Exploration of Medicinal Species of Lamiaceae family in Ilkhji and Sharafaldin Regions of Esat Azarbaijan in Iran

In this research medicinal species of Lamiaceae family were detected. As medicinal plants are suitable alternatives for synthetic and chemical drugs (Idu and Osemwegie) also because of medical and nutritional importance and valuable protein contents of Lamiaceae sp., all plants of Lamiaceae family are collected in Ilkhji and sharafaldin regions during growth seasons of 2007-2009. Plants were collected in 2 regions according to the classical method of regional floristical studies. Collected plants were recognized by valid references (Parsa 1943-1950; Reshinger, 1963-1990). Then medical species are chosen by using pharmacopeias. The results of the current study demonstrated that at Ilkhji region 16 species belong to 8 genuses and at Sharafaldin region 4 species belong to 4 genuses that all of them belong to Lamiaceae family. Among these species, 18 species at Ilkhji and sharafaldin region had medicinal properties. Medicinal species of these 2 regions consist of: Marrubium vulgare, Mentha longifolia, Nepeta meyeri, Nepeta persica, Nepeta racemosa, Phlomis olivieri, Salvia nemorasa, Salvia sahendica, Salvia spinosa, Stachys virgata, Stachys inflate, Stachys lavandifolia, Stachys turcomanica, Stachys persica, Thymus cotschyanus, Thymus pubescens, Ziziphora tenuior Lamium amplexicaule. The results of this study showed that the region has a great potential for producing respective medicinal plants species belong to those families. Medicinal plants recently become more important because of their medicinal uses and in addition they are valuable source of protein.