Home Gardens as a Source of Medicinal, Herbal and Food Preparations: Modern and Historical Approaches in Lithuania

Abstract

The culture of home gardens in Lithuania comes from the deep traditions of agriculture. The purpose of this study was to collect and evaluate the ethnobotanical knowledge of medicinal plants grown in Tauragė District home gardens and to compare it with archival sources. A field survey was conducted from July 2019 to October 2020 in the Tauragė District, and the target group consisted of 27 respondents. The data obtained during the research were compared with the unpublished work of E. Šimkūnaitė, dated 1948. During the research, 100 cultivated plant species were recorded and assigned to 36 plant families (76 plant species and 38 plant families in the archival source, respectively). Many of the species grown earlier/at present in home gardens were used without EMA approved medical indications and were based solely on folk knowledge and experience in medicine. Despite the wide network of pharmacies and well-available primary health care in Lithuania, the residents of Tauragė District still grow medicinal plants in their home gardens for various purposes—from homemade medicines to food–herbal preparations. This food–medicine connection is as tight as it was in the archival study of 1948, which shows the surviving Lithuanian tradition of growing both food and medicine in home gardens. Those cultivated plants most suitable for Lithuanian climatic conditions and with ethnic heritage-based medical applications can be a source of ideas for further research.

Herbal Medicine Uses for Respiratory System Disorders and Possible Trends in New Herbal Medicinal Recipes during COVID-19 in Pasvalys District, Lithuania

“…The aboveground parts of the plants were most often selected by the study participants and the most popular method of preparation was tea ( Figure 5 ). While medicinal herbal teas are purposely consumed to treat a specific condition (i.e., cough) for a limited number of days, there is no limit to the duration for recreational teas as they are used within a food context, and not for the treatment of medical conditions [ 31 , 32 ]. Herbal beverages prepared as teas are consumed in a food context for their general social and/or recreational value or for their general attributions of being “healthy” drinks.…”

“…In Eastern Europe, the most popular species was Rubus idaeus L. [ 33 ]; in our Pasvalys study, this trend was also confirmed. Herbs used as recreational teas, due to the Lithuanian climate, are also used to relieve colds and upper respiratory tract disorders and to strengthen their immunity [ 32 ]. Important sensory properties of recreational teas such as smell, flavor, and color must be suitable for making tea that has a tendency for long-term use.…”

Coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) from Alentejo (South Portugal)—Ethnobotany and Potential Industrial Use

“…Plants were also the primary therapeutic agents used by humans until the middle of the 19th century, and their value in medicine is still acknowledged today as sources of bioactive compounds for the development of drugs and health-promoting products [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]. Recent studies focusing on the US market show that herbal dietary supplements sales surpassed USD 10 billion for the first time in 2020 [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ].…”