MEDICINAL PLANTS OF CHIHUAHUA STATE

Abstract

In Mexico, 10% of all the plants are classified as medicinal. Chihuahua possesses 20.2% of the species recognized as medicinal in the country; however, no state’s list of plants has been published, and ethnobotanical studies are scarce. The objectives of this paper were to review, organize and update in a database the available information on the medicinal plants of the state. The sources of information were specialized literature and botanical data bases with registers for the entity. 105 families, 375 genera, 605 species, and 44 infrataxa were registered; 14 of the latter are endangered, according to NOM-059-SEMARNAT-201. The most broadly represented families were Asteraceae, Fabaceae and Euphorbiaceae, with 99, 51 and 27 species, respectively. 86% of these are native, and 14% are introduced (7.9% are cultivated). The most abundant growths were broadleaf herbs (45.4%), shrubs (18%), and trees (12.5%). 32.1% of all the species belong to a single type of vegetation. The highest proportion (56.5%) corresponds to red oak forests, followed by 51.2% for pine forests, and 39.7% for grasslands. A total of 1 090 uses were found for the medicinal plants; the highest percentage, 37.8%, was for plants used for ailments of the digestive tract; 21.7% were used for the genitourinary tract, and 32.3%, for conditions of the skin and the subcutaneous tissue. In order to increase the scientific knowledge of the medicinal plants, further ethnobotanical studies and phytochemical analyses are required.