Medicinal Plants as A Natural Immune Booster

Abstract

There is a global concern about pandemic infections, which can inflict enormous morbidity and mortality, regardless of great medical resources in the current day. Currently, there is no standard treatment for most viral infections in the world. To improve the immune system, it is vital to recommend the use of plant parts. Medicinal plants are the finest way to boost our immune system naturally. The study aimed to document medicinal plants traditionally used by the Kurdish people in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Expert sampling method was utilised in the study. The study interviewed 20 respondents with dominance of men 90 and women 10 %, respectively. Among the interview respondents, only 35% did not attend western education. Fourty one medicinal plants were documented from 22 families with Compositae (6) having the highest abundance, followed by Fabaceae and Lamiaceae 5 species, respectively. Leaf is the most utilised part, followed by root and whole plant at 36.1, 18.0, and 13.1 %, respectively. All plants are reported to be boiled or macerated with water and drunk until fully recovered. Highest fidelity value was recorded as 85% for P. atlantica, T. campylodes, A. propinquus, G. kola, R. communis, R. officinalis and C. sinensis respectively, the least are those with 55% fidelity value. The study found that Kurdish people are consistently utilising medicinal plants for their wellbeing. High fidelity values are found in the documented medicinal plants. This study provides useful information for various fields, especially in exploring the plant parts as a source of lead for future development in the production of herbal medicines and in the pharmaceutical industry.