Morocco has a large number of aromatic and medicinal plants, but this wealth remains untapped, especially for cosmetic and therapeutic purposes. These plants are used since centuries, allowing the moroccan population of several regions to accumulate expertise in herbal medicine. Among the secondary metabolites extracts of these plants, there are the essential oils which are mixtures of aromatic substances present in the form of tiny droplets in the leaves, peel fruit, resins, branches, and wood. These oils are a very interesting group, who are endowed with insecticidal properties. In order to find alternatives to chemical insecticides of synthesis, it is necessary to find and promote new phytosanitary practices that would have effects on the one hand, obtaining agricultural products of good market value, and on the other hand, respecting socio-ecological concepts of each ecosystem in preserving our environment in the long term. It is in this perspective that this study enrolled to evaluate the insecticidal activity of essential oils of three moroccan aromatic and medicinal plants: Thymus vulgaris, Mentha spicata and Citrus limonum. The results showed that the most important insecticidal activity was obtained for Thymus vulgaris essential oil followed by the Mentha spicata oil while the lowest activity was observed in Citrus limonum.

The sector of aromatic and medicinal plants in Morocco is full of potential thanks to the diversity of plant species. Therefore, more than 4000 species have been identified of which 800 are endemic and 600 are classified as products for aromatic or medicinal use, which has allowed it to be ranked well globally.Annual national productions amount to several hundred thousand tonnes while providing alternative income to local communities, generating tens of thousands of working days each year.This ethnobotanical study was carried out in several moroccan cities and for this purpose we have set three objectives: determining the frequency of use of medicinal plants by the population, the choice of aromatic plants most used in moroccan folk medicine, and particularly the biological activities sought in our work and the collection of information on selected plants using two types of questionnaires that have been addressed to the general public and herbalists. The results obtained constitute a very valuable source of information for the regions studied and for the national medicinal flora. They could be a database for further research in the fields of phytochemistry and pharmacology and in order to search for new natural substances.

Contact dermatitis is a common skin disease in Morocco, which represents about 20% of dermal diseases treated in Moroccan hospitals. In this study, our aim was to investigate the anti-eczema activity of essential oils of three Moroccan aromatic and medicinal plants: Thymus vulgaris, Mentha spicata and Citrus limonum vis-a-vis the contact dermatitis which is a manifestation allergic to the skin, in response to contact with a foreign substance called allergen. It is characterized by irregular lesions sometimes microvesiculeuses or dry. These lesions are characterized functionally by intense itching and scratching force, they may be infected. The three oils studied, have shown efficacy in the treatment of contact dermatitis.