a review of medicinal plants used for the treatment of hyperlipidemia: an ethnobotanical survey in southern iran

Objective: hyperlipidemia refers to a condition characterized by an abnormally high level of lipids (fats) in the blood. this disorder typically involves elevated triglycerides and low-density lipoprotein (ldl) cholesterol, commonly known as bad cholesterol, which can increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases, strokes, and other serious health issues. this ethnobotanical review aims to identify medicinal plants used in the ethnobotanical knowledge of southern iran for the treatment of hyperlipidemia. methodology: in this review, articles were searched using keywords such as medicinal plants, ethnobotany, hyperlipidemia, and the names of the provinces of sistan and baluchestan, bushehr, hormozgan, khuzestan, fars, and kerman. for source collection, reliable databases such as google scholar, sid, magiran, pubmed, and scopus were consulted. relevant ethnobotanical studies were selected and used in the analysis.results: the study found that the following medicinal plants are used in the ethnobotanical knowledge of southern iran to treat hyperlipidemia: lepidium latifolium l., cichorium intybus l., achillea millefolium l., silybum marianum (l.) gaertn., arum elongatum subsp. alpinariae alpinar & r.r. mill, glycyrrhiza glabra l., rheum ribes l., amygdalus lycioides spach, amygdalus scoparia, withania somnifera, caralluma edulis, rumex acetosa l., coriandrum sativum, allium sativum, sesamum indicum, anethum graveolens l., anthriscus sylvestris, gundelia tourneforti l., tragopogon aureus boiss, trigonella foenumgraecum l., solanum nigrum l., phoenix dactylifera l., achillea eriophora dc., artemisia sieberi besser, bienertia cycloptera, and teucrium polium l. the leaves of these medicinal plants are the most commonly used plant part for lowering blood lipids. conclusion: this study highlighted the widespread use of various medicinal plants in southern iran's ethnobotanical knowledge for reducing blood lipids. these findings underscore the therapeutic potential of these plants in managing hyperlipidemia. however, clinical and pharmacological studies are essential to confirm the efficacy and safety of these herbal compounds.