Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
6.5
4.0
Journals
Plants
Special Issues
Ethnobotanical Study of Medicinal Plants
share announcement

Ethnobotanical Study of Medicinal Plants

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Phytochemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2024) | Viewed by 6450

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Olga Maria Duarte Silva

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
iMed, Department of Pharmacy, Pharmacology and Health Technologies, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa, Avenida Professor Gama Pinto, 1649-003 Lisbon, Portugal
Interests: pharmacognosy; ethnopharmacology; herbal medicines; phytotherapy; quality and safety of herbal drugs; anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, and antimicrobial medicinal plants; bioactive natural products; traditional Chinese herbal medicine
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Ethnobotany and ethnomedicine are crucial in restoring traditional knowledge, preserving biodiversity, and discovering new medicines. By adding value to traditional knowledge, cultural diversity, and heritage, its role is increasingly appreciated. Research in these areas contributes to sustainable development and conservation strategies because understanding how communities interact with their environment leads to more effective conservation plans that respect local customs and lifestyles. In addition, ethnomedicine offers insights into traditional healing practices, potentially leading to the discovery of new medicines and the conservation of indigenous and local cultures. These disciplines are vital to ensure that valuable traditional knowledge is documented, preserved, and passed on to future generations.

In this Special Issue, original research papers, perspectives, hypotheses, opinions, reviews, modeling approaches, and methods that focus on ethnobotany knowledge of medicinal plants and its potential benefits in human and animal health are most welcome.

Dr. Olga Silva
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Plants is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • anthropological ethnomedicine
  • cultural heritage
  • ethnobotanical survey
  • ethnobotany field work
  • ethnomedicine
  • linguists and ethnomedicine
  • material culture in ethnomedicine
  • medicinal plants
  • new methods in ethnobotany
  • primary health care
  • sustainable development
  • traditional herbal medicines
  • traditional medicine practitioners

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Review

26 pages, 3213 KiB  
Review
Exploring Folklore Ecuadorian Medicinal Plants and Their Bioactive Components Focusing on Antidiabetic Potential: An Overview
by Soham Bhattacharya, Neha Gupta, Adéla Flekalová, Salomé Gordillo-Alarcón, Viviana Espinel-Jara and Eloy Fernández-Cusimamani
Plants 2024, 13(11), 1436; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13111436 - 22 May 2024
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2719
Abstract
Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a global health concern characterized by a deficiency in insulin production. Considering the systemic toxicity and limited efficacy associated with current antidiabetic medications, there is the utmost need for natural, plant-based alternatives. Herbal medicines have experienced exponential growth in [...] Read more.
Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a global health concern characterized by a deficiency in insulin production. Considering the systemic toxicity and limited efficacy associated with current antidiabetic medications, there is the utmost need for natural, plant-based alternatives. Herbal medicines have experienced exponential growth in popularity globally in recent years for their natural origins and minimal side effects. Ecuador has a rich cultural history in ethnobotany that plays a crucial role in its people’s lives. This study identifies 27 Ecuadorian medicinal plants that are traditionally used for diabetes treatment and are prepared through infusion, decoction, or juice, or are ingested in their raw forms. Among them, 22 plants have demonstrated hypoglycemic or anti-hyperglycemic properties that are rich with bioactive phytochemicals, which was confirmed in several in vitro and in vivo studies. However, Bryophyllum gastonis-bonnieri, Costus villosissimus, Juglans neotropica, Pithecellobium excelsum, and Myroxylon peruiferum, which were extensively used in traditional medicine preparation in Ecuador for many decades to treat diabetes, are lacking in pharmacological elucidation. The Ecuadorian medicinal plants used to treat diabetes have been found to have several bioactive compounds such as flavonoids, phenolics, fatty acids, aldehydes, and terpenoids that are mainly responsible for reducing blood sugar levels and oxidative stress, regulating intestinal function, improving insulin resistance, inhibiting α-amylase and α-glucosidase, lowering gluconeogenic enzymes, stimulating glucose uptake mechanisms, and playing an important role in glucose and lipid metabolism. However, there is a substantial lack of integrated approaches between the existing ethnomedicinal practices and pharmacological research. Therefore, this review aims to discuss and explore the traditional medicinal plants used in Ecuador for treating DM and their bioactive phytochemicals, which are mainly responsible for their antidiabetic properties. We believe that the use of Ecuadorian herbal medicine in a scientifically sound way can substantially benefit the local economy and industries seeking natural products. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ethnobotanical Study of Medicinal Plants)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

24 pages, 771 KiB  
Review
Ethnomedicinal, Chemical, and Biological Aspects of Lannea Species—A Review
by Quintino Malú, Gonçalo I. Caldeira, Luís Catarino, Bucar Indjai, Isabel Moreira da Silva, Beatriz Lima and Olga Silva
Plants 2024, 13(5), 690; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13050690 - 29 Feb 2024
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2726
Abstract
Lannea L. genus belongs to the Anacardiaceae botanical family and has long been used in traditional medicinal systems of many countries to manage several health conditions, but no studies have been conducted regarding its usefulness as a source of herbal medicine for human [...] Read more.
Lannea L. genus belongs to the Anacardiaceae botanical family and has long been used in traditional medicinal systems of many countries to manage several health conditions, but no studies have been conducted regarding its usefulness as a source of herbal medicine for human use. A literature review was conducted on scientific papers indexed on B-On, Pubmed, and Web of Science databases. Our results showed that medicinal plants from this botanical genus, mostly constituted by bark and leaf, are often used to approach a wide variety of disease symptoms, like fever, inflammatory states, pain, and gastrointestinal disorders. Phytochemical profiles of Lannea species revealed that phenolic acid derivatives including hydroquinones, phenolic acids, flavonoids, condensed tannins, and triterpenoids are the main classes of secondary metabolites present. Among the total of 165 identified compounds, 57 (34.5%) are flavonoids, mostly quercetin- and myricetin-derived flavonols and catechin and epicatechin flavan-3-ol derivatives also containing a galloyl group. In vitro and in vivo studies allowed the identification of 12 different biological activities, amongst which antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and cytotoxic activities were the most frequently cited and observed in in vitro essays. Our review contributes useful information for the scientifical validation of the use of Lannea species in traditional medicinal systems and shows that more research needs to be conducted to better understand the concrete utility of these as herbal medicines. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ethnobotanical Study of Medicinal Plants)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-2
Back to TopTop