Human populations in various regions across the world exploit the medicinal properties of plants to treat a wide variety of diseases. Areas with both high rates of endemic taxa and persisting traditional uses of the local botanical resources are key sites for the investigation of Traditional Botanical Knowledge (TBK). Commonly, in these areas, information regarding the medicinal properties of native plants has been transmitted orally from generation to generation, however, a rapid decline in this knowledge has been observed, which can be attributed to socio-economic changes in recent years. The Mediterranean basin is one such site, where human history is intimately entwined with nature. The unique geographical situation and unrivaled environmental heterogeneity of the area, have allowed both the development of diverse civilizations as well as providing the basis for the evolution of extraordinary biodiversity. The Mediterranean basin can therefore be considered a global hotspot of endemic vascular plants, and of traditional knowledge of medicinal and aromatic species. This study researches the historical subregion of Marmilla (central-southern Sardinia, Italy), which was chosen because of its specific cultural and demographic characteristics: i.e., prolonged isolation and extreme longevity of the inhabitants of the area. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 145 people from the region, and 137 medicinal plants belonging to 62 families were identified, of which around 57,3% were taxa exclusive to the Mediterranean Basin. Findings showed that the most used parts of the plant were the leaves (49%), while as far as preparations are concerned, decoction (50%) was the most used to prepare medicinal formulations, making this the highest number of medico-botanical taxa reported in a study carried out in Sardinia using a similar methodology. In addition, this study contributes towards preventing the loss of TBK by documenting the medicinal traditions, passed down orally for centuries, in the words of the participants, shedding new light on the traditional knowledge of the inhabitants of the island. The findings lay the foundations for future applied studies in the fields of phytotherapy and phytochemical investigation.

The Salvia L. genus (Lamiaceae) is largely used in the pharmaceutical and food industry. Several species of biological relevance are extensively employed in traditional medicine, including Salvia aurea L. (syn. S. africana-lutea L.), which is used as a traditional skin disinfectant and in wounds as a healing remedy; nevertheless, these properties have not been validated yet. The aim of the present study is to characterise S. aurea essential oil (EO), unveiling its chemical composition and validating its biological properties. The EO was obtained by hydrodistillation and subsequently analysed by GC-FID and GC-MS. Different biological activities were assessed: the antifungal effect on dermatophytes and yeasts and the anti-inflammatory potential by evaluating nitric oxide (NO) production and COX-2 and iNOS protein levels. Wound-healing properties were assessed using the scratch-healing test, and the anti-aging capacity was estimated through the senescence-associated beta-galactosidase activity. S. aurea EO is mainly characterised by 1,8-cineole (16.7%), β-pinene (11.9%), cis-thujone (10.5%), camphor (9.5%), and (E)-caryophyllene (9.3%). The results showed an effective inhibition of the growth of dermatophytes. Furthermore, it significantly reduced protein levels of iNOS/COX-2 and simultaneously NO release. Additionally, the EO exhibited anti-senescence potential and enhanced wound healing. Overall, this study highlights the remarkable pharmacological properties of Salvia aurea EO, which should be further explored in order to develop innovative, sustainable, and environmentally friendly skin products.

Plant cultivationW. somnifera wild germplasm was collected in Barbagia of Nuorese subregion (centraleastern Sardinia) in March 2016. In April 2016, the seeds, previously soaked in water, were placed in the cell seedling boxes and positioned in the Planta Medica Greenhouse, HBK (Hortus Botanicus Kalaritanum) Botanical Garden of Cagliari, with a controlled temperature (21-23°C), controlled humidity (about 85%) and natural light. After 15/20 days we detected 95% of the seeds germinated. In October 2016, the obtained seedlings were planted in the open field without the use of phytosanitary and fertilizers. Two rows with 20 individuals each were implanted with 140 cm row spacing and 100 cm plant spacing; irrigation as needed, only in summer. In March 2019, ripe berries (at optimum maturity stage) were collected from 10 individuals chosen from the 40 plants present in the field. The cultivation in the open field was possible because Sardinia winter is mild and not too rainy. MaterialsAll the chemicals used in this study were of analytical grade. Triolein (OOO), 1,2-dioleoyl-3linoleoy-rac-glycerol (OOL), 1,2-dilinoleoyl-3-oleoylrac-glycerol (LLO), trilinolein (LLL), tripalmitin (PPP), 1,2-dilinoleoyl-3-palmitoyl-rac-glycerol (LLP), trilinolenin (LnLnLn), standards of fatty acids (FA) (purity ≥98%), and all solvents used (purity ≥99.9%), were