Ethnobotanical Survey, Preliminary Physico-Chemical and Phytochemical Screening of Salvia argentea (L.) Used by Herbalists of the Saïda Province in Algeria
Yasmina Benabdesslem,
Kadda Hachem,
Khaled Kahloula,
Miloud Slimani
Affiliations
Yasmina Benabdesslem
Laboratoire de Biotoxicologie, Pharmacognosie et Valorisation Biologique des Plantes (LBPVBP), Département de Biologie, Faculté des Sciences, Université Dr. Tahar Moulay de Saida, BP 138 cité ENNASR, Saida 20000, Algeria
Kadda Hachem
Laboratoire de Biotoxicologie, Pharmacognosie et Valorisation Biologique des Plantes (LBPVBP), Département de Biologie, Faculté des Sciences, Université Dr. Tahar Moulay de Saida, BP 138 cité ENNASR, Saida 20000, Algeria
Khaled Kahloula
Laboratoire de Biotoxicologie, Pharmacognosie et Valorisation Biologique des Plantes (LBPVBP), Département de Biologie, Faculté des Sciences, Université Dr. Tahar Moulay de Saida, BP 138 cité ENNASR, Saida 20000, Algeria
Miloud Slimani
Laboratoire de Biotoxicologie, Pharmacognosie et Valorisation Biologique des Plantes (LBPVBP), Département de Biologie, Faculté des Sciences, Université Dr. Tahar Moulay de Saida, BP 138 cité ENNASR, Saida 20000, Algeria
An ethnobotanical study was carried out in the Saïda region among herbalists to evaluate the use of Salvia argentea (L.), a plant species native from North Africa belonging to the Lamiaceae family. Forty-two herbalists were interviewed individually, aged between 30 and 70 years, all males, 52.38% of them having received a secondary education level and having performing their duties for more than a decade. This study showed that Salvia argentea is used specifically in the treatment of diseases of the respiratory system. The leaves are the most commonly used part, usually in the form of powder and exclusively administered orally. The preliminary results of the physicochemical characterization and the phytochemical screening of the powdered leaves of Salvia argentea attest to their safety and confer them a guarantee of phytotherapeutic quality.
