHM), and demonstrated a strong link between human and veterinary medical practices. This survey has identified a number of important medicinal plants used by the Palestinian farmers of the West Bank area for the treatment of various animal ailments. It provides a baseline for future phytochemical and pharmacological investigations into the beneficial medicinal properties of such plants. 

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Ethnobotanical Survey in the Palestinian Area: A Classification of the Healing Potential of Medicinal Plants

Journal Title, Volume, Page: 
Journal of Ethnopharmacology Volume 73, Issues 1–2, November 2000, Pages 221–232
Year of Publication: 
2000
Authors: 
Mohammed S. Ali-Shtayeh
Department of Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Science, An-Najah National University, Nablus. Palestine
Current Affiliation: 
Department of Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Science, An-Najah National University, Nablus. Palestine
Zohara Yaniv
Jamal Mahajna
Preferred Abstract (Original): 

An ethnobotanical survey was carried out in the West Bank to evaluate the relative efficacy of the plants used to treat skin diseases and prostate cancer. A total number of 102 informants, 30 years and older and either native born or had been living in the West Bank for more than 30 years, were interviewed using a previously prepared questionnaire. Of about 165 plant species mentioned by the informants, 63 (38.1%) were mentioned by three or more informants. On the basis of their primary uses, 21 of these plants were reported to relieve skin disorders, 17 for urinary system disorders, 16 for gastric disorders, nine for cancer and prostate disorders, eight for arthritis, five for respiratory problems, and five for other ailments. Indices on fidelity levels (FLs), relative popularity level (RPL), and rank-order priority (ROP) were calculated. Plants were classified in two groups: ‘popular’ (RPL=1) or ‘unpopular’ (RPL<1). The following plant species were classified as popular in this study: Teucriumpolium, Matricariaaurea, Urticapilulifera, Paronychiaargentea, Petroselinumsativum, and Salviafruticosa. The remaining 57 species were classified as ‘unpopular’. Fifty-nine plants were claimed to be effective against cancer and prostate disorders, which include Arum dioscorides, U. pilulifera, Allium sativum, Viscum cruciatum, and Allium cepa.

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