Plants used in urinary pathologies in the Canary Islands

A field study of medicinal plants of the Canary Islands flora used for the treatment of kidney and urinary diseases revealed that 63 plants, belonging to 32 families, about 34% of which are endemic, an used as diuretic, antiseptic or calculolytic agents. This wide range of ethnomedicinal uses involves approximately 10% of the total medicinal flora of the Canaries, indirectly indicating the high incidence of these pathologies in the insular population. The botanical family and vernacular names are given along with data on plant parts used methods of preparation and administration, frequency of use and medicinal application of each species.