Natural plant extracts play an important role in the field of new drugs research and development. Recent studies have also approved the success of using plants in the treatment or prevention of a wide variety of hard diseases such, cardiovascular diseases (Khosravi-Boroujeni et al., 2012; Khosravi-Boroujeni et al., 2013), athrosclerosis (Madihi et al., 2013; Setorki et al., 2013), diabetes (Akbari et al., 2013; Nasri & RAFIEIAN, 2014) and cancer (Azadmehr et al., 2011; Shahrani & Rafieian-Kopaei, 2009).
Several types of herbal remedies are used world wild in chronic diseases treatment (Owusu et al., 2020). In Asian countries including Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia, the prevalence of herbal medicine users was 76.7%, while Gender, racem educational level, family income, having comorbidities all are associated factors of being herbal medicine users among adults Americans (Huo & Qian, 2018).
Several studies explored the factors associated with using herbal medicine in several communities for different indications (Mekuria et al., 2017; Rashrash, Schommer, & Brown, 2017; Welz, Emberger-Klein, & Menrad, 2018). Rashrah et al (2017) reported that using herbal supplement was associated with older age (above 70), higher educational level and having comorbidities (Rashrash et al., 2017), while in a study conducted among German adults, using herbal medicine was associated with dissatisfaction with conventional treatment, past good experiences, positive aspects associated with herbal medicine, as well as family traditions (Welz et al., 2018). In Ethiopia, using herbal medicine was associated with rural residency area, illiteracy and average income. (Mekuria et al., 2017)
Approximately 70–95% populations of developing countries use herbal plants for basic health care (Singh et al., 2010), according to World Health Organization (WHO) their is about 65–80% of the world's population depends mainly on herbals to cure several illnesses, may be due to lack of access to modern medical facilities or because herbals have been considered as a safe source of health promotion. (Calixto, 2005)
Herbal remedies are common for the treatment of respiratory disorders in many parts of the world. It has been recognized for the past 20 years in some developing countries, plants are the main medicinal sources used for the treatment of infectious diseases (Aguilar Contreras & Camacho, 1994), such as Asia (Prasad, Shyma, & Raghavendra, 2013) and Africa (Teklehaymanot, 2009).
The most common respiratory system diseases are: asthma, allergy, bronchitis, common cold, cough and whooping cough (Reddy, Reddy, & Trimurthulu, 2006), therefore, most of these disorders are selected for evaluation in this study.
Drugs development on the basis of natural products had an extensive history in the US, almost most of the drugs with maximum sale were natural products or their derivatives. Upon time, the challenge on plant research is increasing day by day and stronger evidences are gathered that proved the extensive use of medicinal plants in Transcendental Meditation (TM), Approximately 13,000 plants are evaluated in the last 5 years (Karou et al., 2007). Herbal medicinal plants regained their popularity, for the treatment of asthma, with their efficacy and safety aspects being supported by controlled clinical studies (Huntley & Ernst, 2000), In a specific study; 84 plants known in Eastern Ghats of Andhra Pradesh in India, were studied that could offer some active ingredients for respiratory problems mentioned above. (Reddy et al., 2006)
Palestine, as a holy land characterizes by great ethnic variability, thus creates great biological multiversity. Such variability particularly in tradition, herbal foods and medicine, has enriched its culture. (Jaradat, Al-Ramahi, Zaid, Ayesh, & Eid, 2016)
More than 2600 plant species cover the hills and mountains of Palestine, of which more than 700 are known to be used as medicinal herbs or as botanical pesticides. (M. Ali-Shtayeh & Abu Ghdeib, 1999). A recent ethnopharmacological survey of 120 informants living in Palestine found that at least 63 reliable plant species are still in use for the treatment of skin, urinary system, gastric system, prostate disease, cancer and other diseases. (M. S. Ali-Shtayeh, Yaniv, & Mahajna, 2000)
The present study aimed at documenting the traditional uses of medicinal plants used to treat different respiratory disorders in Palestine and to evaluate the efficacy of plant species based on the review of literature.