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Diversity
Special Issues
Ethnobotany, Medicinal Plants and Biodiversity Conservation: 2nd Edition
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Ethnobotany, Medicinal Plants and Biodiversity Conservation: 2nd Edition

A special issue of Diversity (ISSN 1424-2818).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 December 2024 | Viewed by 7308

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Ekaterina Kozuharova

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Guest Editor
Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Sofia, 1000 Sofia, Bulgaria
Interests: pollination ecology; ecology and evolution; conservation; ethnobotany; medicinal plants
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Ina Yosifova Aneva

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Guest Editor
Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia 1113, Bulgaria
Interests: medicinal plants; flora; phytochemistry; biochemistry; pharmacological activities
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Luca Rastrelli

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Guest Editor
Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II, 84084 Fisciano, SA, Italy
Interests: natural products; food chemistry and analytical chemistry; clinical nutrition; phytochemistry and phytotherapy; supplement and nutraceutical formulation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce a forthcoming Special Issue of Diversity on the biodiversity and chemical diversity of medicinal plants, second edition, with an emphasis on ethnobotany. The priceless traditional knowledge of plants’ healing properties provides the background for modern pharmacological and toxicological tests. Also, the rich cultural heritage related to medicinal plants inspires investigations of the chemical diversity of medicinal plants. The assessment of wild resources of these plants is a crucial point for their sustainable use. Native populations of many medicinal plants are at risk due to habitat loss, ecological degradation, overharvesting, and pollution; this deserves research efforts. Of course, cultivation is the best approach to sustainably provide sufficient raw materials of consistent quality for natural pharmaceutical and cosmetic products. It also has the added advantage of reducing the natural chemical diversity that exists in natural populations and, thus, the standardization process is easier and more efficient. Most medicinal plant species and crops depend on pollinators for their reproduction. At the same time, it is well known that the number of pollinators, particularly of wild bees, is declining. One reason for this is the indiscriminate application of chemical pesticides. Traditional plant knowledge may help to identify biopesticides that can be incorporated into agricultural practices.

This Special Issue seeks to integrate the latest research on traditional herb knowledge with modern pharmacology and phytochemistry trends. This is crucial to preserve wild populations of medicinal plants and to develop management strategies for their sustainable use. We invite you to submit a manuscript focused on any of the above topics. Although specific case studies with broad implications are welcome, we encourage authors to submit large-scale and/or multi-species studies, syntheses, and reviews. If you are interested in this opportunity or have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Prof. Dr. Ekaterina Kozuharova
Dr. Ina Yosifova Aneva
Prof. Dr. Luca Rastrelli
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. Diversity is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2600 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

  • ethnobotany and ethnopharmacology
  • pharmacological tests based on traditional knowledge phytochemistry
  • resources and conservation of medicinal plants
  • sustainable use of medicinal plants
  • cultivation and biotechnology
  • ethnobotany and biopesticides

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

26 pages, 8578 KiB  
Article
Ethnobotanical and Ethnopharmacological Study in the Bulgarian Mountain Rhodopes: Part II—Contemporary Use of Medicinal Plants
by Irena Mincheva, Zheko Naychov, Cristo Radev, Ina Aneva, Luca Rastrelli, Maria Kamusheva, Nikolay Nikolov and Ekaterina Kozuharova
Diversity 2023, 15(4), 482; https://doi.org/10.3390/d15040482 - 24 Mar 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2146
Abstract
Rhodopes Mountain is ethnobotanically poorly studied, but our preliminary observation in a number of settlements revealed that even nowadays, the local population relies solely on previously collected medicinal plants. We aimed to assess the contemporary use of medicinal plants in the Central and [...] Read more.
Rhodopes Mountain is ethnobotanically poorly studied, but our preliminary observation in a number of settlements revealed that even nowadays, the local population relies solely on previously collected medicinal plants. We aimed to assess the contemporary use of medicinal plants in the Central and East Rhodopes and the health conditions that local communities address with them. The ethnobotanical field data were collected through an in-depth method in combination with semi-structured face-to-face interviews, adapted with modifications to the objectives of this study. The following quantitative ethnobotanical indices were used in this study: informant consensus factor (ICF), fidelity level (FL), and Jaccard similarity coefficient or Jaccard index (JI). Data analyses from our field research showed that 92 informants mentioned the utilization of a total of 114 plant species. The results of this study reveal that in both regions of the Rhodopes, medicinal plants are mentioned most often in relation to diseases affecting nervous, respiratory, digestive, and cardiovascular systems, followed by reproductive, urinary, immune, and musculoskeletal. The risk of disruption or loss of traditional knowledge of medicinal plants is expected in the condition of cultural globalization. However, there is no metrified data about the use of medicinal plants in the Rhodopes from the past. The application of statistical indices in this research will make such assessment and monitoring possible in the future. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ethnobotany, Medicinal Plants and Biodiversity Conservation: 2nd Edition)
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28 pages, 3346 KiB  
Article
Catching the Green—Diversity of Ruderal Spring Plants Traditionally Consumed in Bulgaria and Their Potential Benefit for Human Health
by Teodora Ivanova, Andrey Marchev, Mihail Chervenkov, Yulia Bosseva, Milen Georgiev, Ekaterina Kozuharova and Dessislava Dimitrova
Diversity 2023, 15(3), 435; https://doi.org/10.3390/d15030435 - 15 Mar 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2455
Abstract
The global climate and societal challenges in the recent years urge us to strengthen food security; thus, the rediscovery of wild foods and foraging practices is also part of the sustainability agenda. Utilization of underappreciated sources such as ruderal plants could be a [...] Read more.
The global climate and societal challenges in the recent years urge us to strengthen food security; thus, the rediscovery of wild foods and foraging practices is also part of the sustainability agenda. Utilization of underappreciated sources such as ruderal plants could be a valuable option, especially for vulnerable parts of the society. We present data on traditional knowledge on spring edible ruderal plant taxa preserved in rural regions of Bulgaria, combining field studies in the period 2017–2022 that were compared to the available recent and historical ethnographic and (ethno)botanical literature. Semi-structured interviews were performed with representatives of 94 households in North and South Bulgaria, focusing on collection practices, used parts, and preparation methods. We list 65 edible ruderals, belonging to 22 plant families, of which 19 appeared only in the literature sources. Unlike in the Mediterranean tradition, edible ruderal plants in Bulgaria were regarded unfavorably, as poverty food. Amaranthaceae and Asteraceae were the most represented families, with 10 taxa each. About half of the taxa were collected for their leaves or whole young herbage that is used as pastry fillings, in stewed, and in cooked dishes. Taxa used in raw salads were mostly from the literature sources. The most diverse utilization was recorded in the southern-most regions of Bulgaria, where immediate tasting of the gathered plants was reported by the participants as the way to collect food plants. The bitter ones or those with an unappealing smell were considered non-edible and were avoided. References about biologically active compounds and potential benefits were collected, classified, and discussed in regard to their potential benefits for human health. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ethnobotany, Medicinal Plants and Biodiversity Conservation: 2nd Edition)
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23 pages, 11663 KiB  
Article
Ethnobotanical and Ethnopharmacological Study in the Bulgarian Rhodopes Mountains—Part _I
by Irena Mincheva, Zheko Naychov, Christo Radev, Ina Aneva, Luca Rastrelli and Ekaterina Kozuharova
Diversity 2022, 14(8), 686; https://doi.org/10.3390/d14080686 - 21 Aug 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2523
Abstract
Traditional knowledge of medicinal plants and their uses has been well documented in Bulgaria in the past. However, we know little about the contemporary traditional application of medicinal plants. Rhodopes Mountain is an ethnobotanically poorly studied region. This region is suitable for conducting [...] Read more.
Traditional knowledge of medicinal plants and their uses has been well documented in Bulgaria in the past. However, we know little about the contemporary traditional application of medicinal plants. Rhodopes Mountain is an ethnobotanically poorly studied region. This region is suitable for conducting field research in ethnobotany for several reasons: (i) our preliminary observation in a number of settlements revealed that the local population, in particular, relies solely on previously collected medicinal plants in winter months even in modern times; (ii) due to the relative isolation of the area, considerable authenticity of traditional methods of medicinal plant use is retained there. The aim of this study is ethnopharmacological and ethnobotanical research among the population of the Rhodopes to evaluate the contemporary use of medicinal plants. The field ethnobotanical data were collected through the in-depth method in combination with a semi-structured face-to-face interviews, adapted with modifications to the objectives of this study. The quantitative ethnobotanical index Use Value (UV) was calculated. Here we suggested a new approach in ethnobotanical research. We used nomograms to present a large volume of medicinal plants’ application data, classified by the degree of their UV. This allows for a much broader view of collected and processed data. Data analyses from our filed research showed that the 92 informants mentioned utilization of a total of 114 plant species belonging to 52 families and 110 genera. The most common plants were from the families Asteraceae (16.7%), Lamiaceae (12.3%), Rosaceae (9.6%) and Amrillydaceae (3.5%), followed by Crassulaceae, Plantaginacea, Oleaceae and Solanaceae. The data presented in six nomograms revealed the most popular plants, the way of application and the corresponding medical indications in the Central and East Rhodopes, and the differences between the two sub-regions. Sempervivum tectorum, Tussilago farfara and Plantago major are the most often reported plants in the Central Rhodopes while these are Cotinus coggygria, Prunus spinosa and Teucrium polium in the East Rhodopes. The results of the study show that in the Rhodopes, the contemporary application of traditional medicinal plants is pretty much vivid. The locals in the Rhodopes still use the traditional knowledge and rely on plants to treat various health problems. They use common plants in a sustainable manner and are open to the cultivation of Sideritis scardica—a species which became rare after overexploitation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ethnobotany, Medicinal Plants and Biodiversity Conservation: 2nd Edition)
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