Folk medicines of Çamlıdere (Ankara)

In this study, folk medicines which are being currently used in Çamlıdere district (Ankara) were determined. For this purpose, scientific trips were organized to the Çamlıdere. During these trips, interviews were conducted with those who have knowledge on folk medicines. When the plants that collected during the trips and constituted the majority of folk medicines were evaluated systematically, it was determined that 65 species belonging to 61 genera of 29 families are being used in the treatment of various diseases. Besides, 19 medicines of animal origin and 34 mixtures were recorded to be used in the district. The plants of the Asteraceae family were determined to be used mostly, Lamiaceae and Rosaceae were the other frequently used families.

The folk medicines were mainly used for respiratory tract diseases, dermatologic problems, gastrointestinal system diseases and rheumatic complaints in study area. Best of our knowledge, eight plant taxa were determined at the first time to be used as folk medicine in Turkey. Additionally, different usages of 41 predefined folk medicines were designated in this study. Finally, striking erosion observed in ethnobotanical heritage and the urgent need of systematic ethnobotanical researches to record this precious knowledge before it is completely lost were also emphasized.