Wild, edible plants have received increasing attention as an important complement to cultivate vegetables, as they represent an easily accessible source of nutrients, mineral elements, and antioxidants. In this study, the tender stems and leaves of Gonostegia hirta, an edible species for which only scarce data are available in the literature, are thoroughly evaluated for their nutritional profile, chemical characterization, and antioxidant activity. Being considered as an underexploited, potentially edible plant, the nutritional composition of Gonostegia hirta was identified, and several beneficial compounds were highlighted: sugars, potassium, calcium, organic acids, fatty acids, phenolics, and flavonoids. A total of 418 compounds were identified by metabolomic analysis, including phenolic acids, flavonoids, amino acids, lipids, organic acids, terpenoids, alkaloids, nucleotides, tannins, lignans, and coumarin. The plant sample was found to have good antioxidant capacities, presented by DPPH, FRAP, ABTS+, hydroxyl radical scavenging capacity, and its resistance to the superoxide anion radical test. In general, Gonostegia hirta has a good nutritional and phytochemical composition. The health benefits of Gonostegia hirta as a vegetable and herbal medicine is important for both a modern diet and use in medication.

Compositional, functional, and nutritional properties are important for the use-value assessments of wild and cultivated edible plants. The aim of this study was to compare the nutritional composition, bioactive compounds, volatile compounds, and potential biological activities of cultivated and wild Zingiber striolatum. Various substances, such as soluble sugars, mineral elements, vitamins, total phenolics, total flavonoids, and volatiles, were measured and analyzed using UV spectrophotometry, ICP-OES, HPLC, and GC-MS methods. The antioxidant capacity of a methanol extract of Z. striolatum, as well as the hypoglycemic abilities of its ethanol and water extracts, were tested. The results showed that the contents of soluble sugar, soluble protein, and total saponin in the cultivated samples were higher, while the wild samples contained higher amounts of K, Na, Se, vitamin C, and total amino acids. The cultivated Z. striolatum also showed a higher antioxidant potential, while the wild Z. striolatum exhibited a better hypoglycemic activity. Thirty-three volatile compounds were identified using GC-MS in two plants, with esters and hydrocarbons being the main volatile compounds. This study demonstrated that both cultivated and wild Z. striolatum have a good nutritional value and biological activity, and can be used as a source of nutritional supplementation or even in medication.