An Ethnobotanical Investigation of Medicinal Plants Used by Local Residents of Ilam, Western Iran, for the Treatment of Neck Pain

Abstract

Iran owns a diverse climate and is home to various tribes, each exhibiting its own cultural approaches and customs in utilizing medicinal plants for the prevention, control, and treatment of diseases. In order to gather valuable ethnobotanical information on medicinal plants, further studies among these tribes are necessary, because with the loss of these people, their historical and empirical knowledge may also be forgotten forever. In this systematic ethnobotanical study conducted in Ilam city (western Iran), an attempt was made to explore and suggest the medicinal plants indigenous to this region, plus their use in treating neck pain. Information associated with traditional treatment of neck pain was collected using an ethnobotanical questionnaire. A full list of herbal pharmacies in Ilam was obtained from the Food and Drug Administration and the required information was collected by the interviewer through in-person visits to each of these pharmacies. The questionnaire included personal information, names of native plants, parts used, method of use, and effects of traditional treatment for neck pain. In this study, 25 participants were included, most of whom were male, aged between 20 and 40 years, and held a bachelor’s degree. The majority of participants were also Kurdish speakers. Data analysis shows that 11 medicinal plants belonging to 9 plant families are used in the treatment of neck pain in Ilam. Medicinal plants Armoracia rusticana L., Salix alba L., Calendula persica C.A.Mey., Quercus brantii Lindl., Hypericum helianthemoides Spach, Olea europaea L., Elaeagnus angustifolia L., Ziziphora clinopodioides Lam., Viola modesta Boiss., Lavandula angustifolia Mill., Amygdalus lycioides Spach are among the plants used in Ilam city in treating neck pain. Based on the results obtained, Calendula persica C.A.Mey. was the most cited plant for neck pain (RFC = 0.48); while several species, including A. rusticana and O. europaea, were less frequently used (RFC = 0.16). The Lamiaceae family is the most commonly used family. Aerial parts were the most commonly used parts with 29% usage and decoction with 36% was the most common traditional method of consumption. The diverse flora of Ilam offers a promising foundation for pharmaceutical researches to explore traditional and herbal remedies and alternative treatments for neck pain.