Where medicinal plants are enjoyed as a tea: Ethnobotany of herbal teas in the coastal region of Syria

Herbal medicine is vital for the medical care of millions of people around the globe. The area between Mesopotamia and the Mediterranean is an ancient and rich region with folk medicinal knowledge accumulated over thousands of years. However, there is a gap in studies documenting this knowledge. The study focuses on documenting the diversity of medicinal plant species used as an infusion tea. We aim to identify the medicinal plant species used for herbal tea preparation and examine the relationship between medicinal and recreational uses of herbal teas in the study area. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 91 informants between February 2018 and May 2020 in 32 villages in the coastal region of Syria. We documented 56 medicinal plant species used as tea. We received 477 use reports, which were categorised into ten ailment categories. Digestive and respiratory system disorders were the main ailments treated with herbal teas. Recreational use was significantly intersected with the medicinal uses for digestive disorders. The study highlights the most culturally salient species, which may have promising economic and medicinal values (e.g., Micromeria myrtifolia and Teucrium procerum). Future laboratory studies are needed to examine the biological activity of the little-known species in our inventory.