Ethnobotanical investigation of antidiabetic medicinal plants in Khenchela Province, Northeastern Algeria

Abstract

Background: Diabetes mellitus represents a major global health burden, and while medicinal plants are widely used for its management in Algeria, ethnobotanical knowledge in Khenchela Province remains poorly documented; this study aimed to inventory antidiabetic plants and quantitatively document associated traditional knowledge in this region.

Methods: An ethnobotanical survey conducted in Khenchela Province (February–May 2023) among 116 purposively and snowball-sampled informants aged 30–70 years collected data on plant use and sociodemographic, analyzed via Frequency of Citation, Relative Frequency of Citation, and Family importance value indices, with Jaccard's index comparing flora to 13 regional studies.

Results: A total of 44 antidiabetic species belonging to 25 families were documented, with Asteraceae and Lamiaceae being the most represented families. Women (65.5%) and older informants (68.1% aged > 50 years) were the main holders of traditional knowledge. Among the documented species, 12 (27.3%) were also identified as edible plants commonly consumed as food or vegetables. Leaves were the most frequently used plant part (34.6%), followed by aerial parts and seeds, while infusion (53.33%) and decoction (23.33%) predominated among preparation methods. Most remedies targeted type 2 diabetes (86%) for curative purposes (93.33%). Artemisia herba-alba (RFC = 0.096) and Salvia rosmarinus (RFC = 0.078) showed the highest citation frequencies. Jaccard similarity indices ranged from 0.087 to 0.279, with the highest similarity observed with Bejaia province, Algeria (27.9%).

Conclusion: This study confirms that phytotherapy remains central to diabetes management in Khenchela, with women and the elderly holding a rich but vulnerable antidiabetic knowledge base. Moderate similarity with other Maghrebian pharmacopoeias reflects shared heritage and regional adaptations, providing a prioritized species list for future pharmacological evaluation.

Keywords: Diabetes mellitus; Ethnobotany; Traditional medicine; Algeria; Khenchela; Antidiabetic plants; Artemisia herba-alba; Salvia rosmarinus