Biological Screening of Traditional Medicinal Plants from Villages of Akkuş (Ordu) in Turkey on the Effects of Tyrosinase

In the present study, ethnomedicinal uses of the plants naturally growing in 35 villages of Akkuş District have been determined. Informations about the uses of the plants have been obtained from villagers using a questionnaire. At the end of the identification of the plants collected from villages, 58 taxa belong to 32 families have been determined. Furthermore, tyrosinase enzyme activity studies of methanolic extracts of all the species carried out spectroscopicallly. Eventually, the plants has been demonstrated to be used as folk medicine, food animal feed, ornamental, stuff, dyeing, odour, insecticide and fishing. According to the biological screening studies, some species have been indicated to have inhibitory effect, but the others have activator effect on tyrosinase enzyme.