Identification of Plant Flora Affecting Anti-Anxiety and Anti-Depression Disorders Based on Ethnobotanical Knowledge of the Arasbaran Region, Azerbaijan, Iran

Background: Ethnobotany, as a part of every district’s national capital, involves residents' experience and knowledge about plants and their features being the result of a long time of trial and error in nature. The purpose of this study was to obtain and document the culture of the traditional application of Arasbaran medicinal plants from Azerbaijan province in Iran.Methods: In this research, the information and knowledge of the people about the effective medicinal plants on common psychiatric syndromes including anxiety and depression were collected through questionnaires and interviews. Questions contain local names, organ usage, and traditional therapeutic characteristics of plants. Interviews then went on until the repeated answers confirmed the reliability and validity.Results: Labiatae plant family with 4 plants was the most effective herb family for the treatment of common psychiatric diseases. Also, the most plant organs utilized for treating nervous disorders included aerial parts (36%), fruits (22%), flowering branches (each with 21%) and flowers (14%), and seeds (7%). So, identification and documentation of their indigenous knowledge can pave the way for a better application of medicinal plants and their products.Conclusion: In this study, 12 medicinal plant species belonging to 9 families were studied. The largest proportion of plant species was related to the Labiatae family. The most commonly used organs were aerial parts, fruits, and flowering branches, respectively. Native medicinal plants of the Arasbaran region are traditionally used to treat common psychiatric syndromes and can be highly effective in the treatment of disorders such as depression and anxiety. Keywords: Herbal plants; Ethno-botany; Remedy; Psychiatry