Background: Taza province presents enormous richness and biodiversity. Updating their medicinal plant inventories is crucial for conserving traditional knowledge, sustainable use, health and well-being, economic opportunities and collaborative research. Question: What new species and families of medicinal plants can we report by widening the ethnobotanical study area in Taza province compared to previous work? Studied species: 202 medicinal plant species. Study site and dates: 28 communities in the province of Taza (Morocco), between March and October 2021. Methods: An ethnobotanical survey including 340 interviewees using a semi-structured questionnaire. Results: 91 medicinal taxa belonging to 48 families were inventoried. 12 species including three spontaneous: Atriplex halimus L., Citrullus colocynthis L. Sch and Micromeria graeca (L.) Benth. ex Rchb. were reported for the first time. The most frequent species are respectively Salvia officinalis L., Trigonella foenum-graecum L. and Rosmarinus officinalis L. The most frequent families are respectively Lamiaceae, Asteraceae and Fabaceae. Seven new vernacular names have been listed. Most of the plants were spontaneous (55.9 %). The comparative analysis with previous work led to obtaining a checklist of 202 taxa (75 families) of which 65 have specific endemism and 77 (48 spontaneous) are on the red list. The scientific names of 28 species and nine families have been updated. Conclusions: This checklist (202 taxa) traduces the plant heritage richness of Taza province and constitutes a great database for future scientific research. The 12 newly listed species constitute an added value that deserves to be valued through ethnopharmacological studies.

Traditional fermentation is considered a sustainable bioprocess for the transformation and preservation of local agri-food resources. In this context, the present study investigates the influence of Moroccan caperberries (Capparis spinosa L. complex) sources (wild and cultivated) on physicochemical, microbiological, and functional properties during a 60-day natural fermentation process, with a focus on sustainable food valorization, local resource utilization, and eco-friendly practices. The results revealed that the fermented Moroccan caperberries displayed favorable physicochemical and microbiological evolutions, characterized, respectively, by a progressive acidification and sugar consumption and a rapid inhibition of Enterobacteria and persistence of an important level of LAB count at the end of the fermentation. Moreover, the functional properties analyses showed that the values of vitamin C content, total polyphenols content, and antioxidant activities range between 0.09–1.25 mg/100 g, 5.69–243.99 mgGAE/L, and 21.33–71.06% for DPPH and 42.31–875.26 µgAAE/mL for FRAP, respectively. However, the results demonstrated that the provenance significantly influences the fermentation profile, providing a benefit for wild caperberries due to their elevated levels of vitamin C, polyphenol content, and antioxidant activities. The fermentation period of 15 to 23 days can be recommended for optimal functional quality, while longer fermentation (up to 60 days) could be preferable when extended shelf life and commercial stability are the primary objectives. From a sustainability perspective, these findings suggest a complementary strategy: cultivated C. spinosa complex should be further promoted to ensure a consistent raw material supply and food safety, while wild provenances, owing to their exceptional functional potential, represent valuable genetic resources that should be conserved and preferentially integrated into cultivation programs.

Background: Moroccans employ Eucalyptus globulus Labill., a medicinal herb, to cure a variety of ailments. This research aimed to evaluate the chemical constituents of Eucalyptus globulus essential oil (EGEO) to determine their composition and potential use as hemolytic, antioxidant, and antimicrobial agents. Methods: GC analysis was utilized to determine the composition of EGEO harvested in the province of Meknes. Using the disk diffusion technique, MIC, MBC, and MFC tests, antibacterial and antifungal activity were assessed against pathogenic microorganisms. DPPH, TAC, and FRAP experiments were used to evaluate the antioxidant potential of EGEO and Eucalyptol. The main chemical binding affinities were predicted by Molecular Docking analysis. GraphPad Prism (v8) was used to evaluate these findings using a Tukey and ANOVA analysis. Results: GC-MS revealed 27 components, including Eucalyptol (1,8-Cineole) (55.07%). Hemolysis recorded the greatest value, 8.16 ± 0.13. Staphylococcus aureus had the highest MIC values (1.25 mg/mL). Bacillus subtilis had a 65 mm inhibitory zone. The fungicidal effectiveness of EGEO and its major component varies according to the studied fungus strain. In terms of antioxidant characteristics, DPPH radical inhibition revealed that 1,8-Cineole has a higher IC₅₀ (4.7 ± 0.5 µg/mL). The Total Antioxidant Capacity was 22 ± 0.02 mg AAE/g. FRAP analysis showed that Eucalyptol is more potent than EGEO. Conclusion: Antimicrobial and antioxidant studies support the use of EGEO and eucalyptol in traditional and therapeutic medicine, and show their numerous possible uses as natural preservatives for perfumes and foods, as well as anticancer agents due to their hemolytic capacity.