Plantes antilithiasiques utilisées en médecine traditionnelle

Abstract

With the aim of contributing to the study of urinary lithiasis, we focused on the importance of plants from the Algerian traditional pharmacopoeia for treating urinary lithiasis. To this end, an ethnobotanical survey on traditional preparations using medicinal plants was conducted in certain wilayas of Eastern Algeria, namely Sétif, Mila, Béjaïa, and M’Sila, over a period of three months (from January to March 2025). This survey, conducted using a simple and objective questionnaire, involved 216 people (38 men and 178 women) of all ages and varying levels of education. This study identified six species belonging to three botanical families: Poaceae, Caryophyllaceae, and Apiaceae. These include corn (Zea mays L.), Herniaria (Herniaria hirsuta L.), celery (Apium graveolens L.), parsley (Petroselinum crispum L.), barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), and khella (Ammi visnaga L.). The most common method of use is infusion, followed by decoction and maceration. The seeds constitute the most used part (35%). Followed by the whole plant (26%) and the leaves (23%), the other parts (represent the remaining 16%). The method of administering medicinal plants is 100% orally. These results constitute a very valuable source of information for the study region as well as for the national medicinal flora and could serve as a true database for future research in the fields of pharmacological phytochemistry to unveil new natural anti-lithiasis remedies.