Ethnobotanical Study of Medicinal Plants and Introduction to Some Poisonous Plant Species of Ardestan (Isfahan Province)

Background: The use of knowledge of indigenous people in the use of plants can provide valuable information in the field of nutrition, treatment, and provide the basis for the production of drugs used in modern medicine. Objectives: The present study aimed to evaluate the level of recognition of the Ardestanian people to the medicinal plants of the region and introduction to some poisonous plants for the first time. Methods: In order to obtain information on the kind of medicinal treatment, the medicinal properties and consuming method of medicinal plants, the collected plants after identification provided to indigenous people and the results were provided in the form of questionnaires. Also, some poisonous plants of the region were identified with credit references. Results: In the present study, the total of 120 medicinal and poisonous plant species was identified. Of these, 106 species belonging to 41 families and 98 genera had medicinal applications. Among them, Asteraceae (17 genera and 17 species) and Apiaceae (9 genera and 10 species) were the most important. It was also discovered that 25 species of the 120 introduced species have toxic properties, of which 11 species are also medicine at low doses. In this research, the most commonly used parts of medicinal plants were aerial parts in boiled form. Also, the most common use of medicinal plants in this area is as pain relief, relief of digestive disorders and metabolic disorders such as diabetes and blood lipid. Conclusion:The existence of 106 species of medicinal plants in the Ardestan area indicated the richness of this area in terms of medicinal plants and relatively high knowledge of Ardestanian people in using these plants.