The current status of ethnopharmacobotanical knowledge in Çamlıdere (Ankara, Turkey)

Abstract

The main objective of this study is to identify and record the folk medicines used in Çamlıdere (Ankara) as well as to contribute to the preservation of this precious lore. For this purpose field trips were organized to Çamlıdere. A total of 79 taxa belonging to 66 genera and 33 families were recorded for the treatment of various disorders. The most represented families were Asteraceae, Lamiaceae, and Rosaceae, respectively. Respiratory tract diseases were the principal reasons for using folk medicines. Eight new folk medicines were included in the Turkish ethnobotanical repository with this study. Different ethnobotanical usages such as fuel and food were also noted. Our data obtained from the research area showed some uses of plants that were newly introduced to the folk medicinal literature of Turkey. Moreover, "Use value", "Informant consensus factor", and "Cultural importance index" were also calculated to evaluate the data statistically.