Preliminary Evaluation of Medicinal Plant Mixtures Available in the Jordanian Market PDF

Keywords

Jordan, folk medicine, herbal mixtures, spice dealer

Abstract

About 87 powdered herbal mixtures have been collected from the local market Amman Jordan. Some mixtures were sold as readily packed tea bags or finely ground preparations in the herbalist shops. Mixtures with uncrushed plant parts were examined for their constituents. Upon examination, most mixtures were found unhygienic, contaminated with debris, or attacked by insects. Not all the mixtures contained all the items claimed on the label, and some contained additional plant constituents. Common local names were only provided, but few readily packed preparations mentioned the scientific names. Mixtures contained at least three plant constituents. Around 150 plant species and other constituents in all mixtures were identified. The mixtures were grouped according to their claimed indications for the treatment of the ailments of different body systems. More than one different mixture is sold to treat the same ailment. Constituents in some mixtures have no recorded role for treating the claimed ailment. The evaluation of the mixture contents for the claimed ailments on the label will be discussed.