Medicinal plants from Zahleh-Lebanon : a statistical and phytochemical approach

Abstract

This work aimed at studying the composition of seven of the most familiar medicinal plants growing in the Bekaa region of Lebanon: Citrus aurantium, Cucurbita maxima, Nigella sativa, Prunus amygdalus, Punica granatum, Sinapis hirta and Vitis vinifera. Along a fourteen-month-completion duration, the project was divided into four stages: • a preliminary statistical survey to identify the most popular medicinal plants in the region • a sample collection stage, followed by the extraction of the plants essential oil using traditional methods • a phytochemical analysis of these oils using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) • a final statistical survey in order to correlate between folklore medical traditions and laboratory results The survey was done among one hundred sixty randomly chosen individuals from the village of "Aïn Zebdeh", in the West Bekaa region of Lebanon, and the city of "Zahleh", in Central Bekaa. As for the sample collection, plants were obtained between the months of April and October 2010, each according to its growing season, and their essential oils were extracted by hydrodistillation and in-situ cold pressing. Finally, analysis was done using a Schimadzu QP 2010 GC-MS apparatus. Results identified the presence of various constituents which have scientifically proven medicinal effects including anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-oxidant, as well as anti-cancer properties. A deeper study is recommended as future prospects, mainly involving the testing of different biological activities, in addition to flavonoid analysis using High Performance Liquid Chromatography.