The remedies of the folk medicine of the Croatians living in Cićarija, northern Istria

An ethnobotanical field study was conducted among the Croatians living in Ci?arija in northern Istria and a very restricted folk pharmacopoeia (of approximately only 30 remedies) was recorded. This finding suggests that a remarkable process of erosion of Traditional Knowledge (TK) may have taken place. The collected data were compared with the ethnobotanical findings of a field study previously conducted among the Istro-Romanians living in the nearby village of Zejane, who probably migrated there around the 14th Century. It was found that more than half of the botanical taxa were being used medicinally across the two communities, and that approximately one third of the actual medicinal plant uses were recorded in both communities. Correspondence analysis carried out comparing the same data with those of the ethnobotanical literature of Istria and Friuli-Venezia Giulia in North-Eastern Italy showed that the folk phytotherapy of the diverse ethnic populations living in multi-cultural Istria appears to be very similar.     

A Comparative Analysis of Nineteenth Century Pharmacopoeias in the Southern United States: A Case Study Based on the Gideon Lincecum Herbarium<Superscript>1</Superscript>

A Comparative Analysis of Nineteenth Century Pharmacopoeias in the Southern United States: A Case Study Based on the Gideon Lincecum Herbarium. The Gideon Lincecum Herbarium represents the pharmacopoeia of Dr. Gideon Lincecum, a botanical physician practicing in Mississippi and Texas during the first half of the nineteenth century. The herbarium contains 313 specimens representing 309 species, 242 genera, and 96 families, and includes ethnobotanical annotations for 286 medicinal taxa. The collection data provided by Lincecum indicate that the specimens were collected between 1835 and 1852. With the exception of 22 specimens considered by Campbell (1951), this is the first study to place this pharmacopoeia in a historical context. Taxonomic determinations of the herbarium specimens were confirmed or corrected. Comparative analyses were conducted to investigate the relationship of Lincecum’s pharmacopoeia to those of six other medical traditions practiced in the southern United States during the nineteenth century. Cluster analyses based on Jaccard co-efficient placed the historical pharmacopoeias of medical traditions in the early nineteenth century into distinct Euro–American and American Indian groups. Despite the recognition of distinct allopathic and botanical medical traditions, an extensive overlap in the composition of their pharmacopoeias is observed. This may reflect the reliance of these traditions on allopathic principles and drugs of plant origin during the first half of the nineteenth century. In contrast, Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, and Creek pharmacopoeias show limited overlap with each other in composition despite a long history of interaction between these groups. Lincecum’s pharmacopoeia shares a larger Jaccard co–efficient value with the Choctaw pharmacopoeia than would be expected based on their placement in distinct Euro–American and American Indian groups in the dendrogram. The large proportion of Lincecum’s citations that reference Choctaw informants provides direct evidence for the incorporation of Choctaw medical knowledge and taxa into Lincecum’s pharmacopoeia. These data suggest that the composition of historical pharmacopoeias is influenced by both contemporary medical practices and the regional and cultural contexts in which the pharmacopoeias are utilized.     

国家植物园植物文化建设与植物多样性保护和管理

生物文化对生物多样性保护具有重要意义,植物园的形成和发展在历史长河中处处体现着人类因物质和精神需求而形成的植物文化。现代植物园在植物迁地保护上虽然做出了卓越贡献,但其植物文化的建设稍显滞后。在全球生物多样性保护工作的开展过程中,传统文化对生物多样性保护和生物资源可持续利用的重要作用越来越被重视。在此背景下,该文探讨了生物文化多样性和生物多样性之间紧密联系、共同演化的关系,回顾了早期植物园和我国古典园林中植物文化的体现; 通过对全球3 085个现代植物园主要功能的分析,发现开展了民族植物学研究的植物园占比7.36%,开展了保护生物学研究的植物园占比11.18%,制定了植物保护计划的占比17.18%,从而揭示了现代植物园保护功能的提升和文化功能的弱化。基于当前植物园植物多样性有效保护中对植物文化建设的需求,该文进一步分析了我国植物园植物文化建设的不足,主要包括:(1)植物物种多样性信息中植物文化信息数据不足;(2)对生物多样性保护中传统知识惠益分享的考虑欠缺;(3)缺少以文化展现植物多样性的主题园。在此基础上,该文聚焦国家植物园植物多样性保护和管理的目标,从植物多样性保护和利用、惠益共享、公众参与3个层面对国家植物园体系中的植物文化建设提出了建议,以期为我国建设具有中国生态文明特色的国家植物园体系提供参考。     

基于高密度SNP数据的东亚人群遗传结构研究

目的 东亚疆域辽阔,民族众多,有着广泛多样的语言。中国34个省级行政区可划分为7个地理分区,人群主要分属世界七大语系。已有研究主要集中在东亚人群的起源、迁徙、融合等遗传历史。本文基于5 147份世界人群个体的高密度单核苷酸多态性（SNP）数据,从地域及语言两个角度研究东亚人群尤其是中国人群与世界其他人群的遗传关系,研究中国人群的遗传关系和遗传结构。方法 收集了5 147份世界人群个体的高密度SNP数据,并对其进行质控、合并。通过频率差异分析方法对最终获得的32 789个SNP进行统计学检验,并进一步使用主成分分析、系统发育树、祖先成分分析和D检验统计等方法,对东亚人群与世界其他人群的遗传关系,以及中国人群的遗传关系和遗传结构进行研究。结果 研究发现东亚人群与非洲、美洲和欧洲人群存在显著差异。中国人群可分为7个亚群,不同人群间的遗传聚类与其地理分布、语系语族和族源历史有很强的相关性。结论 本文研究了中国人群与世界人群的遗传关系和差异,并系统研究了中国人群的遗传亚结构。这将丰富东亚人群的群体遗传学、法医遗传学等研究基础,为个体化医疗等工作提供数据支撑。     

Blended divergences: local food and medicinal plant uses among Arbëreshë, Occitans,and autochthonous Calabrians living in Calabria,Southern Italy

Abstract

A study focusing on traditional uses of wild plants for gastronomic and medicinal purposes was carried out among three linguistic communities in Calabria, southern Italy. Ninety interviews with local elderly informants were conducted among Occitans and Arbëreshë, two linguistic minorities, and the dominant culture of autochthonous Calabrians. We recorded 85 taxa belonging to 39 botanical families and 66 different detailed use-reports including 35 culinary and 31 medicinal uses. Our overall data show the permanence of traditional ecological knowledge related to wild and semi-domesticated food and medicinal plants; however, high similarity indices among the three communities demonstrate that traditional ecological knowledge is following the pathway of homogenization and standardization toward the dominant culture, facilitated by a context of linguistic erosion, limited intergenerational transmission, and a centuries-old diffusion with Calabrian culture. Moreover, our study calls for further field surveys in isolated areas of Calabria to analyze how traditional ecological practices can be key tools in the development of local small-scale economies through the promotion of artisanal food entrepreneurship of wild food plant transformation.     

Ethnobotany of chia,Salvia hispanica L. (Lamiaceae)

Salvia hispanica L, was an important staple Mesoamerican food and medicinal plant in pre-Columbian times. Unlike other Mesoamerican pseudocereal crops such asAmaranthus andChenopodium, it has received comparatively little research attention. An ethnobotanical review of this Mesoamerican crop plantSalvia hispanica has been undertaken to examine changes in use accompanying Spanish colonization. A comparative analysis of accounts of use from the 16th century codices of Mexico and subsequent publications has revealed subtle changes in medicinal, culinary, artistic, and religious uses. Several hypotheses surrounding changes in use through time and the original use(s) that led to domestication are developed and tested through collection of ethnobotanical data in the highlands of western Mexico and Guatemala. A general decline in ethnobotanical knowledge associated with wild populations coupled with a loss of habitat in some locations has degraded important germplasm and knowledge resources for a species with great economic potential.     

Four Footed Pharmacists: Indications of Self-Medicating Livestock in Karamoja,Uganda

Four Footed Pharmacists: Indications of Self-Medicating Livestock in Karamoja, Uganda.Following observations of goats’ possible self-medication browsing the anti-parasitic plant, Albizia anthelmintica, an ethnobotanical survey was undertaken to examine whether livestock engage in other self-medicating behaviors, and if people also use the same medications. Information was gathered over a five-month period from 147 Karamojong pastoralists and healers using a checklist of questions. There were 124 observations for 50 proposed self-medicating behaviors, primarily eating plants, to treat a total of 35 disease conditions. Of the plant species, 72% were also prepared by informants to treat human or veterinary diseases. Species importance was estimated by four factors: >3 user citations, informant consensus factor >0.4, fidelity level >40% and presence in the local pharmacopoeia. Eight species fulfilled all of these factors, and 12 had at least three. These results provide support for the hypothesis that animals graze specific plants when ill and suggest that people have developed some of their knowledge through animal observation.     

Contribution to the Knowledge of the Greek Flora: New Taxa of the Mountainous Region Cholomon Greek Macedonia

Cholomon is the main mountainous block of the Chalkidiki peninsula, which belongs to the central Greek Macedonia. According to the results of a botanical investigation carried out by us in the above region there were found 470 taxa new for its flora, and among them a botanical variety new in science, namely: Ornithogalum nutans L. ssp. boucheanum (Kunth.) Hay. var. multiflora.     

Traditional food and herbal uses of wild plants in the ancient South-Slavic diaspora of Mundimitar/Montemitro (Southern Italy)

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: In Europe, only a limited number of cross-cultural comparative field studies or meta-analyses have been focused on the dynamics through which folk plant knowledge changes over space and time, while a few studies have contributed to the understanding of how plant uses change among newcomers. Nevertheless, ethnic minority groups and/or linguistic "isles" in Southern and Eastern Europe may provide wonderful arenas for understanding the various factors that influence changes in plant uses. METHODS: A field ethnobotanical study was carried out in Mundimitar (Montemitro in Italian), a village of approx. 450 inhabitants, located in the Molise region of South-Eastern Italy. Mundimitar is a South-Slavic community, composed of the descendants of people who migrated to the area during the first half of the 14th century, probably from the lower Neretva valley (Dalmatia and Herzegovina regions). Eighteen key informants (average age: 63.7) were selected using the snowball sampling technique and participated in in-depth interviews regarding their Traditional Knowledge (TK) of the local flora. RESULTS: Although TK on wild plants is eroded in Montemitro among the youngest generations, fiftyseven taxa (including two cultivated species, which were included due to their unusual uses) were quoted by the study participants. Half of the taxa have correspondence in the Croatian and Herzegovinian folk botanical nomenclature, and the other half with South-Italian folk plant names. A remarkable link to the wild vegetable uses recorded in Dalmatia is evident. A comparison of the collected data with the previous ethnobotanical data of the Molise region and of the entire Italian Peninsula pointed out a few uses that have not been recorded in Italy thus far: the culinary use of boiled black bryony (Tamus communis) shoots in sauces and also on pasta; the use of squirting cucumber (Ecballium elaterium) juice for treating malaria in humans; the aerial parts of the elderberry tree (Sambucus nigra) for treating erysipelas in pigs; the aerial parts of pellitory (Parietaria judaica) in decoctions for treating haemorrhoids. CONCLUSIONS: The fact that half of the most salient species documented in our case study - widely available both in Molise and in Dalmatia and Herzegovina - retain a Slavic name could indicate that they may have also been used in Dalmatia and Herzegovina before the migration took place. However, given the occurrence of several South-Italian plant names and uses, also a remarkable acculturation process affected the Slavic community of Montemitro during these last centuries. Future directions of research should try to simultaneously compare current ethnobotanical knowledge of both migrated communities and their counterparts in the areas of origin.     

Report of the Alpine Section, 1958

Background: Over 10,000 island endemic angiosperms are highly threatened by extinction. Yet, few of these species have the temporal change in their range documented and quantified, particularly within a potentially informative context of a long period of botanical study.

Aim: Here, we used Roussea simplex a mono-specific genus endemic to Mauritius, itself an island with long botanical history and advanced habitat destruction extent, to investigate how the distribution and population of this model oceanic island plant changed through time.

Methods: All known localities and population size estimates were compiled from published literature, herbarium specimens, surveys and personal communications to estimate changes in population size, extent of occurrence and area of occupancy and investigate main distribution patterns.

Results: Roussea simplex survives in nine high elevation sites. Since the 1930s, its range halved relative to its maximum known distribution and its population size decreased much faster than direct habitat loss would predict. It now qualifies as Endangered according to the IUCN Red List categories.

Conclusions: Even in an extremely deforested island, endemic plant population decline may be driven more by diminishing habitat quality than diminishing habitat extent. This renders habitat protection alone insufficient, therefore addressing ecological interactions is vital to stem population decline.     

Anthelmintic activity of 3,6-dibenzyl-2,5-dioxopiperazine, cyclo(L-Phe-L-Phe)

Summary After oral administration, dipeptide Phe-Phe-OMe1 exhibits anthelmintic activity againstEchinococcus multilocularis larvae, cestoda, in mongolian gerbils (intraperitoneal localization), but not againstHymenolepis nana, cestoda, in fasted mice (gastro-intestinal localization). This compound rapidly provides its cyclization product dioxopiperazine2 in pH 7.4 buffer at 37°C, but was stable at pH 2.4 during 16h at 30°C. It was postulated that dipeptide1 could act as a prodrug of2. Initial pharmacokinetics studies were carried out in mice and dogs. After oral administration, biotransformation of1 into2 occurred to some extent in mice but not in fasted dogs. Results of these studies did not allow to ascertain that1 is a prodrug of2. Compound2 has been tested in mice againstH. nana andSchistosoma mansoni, a gastrointestinal trematoda. Albeit less active than the reference compound praziquantel,2 has shown a good activity against both worms. 2,5dioxopiperazines represent therefore a new class of anthelmintics.     

Analytical Profiling of Phenolic Compounds in Extracts of Three Cistus Species from Sardinia and Their Potential Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Activity

The Cistaceae family is well represented in Sardinia, and the Cistus genus is widely used in traditional medicine. Nowadays only few studies have been performed on this genus vegetating in Sardinia in spite of its ethnobotanical importance. Moreover, in the past there have been conflicting opinions among botanists for the exact assignment of the species growing in Sardinia. We started several years ago to carried out studies on this genus and in the present study was to evaluate the in vitro activity of several samples of Cistus salvifolius L., Cistus monspeliensis L., and Cistus albidus L. collected in Sardinia as antimicrobial agents against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and four Candida species and their antioxidant activity using DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP assays. Furthermore, the phenolic content and composition of the extracts were first evaluated. Using statistical multivariate analysis on the complete metabolomics profile of all Cistus species growing wild in Sardinia, we confirmed the botanical classification, and we observed an interesting correlation between metabolomics profile and antioxidant activity.     

Contributo Allo Studio Fitosociologico Dei Popolamenti Algali Del Mediterraneo Orientale

Abstract

Marine phytocoenoses in the Eastern Mediterranean Setz. — In this paper a survey is given on the benthic communities observed in the Eastern Basin of the Mediterranean Sea. The investigation was carried out in 13 localities with aid of diving technique, down to 70 mt. depth. Samples at greater depths were collected with the use of a bottom-dredge. The data obtained from 56 phytoso-ciological «relevés» are shown in the 6 tables in the text. The ecological analysis has pointed out the subtropical character of the biocoenoses encoutered, due to the environmental factors. The surface Corallinaceae communities and the depth one, markedly in its precorraligenous facies, have exhibited the most conspicuous and subtropical characters. A comparative survey is carried out with the analogous formation which are found in the Western Mediterranean Basin. An attempt is made to interpret the ecological requirements of some algal species, whose distribution in the Mediterranean Sea is of particular interest. The conclusions are given as temporary assumption in view of a more detailed synthetic work to be carried out in the next years on the problems concerning the algal communities in the Mediterranean Sea.     

Use of Terra Firme Forest by Caicubi Caboclos,Middle Rio Negro,Amazonas, Brazil. A Quantitative Study

Use of Terra Firme Forest by Caicubi Caboclos, Middle Rio Negro, Amazonas, Brazil. A Quantitative Study. An ethnobotanical study was carried out with caboclos from the village of Caicubi, Roraima State, Brazil. This village is located between the Rio Negro and Rio Branco. The data were collected in 1 ha of terra firme forest and involved caboclo knowledge of the tree species with individuals dbh ≥ 10 cm. A total of 11 informants between 34 to 74 years of age were interviewed. The caboclos used 185 (98%) of the 189 species analyzed. The family with the highest use value for the community was Arecaceae. The species with the highest use value was Bertholletia excelsa. Arecaceae, Lecythidaceae, and Sapotaceae showed a wide variety of uses. The uses were grouped into eight categories; those with the highest use values were firewood, technology, and construction. The mean use value for species was 1.6. The most intensely used resources in the forest were wood, leaves, spines, and exudates.     

On the structure,typology and periodism of Cystoseira spinosa Sauvageau community and of Cystoseira zosteroides C. Agardh community from Eastern coast of Sicily (Mediterranean Sea)

Abstract

A study on Cystoseira spinosa community and Cystoseira zosteroides community from Catania (Eastern coast of Sicily) is presented. It is based on monthly samples carried out throughout a year. That permitted to better characterize the communities as regards their periodism and floristic composition. From the comparative examination of samples made, resulted that the communities differ each other mainly in the Cystoseira species since their floristic composition are on the whole quite similar.     

Ethnobotany of Horseradish (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Armoracia rusticana</Emphasis>, Brassicaceae) and Its Wild Relatives (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Armoracia</Emphasis> spp.): Reproductive Biology and Local Uses in Their Native Ranges

Ethnobotany of Horseradish ( Armoracia rusticana , Brassicaceae) and Its Wild Relatives ( Armoracia spp.): Reproductive Biology and Local Uses in Their Native Ranges. Horseradish (Armoracia rusticana) has been cultivated for its root for over 2,000 years. Today, commercial production takes place primarily in North America and Europe where A. rusticana is propagated exclusively vegetatively. Like many vegetatively-propagated crops, cultivated A. rusticana plants are generally sterile. Armoracia rusticana is one of three species in the genus: A. macrocarpa is native to the Central Danube River Basin, A. rusticana is putatively native to Eastern Europe, and A. sisymbrioides is native to Siberia. Documenting the ways in which the three Armoracia species are used in their putative native ranges and the reproductive biology of Armoracia in these regions will advance understanding of the role of humans in the evolution of sterility in A. rusticana. In this broad-scale ethnobotanical analysis, we document 1) which Armoracia species are used in different geographic regions, 2) the reproductive biology of cultivated and natural Armoracia populations, and 3) the uses of Armoracia species in their native areas. Fieldwork was conducted in Austria, Bulgaria, Romania, and Russia. Ethnobotanical data were collected through written questionnaires. In all areas visited, A. rusticana is the primary Armoracia species; however, there is regional variation in the way the plant is used. Armoracia rusticana is propagated vegetatively and is not found in the wild. Armoracia macrocarpa and A. sisymbrioides reproduce by seed in nature. These data provide an understanding of contemporary uses and management strategies of Armoracia species in their native ranges, demonstrate the differential reproductive biology of a clonally-propagated crop relative to its wild progenitors, and emphasize the importance of ethnobotanical data collection for crops and their wild relatives from a broad geographic range.     

High altitude biodiversity of the Alps and the Himalayas: ethnobotany,plant distribution and conservation perspective

Historical evidences suggest that the Himalayas have some strong biogeographical links to the Alps. In view of this fact, the present study aims to understand the similarities in plant species distribution and their ethnobotanical uses in the Indian Himalayas and the Slovenian Alps. The plant species common in both the mountain systems and used by local inhabitants were compiled by extensive literature search and also by carrying out primary surveys. Ethnobotanical information was collected through personal interviews of villagers with the help of local assistants and also through direct and indirect observations made during the field surveys. A total of 59 ethnobotanical species representing 17 families common in both the Indian Himalayas and the Slovenian Alps were documented, of these 78% obtained medicinal properties and traditionally used by local people for curing diseases. Comparatively, people of the Indian Himalayas used plants for medicine in higher percentage (73%) than the people of Slovenia (42%). Of the total medicinal plants, only 7 plant species such as Acorus calamus, Capsella bursa-partoris, Hypericum perforatum, Origanum vulgare, Prunella vulgaris, Solanum nigrum and Urtica dioica had some common uses in both the Slovenian Alps and the Indian Himalayas. In the Slovenian Alps, the maximum ethnobotanical species (61%) had wide distribution range whereas maximum ethnobotanical species in the Indian Himalayas (62%) had localized distribution. Though, 27% of common ethnobotanical species belonged to different threat categories, only 2 species—Taxus baccata and Hippophae rhamnoides—are placed under similar threat category in these two different mountain areas. The study unfolds relationship in plant species distribution and their ethnobotanical uses along with offering an opportunity to provide information on uses of plant species though available but unknown to community.     

Mapuche perceptions and conservation of Andean <Emphasis Type="Italic">Nothofagus</Emphasis> forests and their medicinal plants: a case study from a rural community in Patagonia,Argentina

In a Mapuche community situated in the sub-antarctic forest of the northwest of Argentine Patagonia, analysis was carried out on forest environmental perception and its relation to the resilience of the body of traditional botanical knowledge regarding medicinal plants. Data was obtained on the ethno-classification and differential use of the forest gathering environment with respect to its practical and cultural value. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 30 randomly chosen inhabitants, and the data were analysed using qualitative methods and non-parametric statistics. Most citations (64.5%) were of species gathered in Nothofagus antarctica forest, 26.2% were of species from N. pumilio forest, and 20.3% referred to species from a mixed forest, with N. dombeyi. The forests studied have low values for similarity in terms of medicinal species richness, indicating a unique offer of therapeutic resources in each one. The use of the different forest types seems to be associated with the search for therapeutic resources for specific ailments. However, the redundancy of functions of species in each forest type can offer alternative remedies, which provides plant conservation, security and the possibility of reorganisation of their traditional medicinal knowledge. This case study showed the importance of considering folk systems and the role that this knowledge has played in plant resource management and forest protection. Different forests are used and valued differentially, not only with regard to usefulness but also in symbolic-religious terms, and together they fulfil a cushioning function, protecting holistically traditional botanical knowledge, people’s health and forests. It is of great importance, therefore, that conservation policies favouring environmental heterogeneity are implemented, and that local inhabitants participate in the development of management plans.