Taxonomic and Pharmacological Valorization of the Medicinal Flora in Svrljiški Timok Gorge (Eastern Serbia) (original) (raw)
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Ecobiological study of medicinal plants in some regions of Serbia
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Medicinal Flora of the Vidlič Mountain in Serbia
University thought - Publication in Natural Sciences, 2019
A study of medicinal flora of the Vidlič mountain situated in southeastern Serbia was conducted. The presence of 264 plant species, that are considered official or used in folk medicine is recorded. An overview of medicinal plants is given in a systematic order. For each herb species, main medicinal substances which enter in its chemical composition are listed. An overview of plant parts which are curative and which families contain the highest numbers of medicinal species, are presented. A special review of species that contain toxic substances, as well as species that have become so rare in their natural habitats by irrational exploitation in nature that they have been declared protected and strictly protected taxa in the Republic of Serbia is given.
Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 2010
Aim of the study: The results of an ethnobotanical study on the use of wild and cultivated plants in middle, west and south Bosnia and Herzegovina (Western Balkan Peninsula; Southeast Europe) carried out in the years 2006-2009 are presented. Despite the country's extraordinary high plant diversity with about 3600 known species of vascular plants, plant usage in traditional medicine remained largely unexplored in the past. The purpose of this study was the systematic collection of information about usage of wild and cultivated plants in human therapy from Bosnia and Herzegovina. Materials and methods: Information was gathered by performing so called open ethnobotanical interviews by which data on the name, age and occupation of the interviewed person; the geographic locality and date of the interview; the name of the used plant; part of the plant used; the prescription background and preparation procedure as well as the indication was systematically collected. Plants mentioned to be used by the informants were collected, taxonomically determined and corresponding material was deposited in the herbarium of the Department of Pharmacognosy of the University of Vienna. Results: In total, 34 places including villages and mountain areas were visited and 51 people, known as 'traditional healers' by the rest of the inhabitants, questioned. 228 wild and cultivated species and 730 different preparations for the use in human therapy were recorded. Species of the genera Achillea, Hypericum, Mentha, Teucrium, Thymus, and Urtica were particularly highly recommended by the majority of the informants. The most frequently mentioned indications were urogenital tract disorders, respiratory system disorders, gastrointestinal tract disorders, skin ailments, blood system disorders, nervous system disorders, cardiovascular system disorders, and rheumatism. Infusions were the most frequently prepared formulation. Other applied preparations mentioned with decreasing frequency were decocts, ointments, direct application of plants without prior preparation, fluid unctions, sirups and tinctures or collars, freshly pressed juices, powders, and finally macerations. Balms known as "mehlems" were special to Bosnia and were prepared from freshly chopped or freshly pressed herbal parts of various plants. Warmed resins from Abies or Picea species, bees wax, raw cow or pig lard, olive oil and honey were used as additives in the mehlem formulations. Representatives of the genera Arctium, Carlina, Euphrasia, Hypericum, Plantago, Teucrium, and Urtica were most frequently used in these balms. Prescriptions were verbally delivered, usually from mother to daughter and for even more than six generations. For the purpose of further analyses and comparisons, the collected data were inserted in the so called "VOLKSMED" data base of Austrian prescriptions. Conclusions: The identified broad variety of indications and their frequent applications suggests that traditional plant use is of high importance and still crucial for the medicinal accommodation of Bosnian people. Fifty-seven of the species reported by Bosnian people were used in official pharmacy. In addition, a variety of less known plants has been used since ages in traditional therapy of this country and hence may be potential sources for new therapies. Therefore, further pharmaceutical research into this particular and scientifically still underexplored proportion of Bosnian plant biodiversity appears promising and is recommended by the authors.
Ecologia Balkanica, 2018
The study presents data on the species diversity of medicinal plants on the territory of the Waterfall Canyon Eco-trail, part of the "Soskovcheto" Reserve (Western Rhodopes Mts. in South Bulgaria). Ninety-six species were recorded, grouped in 42 families - Apiaceae, Aristolochiacea, Aspidiaceae, Aspleniaceae, Asteraceae, Athyriaceae, Balsaminaceae, Betulaceae, Boraginaceae, Brassicaceae, Campanulaceae, Caprifoliaceae, Caryophyllaceae, Crassulaceae, Cupressaceae, Ericaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Fabaceae, Fagaceae, Geraniaceae, Hypericaceae, Hypolepidaceae, Lamiaceae, Liliaceae, Orchidaceae, Oxalidaceae, Pinaceae, Plantaginaceae, Poaceae, Polygonaceae, Polypodiaceae, Primulaceaea, Pyrolaceae, Ranunculaceae, Rosaceae, Rubiaceae, Salicaceae, Saxifragaceae, Scrophulariaceae, Thymelaeaceae, Urticaceae, Violaceae. Eighteen medicinal plant species were with conservation significance, including endemic, rare and protected species.
Research article, 2024
Background Ethnobotanical research in Southeast Europe-one of the most important European hotspots for biocultural diversity-is significant for the acquisition of Traditional Ecological Knowledge related to plants as well as for encouraging the development of local environments. The current ethnobotanical research was conducted in the region of Mt Stara Planina (south-eastern Serbia), which is characterised by rich phytodiversity with a large number of endemic and relict plant species. The aim of the study was to document the diversity of uses of medicinal plants and of traditional knowledge on their therapeutic uses. Methods Ethnobotanical data was collected through both open and semi-structured interviews with locals. Fiftyone inhabitants were interviewed (26 men and 25 women), aged 30-91, and data was analysed by means of use reports, citation frequency, use values (UV), and the informant consensus factor (ICF). Results The study identified 136 vascular medicinal plant taxa and one lichen species belonging to 53 families and 116 genera. Lamiaceae (19), Rosaceae (18), and Asteraceae (17) had the highest species diversity. The plant parts most commonly used to make a variety of herbal preparations were the aerial parts (54 citations), leaves (35 citations), fruits (20 citations), flowers (18 citations), and roots (16 citations), while the most common forms of preparation were teas (60.78%), consumption of fresh tubers, leaves, roots, and fructus (6.86%), compresses (5.88%), juices (5.39%), decoctions (3.92%), 'travarica' brandy (3.92%), and syrups (2.45%). Of the recorded species, 102 were administered orally, 17 topically, and 18 both orally and topically. The plants with a maximum use value (UV = 1) were Allium sativum, Allium ursinum, Gentiana asclepiadea, Gentiana cruciata, Gentiana lutea, Hypericum perforatum, Thymus serpyllum and Urtica dioica. The highest ICF value (ICF = 0.95) was recorded in the categories of Skin and Blood, Blood Forming Organs, and Immune Mechanism. Conclusions This study shows that medicinal plants in the research area are an extremely important natural resource for the local population as they are an important component of their health culture and provide a better standard of living.
Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 2020
River and mountain regions in Eastern and SouthEastern Serbia are geographically interesting and, historically they represent an important resource of plants used as food, spices and as remedies for treating many diseases. Different cultures have lived in these regions for ages. They have used wild plants and the methods of their preparation and application, which has remained throughout the history and now is passed on from generation to generation. The aim of the study is a survey of herbal drug uses for the specific ailment categories and their comparison between the two research regions. Methods: Semi-structured anonymous ethnobotanical interviews were conducted. The interviews took place in the River Timok region and Mountain Svrljig region as they make two of the most interesting centers of plant biodiversity. Volunteers in the Timok region were 64 median age and in the Svrljig region-73 median age. People were interviewed about the local names of plants, the preparation process and about which disease the plants were used for. Results and Discussion: 161 Respondents from 10 Timok and 10 Svrljig municipality villages were interviewed and 2199 use-reports were recorded. The results of the ethnobotanical research showed 195 plant taxa from the Timok and Svrljig regions. In the Timok region, the recorded species were classified into 47 families and in the Svrljig region they were classified into 64 families. Out of 195 taxa used for medicinal purposes, only 52 species are also included in the European Pharmacopoeia 9.0. The most commonly used plants in Timok region were Hypericum spp., Matricaria chamomilla, Mentha x piperita, Urtica dioica, Juglans regia, while the residents of Svrljig region most frequently used Satureja montana, Sambucus nigra, Polygonum aviculare, Marrubium vulgare and Teucrium chamaedrys. Different statistical analyzes showed that Vlachs used more medical specimens per person than Serbs in the Timok region. The study demonstrated that female informants treated more body organs with medical species per person than male informants. There was a significant difference between the male and female respondents of the Svrljig region in terms of organ systems for which they used certain plant species. Conclusion: The ethnopharmacological study showed a great importance of medicinal plants in the daily life of local communities. According to the analysis, it can be concluded that the village population of the Timok and Svrljig regions use medicinal plants to treat digestive tract problems rather than seeking professional medical attention in health facilities. The aerial part and rhizome of Elymus repens are used for digestive problems in both the Timok and Svrljig regions, and the use of this plant in for the treatment of digestive tract problems is not mentioned in the similar studies conducted in the Balkan region. Also, it can be observed that the population of the two different regions mainly use different herbal drugs to treat the same systems. The reason for that is the availability of certain plants that grow in the two different areas-river and mountain area.