مطالعات اتنوبوتانی در گیاهان دارویی در Bingöl (ترکیه) Ethnobotanical study on medicinal plants in Bingöl (Turkey)

1. Introduction Medicinal plants are used by millions of people worldwide, not only by rural inhabitants from the south with little access to modern healthcare, but also increasingly by urban citizens in both developing and developed countries (Brandão et al., 2006; Shanley and Luz, 2003; Sheldon et al., 1997; WHO, 2002). The World Health Organization (WHO), estimated that about 60% of the world’s population in developing countries rely on plants for the treatment of various diseases, due to lack of modern healthcare facilities (Calixto, 2005; WHO, 2010). Wild edible plants have always been important in the folk traditions of the Mediterranean region. Turkey has a rich flora with approximately 11,000 species. Local people use the rich flora for different purposes. Along with its flora, it also has a wide diversity of habitats. However, these have been threatened and have declined rapidly over the last 40 years. Rare and sensitive habitats such as coastal dunes, peatlands, wetlands, heath lands, grasslands and old growth forests are under immense threat and declining fast, including many areas that have yet to be surveyed (Özhatay, 2006). Medical folklore can provide information about diseases for which herbal remedies are used in Turkey, their effects and names have been documented since the Republican period began in 1923 (Baytop, 1999). Nearly 500 plants are used for medicinal purposes in Turkey (Güneş and Özhatay, 2011). During the past decade, several studies have systematically analysed the consumption and gathering of wild medicinal and edible plants in Turkey (Ertuğ, 2000; Tuzlacı and Tolon, 2000; Duran et al., 2001; Dogan et al., 2004; Kültür, 2007; Cansaran and Kaya, 2010; Koyuncu et al., 2010; Uysal et al., 2010; Doğan and Bağcı, 2011; Çakılcıoğlu et al., 2011; Ugulu, 2011; Özgen et al., 2012; Polat and Satil, 2012; Tetik et al., 2013; Hayta et al., 2014; Kaval et al., 2015; Mükemre et al., 2015; Babacan et al., 2017; Erdem et al., 2017; Erecevit and Kırbağ, 2017). East Anatolia of Turkey has rich flora due to its variable climate and high number of ecological zones. This diversity in flora provides a rich source of medicinal plants, which has long been utilized by Anatolian cultures, and hence account for the accumulation of remarkable medicinal folk knowledge in the region (Özgökçe and Özçelik, 2004). In the Eastern Anatolia Region (Turkey), most of the ethnobotanic studies have been conducted in Elazığ Erzurum and Van provinces (Polat et al., 2012). There are just two prior studies that have been conducted on the medicinal plants growing in Bingöl District (Polat et al., 2011; 2013).