Abstract

RISK OF INTOXICATION THE PLANTS MORE USED IN HERBAL MEDICINE IN MOROCCO

El Yahyaoui El Drissi A.*, Khouchlaa A., Bouyahya A., Chebat A., Soulaymani Bencheikh R., Talbaoui A., Bakri Y., Tijane M.

Abstract

Plants constitute a rate of 5,1 % of the indicated poisonings, during the period 1980 to 2002, in the anti-Poisons center of Morocco ( APCM), any confusedcauses, except the stingsand the scorpionic envenomations, taking into account the sub-notification of the cases of plant poisoning. A retrospective study of all the cases of medicinal plant poisonings, collectedin the Anti-poison and the Pharmacovigilance center of Morocco(APCM), at a duration of twenty eight years going from January 1980 to December, 2012, showed a frequency of mortality by healing plants used for the cancer treatment which not exceeding a rate of 1%. On the other hand, the Symptomatic distribution showed that the majority of the cases of poisonings were unknown (30%), followed by digestive signs (12%) and by thermal disorders (10%). Among these species, we haveselected the most used plants in herbal medicine in Morocco. The main plants that caused poisoning in Morocco in recent years, according to the APCM, there are Peganum harmala (50%), Nigella sativa (11%), Lawsonia inermis (7.5%), oleander (5.8%) Dysphania ambrosioides (5.1%). Twelve non- toxic plants can become toxic because they contain phytochemicals, such as Camellia sinensis (Green tea), Artemisia absinthium (Chiba) and Zingember officinale (Skingbir).

Keywords: Plants, herbal medicine; retrospective study; poisoning; mortality; Morocco.