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A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Systematics, Taxonomy, Nomenclature and Classification".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2024) | Viewed by 34112

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Ivana Vitasović Kosić

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Guest Editor

Department of Agricultural Botany, Division of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, University of Zagreb Faculty of Agriculture, Svetošimunska cesta 25, HR-10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Interests: ethnobotany; ethnoecology; vegetation; landscape ecology; species diversity; plant invasion; grazing and feed value

Dr. Łukasz Łuczaj

E-Mail Website
Co-Guest Editor

Institute of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Rzeszów, 35-959 Rzeszów, Poland
Interests: ethnomycology; wild food plants; wild foods; medicinal plants; ethnobotany; edible insects; food history
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Wild plants and non-cultivated edible mushrooms have always been around us, but nowadays, in many countries, they once again form a significant part of the diets and folk medicine of people and animals. The influence of climate change on expanding the plant distribution range may change people's eating habits, and climate change also enables the growth of once "exotic alochtoneous" plants and their local application.

This Special Issue seeks to address all contemporary challenges caused by changing environmental conditions (e.g., climate change, natural disasters), as well as the historical and present cross-border migration of people causing changes in traditional ecology knowledge. The legacies of such relationships are visible in the present, and are ultimately important for understanding the human history of past and present landscapes.

This Special Issue welcomes research into agroecosystems from different parts of the world and discusses similarities and differences in the use of edible, medicinal, and economic plants across different cultures and segments of society. Additionally, articles that contribute to the preservation of the tradition of using local varieties of cultivated plants are encouraged for the purpose of preserving traditional local customs and genetic sources of plant seeds (e.g., practices of use, management, and domestication) in order to increase food supplies.

Furthermore, emphasis could be placed on the new processes of the globalization of knowledge through modern Internet technologies and their influence on the survival of different traditional cultures and customs.

Studies should state a clear hypothesis and research question(s) and address them through original research or through a systematic review of the literature. We encourage the publication of research papers where researchers provide guidelines and proposals for the application of ethnobotanical and ethnoecological methods.

The following categories of manuscripts will be considered: scientific articles, review articles, and short pieces of communication.

Dr. Ivana Vitasović Kosić
Dr. Łukasz Łuczaj
Guest Editors

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

cross-border ethnobotany knowledge transmission
traditional ecology praxis
ethnopharmacology herbal tradition
ethnoveterinary praxis
edible wild mushrooms
ethnoecology

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Published Papers (13 papers)

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15 pages, 11146 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Multiple Uses of Wild Edible Trees by a Nahua-Origin Community in Western Mexico

by Alana Pacheco-Flores, Rubén Ortega-Álvarez, María Guadalupe Carrillo-Galván, Manuel J. Cach-Pérez, Emanuel Ruiz-Villarreal and Alejandro Casas

Plants 2024, 13(23), 3334; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13233334 - 28 Nov 2024

Viewed by 1529

Abstract

Wild edible trees (WETs) play an important role in the diet of many rural communities. Therefore, research on their use and management is important to support both food sovereignty and local conservation of biocultural resources. We evaluated the different uses of WETs by the community of Zacualpan, Colima, in western Mexico, through 32 semi-structured interviews registering the species richness, plant parts consumed, and non-food uses. Additional information was collected on their management, availability, and forms of preparation. We used a cultural salience index to determine the food importance of the WETs mentioned. We registered 33 edible tree species (26 wild, 3 native crops, and 4 exotic crops) that were most commonly consumed as fruits or seeds. WETs were also used for fuel, live fences, timber, handicrafts, medicine, shade, fodder, poles, utensils, construction, tanning, soap, and paper. Pithecellobium dulce had the highest food salience, followed by Spondias purpurea, Leucaena esculenta, Leucaena leucocephala, Enterolobium cyclocarpum, and Jacaratia mexicana. Salient wild trees were collected in the wild and promoted in agroforestry systems. These trees provided food during the dry season and also had the highest number of additional uses. Promoting the biocultural value of WETs and their sustainable use can favor ecosystem conservation and local food sovereignty. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Insights into Ethnobotany and Ethnoecology)

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15 pages, 6827 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Commercialized “Smudge Sticks” Used as Incense in the Netherlands: An Inventory of Plants and Trends Behind a New Age Fashion

by Isabela Pombo Geertsma, Berber E. Zandstra, Anastasia Stefanaki and Tinde R. van Andel

Plants 2024, 13(21), 3003; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13213003 - 27 Oct 2024

Viewed by 3003

Abstract

Incense is essential in religious ceremonies, even in relatively new religious and spiritual movements such as New Age and Neopaganism. These garner little attention from ethnobotanists, although they trigger an international trade in wild-harvested plants. In this paper, we studied the botanical ingredients of smudge sticks (dried plant bundles burned for purification) in the Netherlands, and people’s motivations to use them posing the following questions: what plant species are included in smudge sticks? what are they used for? and are exotic plants preferred over native Dutch plant species? We visited online and physical shops in Dutch cities, acquiring a total of 29 different smudge sticks containing at least 15 species. We held semi-structured interviews with 11 users, vendors, and herbal experts, and collected data from 33 questionnaires. Salvia apiana L. was most frequently found, along with North American species of the genus Artemisia. The rise of the New Age movement resulted in North American ritual plant species being easily available in (online) shops in the Netherlands and smudge sticks being used for personal protection and cleansing. Despite the smudge sticks’ commercial demand, there is no data regarding the pressure on wild populations of species used in these bundles. For the preservation of these species it is crucial that scientific monitoring of their harvest is undertaken in the future. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Insights into Ethnobotany and Ethnoecology)

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28 pages, 6796 KiB

Open AccessArticle

An Ethnobotanical Study in Kırşehir (Türkiye)

by Gizem Emre, İsmail Şenkardeş, Kaan İşcan, Oltan Evcimen, İlknur Yılmaz and Osman Tugay

Plants 2024, 13(20), 2895; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13202895 - 16 Oct 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1834

Abstract

A comprehensive ethnobotanical study was carried out in the province of Kırsehir, in the Central Anatolia region. The result of that study is this publication containing information about the main traditional folk medicine, wild food plants, and other plant uses in the area. Our goal was to collect, identify, and provide information about plants traditionally used by the local population. This inquiry focused on the plant specimens obtained during field work. Data were gathered through open and semi-structured interviews conducted with local individuals, and use report (UR) values were computed. A total of 79 taxa of plants used in folk medicine, belonging to 33 families, were identified in this study. Of these, 67 taxa were wild and 12 were cultivated. The most common families were Asteraceae, Lamiaceae, and Rosaceae. Based on the results of this study, 77 taxa with ethnobotanical uses were recorded. The plants were used as folk medicine (45 taxa), as food (46 taxa), and for other purposes (34 taxa). This study determined that plants are still traditionally used in the region. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Insights into Ethnobotany and Ethnoecology)

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15 pages, 1233 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Ethnobotanical Inventory of Plants Used by Mountainous Rural Communities in NW Portugal

by Alexandre Sá, Teresa Letra Mateus, Nuno V. Brito, Cristiana Vieira and Ângela M. Ribeiro

Plants 2024, 13(19), 2824; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13192824 - 9 Oct 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1977

Abstract

Mountains matter. Rural subsistence communities living in areas with high biodiversity, such as mountains, are hotspots of ecological knowledge. However, modern lifestyles may threaten this unique cultural heritage. Our study aimed to document and analyze information on plants used to fulfill the everyday needs of the people in three rural communities in NW Portugal. Fieldwork was carried out for a period of one year and information was collected through face-to-face semi-structured interviews. A total of 98 species, belonging to 46 families, were identified, and 142 vernacular names were recorded. Ethnobotanical richness was similar among the studied communities. The five most frequently cited species were: Pterospartum tridentatum, Erica arborea, Ruta graveolens, Zea mays and Chamaemelum nobile. Phanerophytes and hemicryptophytes comprise nearly 81% of the list. The top three uses categories (total 14) were: medicine, fuel and ritual. Digestive, skin and respiratory symptoms were the most often conditions treated with plants. Medicinal plants were used fresh and dried, mostly as infusions. The insights gathered here are important for the preservation of the cultural heritage of the local communities. Moreover, the data are of considerable scientific interest because it provides the fundaments for future studies that aim to validate/invalidate specific uses. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Insights into Ethnobotany and Ethnoecology)

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47 pages, 2874 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Ethnobotany around the Virovitica Area in NW Slavonia (Continental Croatia)—Record of Rare Edible Use of Fungus Sarccoscypha coccinea

by Ivana Vitasović-Kosić, Dominik Berec, Łukasz Łuczaj, Riccardo Motti and Josip Juračak

Plants 2024, 13(15), 2153; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13152153 - 3 Aug 2024

Viewed by 2061

Abstract

Slavonia is the most developed agricultural region in Croatia. With rich and fertile soils that have enabled the cultivation of a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, and cereals, Slavonia has always met the food needs of its population. Today, the biocultural diversity of local varieties and semi-natural vegetation has irretrievably disappeared. Our aim was to document the remaining local knowledge of plant use in this area through in-depth semi-structured interviews, which were conducted in 2022–2023. All possible aspects of the use of plants and fungi were recorded as food, animal feed, medicine, construction, jewelry, rituals and ceremonies, dyes, etc. The names and uses of local plant varieties were also recorded. The results show 1702 entries—a total of 296 plant taxa from 76 families and 28 fungi from 16 families. The most frequently named plants were: Urtica dioica, Robinia pseudoacacia, Rosa canina, and Sambucus nigra. The plants with the greatest variety of uses were Morus alba, Rosmarinus officinalis, Triticum aestivum, and Zea mays. Interesting uses were identified. The leaves of the ornamental plant Hosta sieboldiana are still used today as food for wrapping meat with rice, the aquatic plant Trapa natans is eaten like chestnuts, and Pteridium aquilinum was once consumed as a vegetable. In addition, Ambrosia artemisiifolia and Sambucus ebulus were given to horses to prevent and avoid blood poisoning. Some forest species had a special significance and were revered or favored. The most frequently mentioned edible fungi were Boletus sp., Cantharellus cibarius, and Lactarius piperatus. Auricularia auricula-judae is the only species stated to have been used exclusively as a raw snack. Evidence of edible use of Sarccoscypha coccinea, which was reported as traditionally consumed in the past, was of particular interest. Despite the modernization and agricultural nature of the region, many interesting uses of plants and fungi were identified. Further efforts should be directed towards documenting this knowledge to facilitate its dissemination in the communities that possess it, or at least to preserve it for future generations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Insights into Ethnobotany and Ethnoecology)

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16 pages, 1631 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Going or Returning to Nature? Wild Vegetable Uses in the Foraging-Centered Restaurants of Lombardy, Northern Italy

by Naji Sulaiman, Dauro M. Zocchi, Sara Bonafede, Chiara Nanni, Renata Sõukand and Andrea Pieroni

Plants 2024, 13(15), 2151; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13152151 - 3 Aug 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2116

Abstract

Wild vegetables (WVs) have been an essential source of human nutrition since ancient times. Foraging is a millennia-old practice that has gained more attention recently and is becoming fashionable, especially in restaurants in urban areas, as they attract customers who see WVs as an innovative sensory element and specialty food. Some cooks have used very few WVs for decades, but most chefs have only recently introduced them in their modern restaurants. Our study aims to have a deeper understanding of the diversity of WVs used by restaurants in the Lombardy region in Northern Italy and to know how they are introduced onto different menus, as well as the source of knowledge and the innovation paths related to the use/introduction of WVs in the selected sample of restaurants. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 restaurant managers, chefs, and their professional foragers in the Lombardy region in Northern Italy in 2022; fifty-four wild plant taxa were recorded to be used in the considered restaurants. The collected data were analyzed to understand the current situation and the potential developments of this practice by exploring the reasons/motivations that underpin the inclusion of WVs in restaurants. A broad spectrum of restaurants was considered to evaluate the potential differences in handling and sourcing these ingredients. The results demonstrated that this trend has mainly been driven by attempts to revitalize traditional cuisines and to generate a positive impact on health, but the actual culinary preparations based upon WVs are often original and remarkably diverge from the Italian food ethnobotanical heritage. Moreover, concerns related to the environmental sustainability of these practices have been addressed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Insights into Ethnobotany and Ethnoecology)

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16 pages, 534 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Wild Edible Plants Used in Dalmatian Zagora (Croatia)

by Tonka Ninčević Runjić, Marija Jug-Dujaković, Marko Runjić and Łukasz Łuczaj

Plants 2024, 13(8), 1079; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13081079 - 11 Apr 2024

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2925

Abstract

Background: Dalmatian Zagora has experienced significant depopulation trends over recent decades. The area is very interesting because of its rich biodiversity of species as well as its history of the use of wild foods. Since there is a danger of permanent loss of knowledge on the use of wild edibles, we focused our research on recording traditions local to this area. Methods: We conducted interviews with 180 residents. Results: A record was made of 136 species of wild food plants and 22 species of edible mushrooms gathered in the area. The most frequently collected species are Rubus ulmifolius Schott, Cornus mas L., Portulaca oleracea L., Asparagus acutifolius L., Sonchus spp., Morus spp., Taraxacum spp., Amaranthus retroflexus L., Cichorium intybus L., and Dioscorea communis (L.) Caddick & Wilkin. Conclusions: The list of taxa used is typical for other (sub-)Mediterranean parts of Croatia; however, more fungi species are used. The most important finding of the paper is probably the recording of Legousia speculum-veneris (L.) Chaix, a wild vegetable used in the area. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Insights into Ethnobotany and Ethnoecology)

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29 pages, 2366 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Traditional Use of Wild Edible Plants in Slovenia: A Field Study and an Ethnobotanical Literature Review

by Andreja Papež Kristanc, Samo Kreft, Simona Strgulc Krajšek and Luka Kristanc

Plants 2024, 13(5), 621; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13050621 - 24 Feb 2024

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2947

Abstract

No comprehensive research has been conducted on the traditional use of wild-grown edible plants in human nutrition for the Slovene ethnic area so far. In the literature on edible wild plants, authors often draw information about their use from foreign or international sources, such as books and databases, from which it is often unclear what people in different countries really include into their diet. Therefore, our purpose was to determine which edible wild-growing plant species have been used in Slovenia on a traditional basis. In our research, we gathered data using different methods. The data obtained from the literature review, i.e., the ethnobotanical literature and traditional cookbooks, were combined with those derived from the online sources and a field survey. This enabled us to create a database of 219 plant taxa encompassing more than 500 species from 62 families that are traditionally used in Slovenia. The most frequently represented families were Asteraceae, with 28 taxa, Rosaceae, with 22 taxa, Lamiaceae, with 18 taxa, Brassicaceae, with 17 taxa, Apiaceae, with 16 taxa, and Amaranthaceae, with 10 taxa. Plants are most often boiled, blanched, stewed or roasted, sometimes also baked in an oven or raw with additives, such as sour cream, sugar, salt or vinegar, but seldom fried. Selected traditional cookbooks and ethnological books provided good insight into the past use of wild plants, while an online and field survey enabled a comparison of their past and current state of use. The survey has shown that some very old wild plant recipes are still used within certain local communities, while younger people, influenced by new books about wild cuisine, are constantly introducing new plant species and recipes into their diet thereby establishing new traditions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Insights into Ethnobotany and Ethnoecology)

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14 pages, 1806 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Ethnobotanical Documentation of the Uses of Wild and Cultivated Plants in the Ansanto Valley (Avellino Province, Southern Italy)

by Riccardo Motti, Marco Marotta, Giuliano Bonanomi, Stefania Cozzolino and Anna Di Palma

Plants 2023, 12(21), 3690; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12213690 - 26 Oct 2023

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2783

Abstract

With approximately 2800 species, the Campania region has the richest vascular flora in southern Italy and the highest number of medicinal species reported in the Italian folk traditions. The study area is inserted in a wide rural landscape, still retaining a high degree of naturalness and is studied for the first time from an ethnobotanical point of view. By analyzing local traditional uses of wild plants in the Ansanto Valley area, the present study aims to contribute to the implementation of ethnobotanical knowledge concerning southern Italy. To gather ethnobotanical knowledge related to the Ansanto Valley, 69 semi-structured interviews were carried out through a snowball sampling approach, starting from locals with experience in traditional plant uses (key informants). A number of 117 plant species (96 genera and 46 families) were documented for traditional use from a total of 928 reports, of which 544 were about medicinal plants. New use reports on the utilization of plants for medicinal (5) and veterinary applications (8) in the Campania region and the whole Italian territory were outlined from our investigations. Sedum cepaea is reported as a medicinal plant for the first time in Italy and in the whole Mediterranean basin. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Insights into Ethnobotany and Ethnoecology)

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27 pages, 2178 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Ethnobotanical Insights into Medicinal and Culinary Plant Use: The Dwindling Traditional Heritage of the Dard Ethnic Group in the Gurez Region of the Kashmir Valley, India

by Laraib Ahad, Musheerul Hassan, Muhammad Shoaib Amjad, Rayees Afzal Mir, Ivana Vitasović-Kosić, Rainer W. Bussmann and Zakia Binish

Plants 2023, 12(20), 3599; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12203599 - 17 Oct 2023

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3520

Abstract

This ethnobiological study addresses the complicated relationship between the Dard ethnic group and their natural environment in the Gurez region of the Kashmir Valley. The study documents their traditional knowledge of the use of plant species for medicinal and culinary purposes. A total of 87 plant species from 41 different families were cataloged, with the Asteraceae family (15 species) and the Lamiaceae family (12 species) being the most commonly used. These plants were found to be used to treat 20 different ailments, with menstrual cramps being the most common (12 species). The fidelity values for these plants ranged from 11.10 to 71.42, demonstrating their importance in traditional medicine. In addition, 17 plant species were found to be useful for gastronomic purposes, with Juglans regia being the most valuable (use value of 0.73). The study also evaluated the conservation status of these plants and found that seven of them are considered critically endangered, ten endangered, and four endangered according to the IUCN classification. This study offers insights into the Dard people’s deep connection to their natural environment and has significant implications for policy formulation, cultural conservation, and sustainable use of endemic species, as well as potential applications in pharmaceutical research for therapeutic compounds. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Insights into Ethnobotany and Ethnoecology)

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14 pages, 3071 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Different Ecological Niches of Poisonous Aristolochia clematitis in Central and Marginal Distribution Ranges—Another Contribution to a Better Understanding of Balkan Endemic Nephropathy

by Ivan Brzić, Magdalena Brener, Andraž Čarni, Renata Ćušterevska, Borna Čulig, Tetiana Dziuba, Valentin Golub, Irina Irimia, Bojan Jelaković, Ali Kavgacı, Mirjana Krstivojević Ćuk, Daniel Krstonošić, Vladimir Stupar, Zlatko Trobonjača and Željko Škvorc

Plants 2023, 12(17), 3022; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12173022 - 22 Aug 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1846

Abstract

Aristolochia clematitis L. is a perennial herbaceous plant distributed throughout Europe, Asia Minor and Caucasus. It has been used as a medicinal plant since antiquity but not in recent times because it contains poisonous aristolochic acid, causing progressive kidney failure. The aim of this work was to study Aristolochia clematitis ecology on the basis of vegetation plots from the European Vegetation Archive, and to investigate the differentiation of its ecological niche using a co-occurrence-based measure of ecological specialization (ESI). The ecological niche was studied on three spatial scales: on the entire distribution area, its differentiation across 200 × 200 km grid cells and the differences between three central and three marginal regions. Our results suggest that Aristolochia clematitis has a very broad ecological niche occurring in a range of different habitats and climatic conditions, with a trend of a niche width decrease with the distance from the geographical center. The plant prefers more stable communities with less anthropogenic influence moving towards the margin of the distribution area. Specialization towards the marginal area is a result of evolutionary history, which refers to the recent anthropogenically induced spread from its original home range. A high incidence of Aristolochia clematitis in the vegetation of arable lands and market gardens as well as anthropogenic herbaceous vegetation in the distribution center corresponds to the geographical incidence of Balkan Endemic Nephropathy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Insights into Ethnobotany and Ethnoecology)

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25 pages, 5185 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sweet Basil between the Soul and the Table—Transformation of Traditional Knowledge on Ocimum basilicum L. in Bulgaria

by Teodora Ivanova, Yulia Bosseva, Mihail Chervenkov and Dessislava Dimitrova

Plants 2023, 12(15), 2771; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12152771 - 26 Jul 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2741

Abstract

The study tracks the utilization of Ocimum basilicum L. (sweet basil)—a garden plant popular for its ritual and ornamental value in the past, that is currently applied in various forms and ways as medicine, food, insect repellent, etc.—in Bulgaria. Previous data for Bulgarian rural home gardens showed a significant number of preserved local landraces; however, it remained unclear how people perceive the large varietal diversity of this species and how the traditions related to its use are preserved. We combined a literature review on the cultural value of sweet basil and the breeding of local genetic resources with an online questionnaire, directed to adult laypeople, that sought to access different aspects of past (recalled) and present use and related knowledge. The identification skills of the participants were tested using images of local plant landraces and foreign varieties. Responses from 220 participants showed that potted “Genovese”-type individual was most frequently identified as sweet basil (89.9%), followed by two examples of local landraces in flower. Participants who grow sweet basil or used it in more varied ways had significantly better identification skills. Ocimum basilicum was most frequently reported as food, while ritual/symbolic use was preserved while devalued during the Communism regime (1945–1989). Food and religious uses were negatively associated in the past, but presently, the tendency is completely reversed. Preferences for the informal exchange of seeds and seed-saving practices were discussed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Insights into Ethnobotany and Ethnoecology)

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19 pages, 571 KiB

Open AccessReview

Multilateral Use of Dandelion in Folk Medicine of Central-Eastern Europe

by Robert Gruszecki, Magdalena Walasek-Janusz, Gianluca Caruso, Robert Pokluda, Alessio Vincenzo Tallarita, Nadezhda Golubkina and Agnieszka Sękara

Plants 2025, 14(1), 84; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14010084 - 30 Dec 2024

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1397

Abstract

Background: Dandelion (Taraxacum sect. Taraxacum, also referred to as Taraxacum officinale F.H. Wiggers coll.), a collective species of perennial herbaceous plants of the Asteraceae family, is commonly considered weed; however, in the traditional societies of Central-Eastern Europe, it is a source of food and medicinal raw materials. The growing interest in the medicinal properties of herbal raw materials of dandelion encouraged us to focus on their use in the traditional folk medicine of Central-Eastern European communities. Aim: The hypothesis of the present study suggests that Taraxacum sect. Taraxacum (dandelion), which is widespread throughout Central-Eastern Europe and easily identifiable, has had notable applications in ethnopharmacology. The study aims to examine the medicinal properties of this species, focusing on its traditional uses in folk medicine across the region. The resulting data may serve as a valuable resource for contemporary pharmacognosy research. Methods: The analysis was based on publications dated from the end of the 18th century to the beginning of the 21st century, mainly from Poland. In addition, the study includes publications on contemporary Belarus, Ukraine, and European Russia. Results: The research showed that dandelion provided many medicinal raw materials, but the available literature did not mention the use of the herb’s root, a raw material popular in contemporary natural medicine. During the period analysed, an increase in the types of raw materials was observed, and the order in which they appeared in the sources was as follows: latex > root = leaf = inflorescence > herb > herb with flowers. Additionally, a review of the literature indicated that the number of conditions under which they were used increased during the investigation period. The variety of ways to prepare the raw material is noteworthy; fresh and dried raw materials were used to make extracts, tinctures, decoctions, infusions, wrap compresses, syrups, and even wine or coffee substitutes. The mentioned preparations were prepared individually for particular ailments. Conclusions: The vast experience of rural communities in Central-Eastern Europe concerning the medicinal applications of common dandelion has developed through centuries. The experience of rural communities may influence the direction of further phytochemical and pharmacological research. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Insights into Ethnobotany and Ethnoecology)

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