Volume 155, Issue 2, 11 September 2014, Pages 1362–1381
Research paper
Plant genetic resources and traditional knowledge on medicinal use of wild shrub and herbaceous plant species in the Etna Regional Park (Eastern Sicily, Italy)
Abstract
Ethnopharmacological relevance
This
paper illustrates the results of a study carried out in the Etna
Regional Park (Eastern Sicily, Italy) concerning the traditional
knowledge on medicinal use of wild plant species. It contains the
results of a quantitative analysis carried out for the first time. A
total of 71 wild species are used for medicinal purposes. Two species, Astracantha sicula (Biv.) Greuter and Trifolium phleoides
Willd., are little known as medicinal in the Mediterranean area. The
main aim of the study was to understand to what extent current knowledge
on the medicinal use of plants is still an element of the culture
within the elderly population of the Etna Regional Park. A further aim
was to identify species not previously reported as medicinal in the
Mediterranean area with a potential agricultural interest.
Methodology
The
information was obtained using a semi-structured interview format
performed on a sample of 196 people over the age of 60 who were
considered experts in rural traditions. The plant uses were compared
with other medical-ethnobotanical studies carried out in other areas of
Sicily, Italy and various other Mediterranean countries. A number of
quantitative indices were also used in order to verify the incidence of
the species cited in the study within the culture and traditional
medicine.
Results
Local
communities currently use a total number of 71 wild species (34
families) as remedies for medicinal purposes. Most of the species were
used as treatments against metabolic disorders and for general health.
The leaves and the aerial parts of plants are the most-used parts of the
plant and the most common preparation methods are decoction and direct
application of plant parts. Astracantha sicula and Trifolium phleoides have never been documented as a species with medicinal properties in the Mediterranean literature.
Conclusions
Only
very few medicinal uses are widely known by all the informants and, on
many occasions, a specific medicinal use is cited by only very few
people. The quantitative analysis shows that the level of traditional
knowledge on medicinal use of plants in the study area is poor,
highlighting a considerably advanced state of cultural erosion.
Graphical abstract
Keywords
- Biodiversity;
- Sicily;
- Etna Regional Park;
- Traditional medicine;
- Cultural erosion;
- Quantitative indices
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