Medicinal plants in eight Arab countries: convergence of traditional use.

Medicinal plants play a central role in traditional medicine, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), this type of medicine encompasses a range of health practices, including the use of plant-, animal-, or mineral-based products, as well as spiritual or manual treatments. In its 2014-2023 strategy, the WHO encourages Member States to integrate traditional medicine into their health systems, to improve its quality, safety, and accessibility, and to document existing practices, especially the uses of medicinal plants and regional convergences. The objective of this study is to evaluate the traditional use convergences of medicinal plants in eight Arab countries that share cultural, religious, and linguistic similarities: Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Mauritania, and Palestine. Tunisia served as the comparative reference. Out of the 191 plants recorded in Tunisian traditional medicine, 124 showed therapeutic convergence with at least one other country. Among these, 96 plants have similar uses in at least two countries, totaling 298 convergent indications. Only two plants show convergence across all eight countries studied (Allium cepa L. and Ricinus communis L.). The most versatile botanical families are Lamiaceae, Asteraceae , and Oleaceae. Convergences are more pronounced between Tunisia and the Maghreb countries (Algeria, Morocco, Libya) than with Middle Eastern countries. This can be explained by geographic, climatic, historical, and cultural factors. The Mediterranean climate shared by North African countries supports a common flora and a similar tradition of phytotherapy. Moreover, historical exchanges, such as pilgrimages and trade routes, enriched Tunisian practices by introducing plants like myrrh and costus from Arabia. These ethnobotanical convergences reflect a shared heritage developed over centuries, forming a valuable foundation for scientific research and pharmaceutical development. This work represents a first step toward the valorization of this knowledge through the search for higher levels of scientific evidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]