Review on the ethnobotany of Labiatae family in Iran

Abstract

Labiatae family with about 258 genera and 6970 species is one of the biggest families in the world. This family is well represented in Iran having about 45 genera and 363 species which of them 119 species and subspecies are endemic to Iran. Some big genera in Iran are Nepeta (75 species), Stachys (34), Salvia (56), Phlomis (17), Thymus (14). This family is well known for having aromatic essential oils, Terpens, Phenolic, Flavonoid and Iridoid compounds. Members of this family are of important sources of vegetables, culinary and medicinal plants especially in traditional medicine. Most of the Labiatae species are used in traditional and modern medicine. These species have different uses in different parts of the world. In Iran because of the high rate of endemism and species number, many species are used in traditional medicine which of them the most common species is Ziziphora tenuior L. most of the publications and documents about medicinal uses of these species are in Persian and scattered. In this paper, we tried to bring these scattered publications together to be accessible for the scientific society. In addition, some documentation from unpublished resources and ethnobotanical surveys are included.