Traditional plant uses in villages of the Camili Biosphere Reserve Area (Artvin, Türkiye)

Authors : Özgür Eminağaoğlu, Melahat Özcan, Funda Erşen Bak, Hayal Akyıldırım Beğen, Ekrem Saralıoğlu, Şevval Salioğlu, Bahar Aslan, Canan Açıkgöz Harşıt, Emine Yazıcıoğlu, Nasibe Tekiner Aydın
Pages : 92-113
Doi:10.38059/biodiversity.1848416
View : 169 | Download : 353
Publication Date : 2025-12-31
Article Type : Research Paper
Abstract :This study was conducted between 2021 and 2023 to document Biodiversity-Based Traditional Knowledge (BBTK) in five villages located in the Camili Biosphere Reserve (Artvin, Türkiye). Questionnaire surveys were administered to 34 permanent residents, yielding a total of 336 questionnaire records. Within the study area, local people were found to use 90 plant taxa belonging to 43 genera and 25 families for various ethnobotanical purposes. Of these taxa, 78 were classified within Magnoliopsida, 11 within Liliopsida, and 1 within Pinopsida. Regarding life forms, 60 taxa were herbaceous, 8 were trees, 21 were shrubs, and 1 was a climber. The families with the highest numbers of medicinal–aromatic plant species were Rosaceae (16 species; 17.8%), Polygonaceae (14 species; 15.6%), Hypericaceae (9 species; 10.0%), Primulaceae (8 species; 8.9%), Asteraceae (6 species; 6.7%), and Amaryllidaceae (5 species; 5.6%). Among the 336 records documented during the surveys, 186 concerned health-related uses, 132 were related to nutrition/food, 6 to industrial purposes, 8 to agriculture–livestock activities, and 4 to other uses. In the health category, the most frequently utilized plant parts were flowers (42 use-reports), followed by fruits (36), aerial parts (24), leaves (22), resin (20), and roots (18). In the food category, leaves were the most commonly used parts (50 use-reports), followed by aerial parts (42), fruits (28), and bulbs (6). Plants were used primarily to treat respiratory system disorders (20.9%), skin diseases (19.8%), general disease (16.5%), ear–nose–throat disorders (13.2%), cardiovascular diseases (6.6%), urological disorders (5.5%), musculoskeletal disorders ( 4.4%).
Keywords : Artvin, geleneksel bilgi, tıbbi-aromatik bitki, Türkiye

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