Therapeutic properties of the woody plant Haloxylon scoparium Pomel in the steppe region of Naâma (Algeria)

Haloxylon scoparium (syn. Hammada scoparia, in Arabic: remth) is a steppe species characteristic of the Saharan Atlas and belongs to the family Amaranthaceae. An ethnobotanical survey on H. scoparia was carried out in the local population of the Naâma region. Using 200 questionnaire forms, this ethnobotanical study made it possible to identify the different uses of the species against various health problems. The results show that H. scoparia is well known by the population for its therapeutic virtues, with a level of knowledge of 96% and a fidelity index of 42%. As many as 192 respondents reported its use against 18 conditions, including diseases of the digestive system, injuries, skin inflammation, diabetes, and scorpion stings, which occupy the first place with a rate of 43%. Leaves have an intraspecific use value of 55.6%, and decoction of the leaves followed by the powder alone or in combination is the most used preparation method. This steppe species deserves to be valued on a large scale for its socio-economic and ecological aspects but also for its therapeutic effects.