An ethnobotanical review on medicinal plants of the Lamiaceae family in Turkey

Medicinal plants have been used by humans for the treatment of various diseases for thousands of years from past to present. Members of the Lamiaceae family are among the most preferred medicinal plants due to the wide variety of secondary components they contain, particularly essential oils. In this review, Master's and PhD theses and books based on ethnobotanical studies investigated between 1960 and 2021 as well as internationally recognized databases (PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, Web of Science, SciFinder, Springer and Elsevier) were used to determine the medicinal uses of Lamiaceae taxa among the people in Turkey. As a result of the study, it was found that a total of 221 taxa (192 species) belonging to 29 genera, 51 of which are endemic, have medicinal/therapeutic uses. The local names of these taxa, the usage which are used among the people, the diseases in which they are used, and the geographical regions given in the present study. The genera of taxa most commonly used for medicinal purposes by the local people are Salvia (37 taxa), Sideritis (25 taxa), Stachys (22 taxa), Thymus (16 taxa) and Origanum (13 taxa). It was observed that the most frequently used two methods while preparing these plants for use was infusion (61%), and decoction (24%). Studies conducted on National (TURK, BHP), Regional (EU) and International Pharmacopoeias (WHO) and various monographs (AHP, COMISSION E, EMA, ESCOP, PDR) have revealed that there are 29 taxa included in these pharmacopoeias and monographs whose purpose of use are similar to the diseases that local people are trying to treat. Diseases that people use plants for therapeutic purposes are grouped into 12 categories. It was determined that these plants were widely used for therapeutic purposes in gastric disorders as well as otolaryngology and respiratory system diseases. This review briefly discusses whether some taxa commonly used by the local people in the treatment of diseases can be useful in the treatment of the disease in question, in the light of scientific studies.

Automated summary

This review examines the medicinal uses of Lamiaceae taxa among the people in Turkey. It found a total of 221 taxa belonging to 29 genera, with 51 of them being endemic. Medicinal plants are widely used for gastric disorders, otolaryngology, and respiratory system diseases. The review also discusses the potential usefulness of commonly used taxa in the treatment of specific diseases based on scientific studies.