Paper Title
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL STUDY OF MEDICINAL PLANTS USED TO TREAT TYPE 2 DIABETES IN NOUAKCHOTT (MAURITANIA)

Abstract
Abstract - Diabetes is a major public health problem worldwide. To deal with it, people resort to traditional medicine through the use of medicinal plants, a practice that is very common in Africa, and particularly in Mauritania. This study aims to identify the medicinal plants used in the traditional treatment of type 2 diabetes in Nouakchott. To this end, an ethno-pharmacological survey was carried out on the population at the Mohamed AbdallahZein Foundation in Nouakchott (Mauritania), including (33) herbalists. During the survey, 272 people were recorded, 77% of them women and 23% men, aged between 21 and 95. The in-depth survey identified 32 plant species belonging to 17 botanical families, the most represented being Asteraceae (16%), Euphorbiaceae (14%), Liliaceae (12%), Mimosaceae (10%), Combrétaceae (8%), Apocynaceae (6%) and Moringaceae (2%). The most commonly used plant species are Combretummicranthum (23%), Abelmoschusesculentus (12%) Allium sativum (10%), Moringaoleifera (8%), Balanitesacgyptica (6%), Sclerocaryabirrea (5%), and Azadirachtaindica (4%). The most commonly used plant parts are leaves (20%), roots (14%), whole plants (13%), bark and bulbs (11%) and stems (6%). The recipes are prepared mainly by infusion (23.1%), decoction (17%), maceration(13%), and intact bulb, decoction, tincture (10%). They are then administered exclusively orally. The consumption of sugary foods was prohibited during treatment with plants. In this study, adverse reactions related to the use of these recipes reported by phytotherapists were low. On the basis of this work, the use of traditional medicine is largely unchallenged. The traditional use of these plants can be rationalised because of their richness in active components. Keywords - Type 2 Diabetes, Phytotherapy; Ethnopharmacology; CombretumMicranthum; MoringaOleifera; BalanitesAcgyptica; Nouakchott; Mauritania.