Ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants from El-Jadida City (Morocco) Hanae Briguiche 1 & Lahcen Zidane 1 Received: 19 December 2015 / Accepted: 18 July 2016 Abstract. In the framework of the ethnobotanical studies on medicinal plants undertaken by the Laboratory of Biodiversity and Natural Resources of the Faculty of Sciences of Kenitra (Morocco), we are interested in the area of El-Jadida which presents a rather important floristic wealth due to the variations of the ecological conditions. By using 204 questionnaires, the ethnobotanical surveys were conducted in the field during the years 2012-2013. The location of the different sampling sites was determined by the stratified sampling method. The analysis of the results obtained from the questionnaires allowed us to identify 70 species belonging 69 genera and 37 families, the most important by its number of species are: Lamiaceae, Apiaceae, Asteraceae, Zingiberaceae, Fabaceae and Myrtaceae. The species Origanum compactum is the most used by the population of the city of El-Jadida. The relations existing between the medicinal species and types of diseases treated, has shown that most of these species are used primarily in the care of the digestive system and respiratory system. These plants are handled mainly by seed which is the plant organ most used and the decoction which is the method of preparation the most dominant among the local population. Keywords: El-Jadida (Morocco); Ethnobotany; medicinal plants; therapeutic; questionnaire. [es] Estudio etnobotánico de las plantas medicinales de la ciudad de El-Jadida (Marruecos) Resumen. En el marco de los estudios etnobotánicos sobre plantas medicinales realizadas por el Laboratorio de Biodiversidad y Recursos Naturales de la Facultad de Ciencias de Kenitra (Marruecos), estamos interesados en el área de El-Jadida, que tiene una riqueza florística grande debido a los cambios significativos en las condiciones ecológicas. Se realizaron 204 encuestas etnobotánicas durante los años 2012-2013. La ubicación de los sitios de muestreo se deter- minó mediante un muestreo estratificado. El análisis de los resultados obtenidos de los cuestionarios nos permitió iden- tificar 70 especies pertenecientes 69 géneros y 37 familias; las más importantes por su número de especies son: Lamiaceae, Apiaceae, Asteraceae, Zingiberaceae, Fabaceae y Myrtaceae. Origanum compactum es la especie más utilizada por la población de la ciudad de El-Jadida. La relación existente entre las especies medicinales y las enfer- medades tratadas ha demostrado que la mayoría de estas especies se utilizan sobre todo en el cuidado del sistema diges- tivo y el sistema respiratorio. El órgano de la planta más utilizado es la semilla y la decocción es el método de prepa- ración más habitual entre la población local. Palabras clave: El-Jadida (Marruecos); Etnobotánica; plantas medicinales; terapéuticas, cuestionario. Lazaroa 37 2016: 145-151 145 Lazaroa ISSN: 0210-9778 http://dx.doi.org/10.5209/LAZAROA.51578 ARTICLES Introduction Medicinal plants have always been used in tra- ditional medicine for thousands of years. In recent decades, there has been a growing inter- est in the study of medicinal plants and their tra- ditional use in different regions of the world (Muthu & al., 2006).The World Health Organization (WHO) defines traditional medici- ne as the set of knowledge, skills and practices based on the theories, beliefs and experiences that different cultures have used to maintain health and to prevent, diagnose, relieve or treat physical and mental illnesses (WHO, 1978). Africa has a large variety of medicinal plants (Dibong & al., 2011) and these are valuable resources for the vast majority of rural populations in Africa since over 80% of 1 Laboratory of Natural Resources and Biodiversity, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Ibn Tofail University. BP133, 14000 Kenitra, Morocco. E-mail: Briguiche.hanae@gmail.com