The wild raspberry in Serbia: An ethnobotanical study

Abstract

An ethnobotanical survey of the traditional use of the wild raspberry (Rubus ideaus) was conducted on nine sites in the regions of southwest (SWS) and southeast (SES) Serbia. The regions studied belong to mountainous rural areas in Serbia, mainly populated by Serbian people of the Orthodox faith. In total, 93 respondents were interviewed about the medicinal, food and cosmetic uses of the wild raspberry. In terms of plant parts in traditional use, the leaf and fruit are known to be used frequently. The dry leaf is more commonly used in the SES (78%) than in the SWS (25%) region. In the SWS region, the most frequent use of the wild raspberry leaf is linked to gastrointestinal disorders and prostate inflammation. In the SES region, the leaves are mostly used for the prevention and healing of gynecological disorders during both pregnancy and lactation. The local population of the SWS region uses the fruits mainly for the preparation of syrup juice (92%), fruit preserves (42%) and in desserts (62%), while in the SES area the fruits are most frequently used for the preparation of nonalcoholic (97.4%) and alcoholic beverages (35.9%). Our results provide some novel information on the use of the wild raspberry in Serbia and in the Balkans, such as for the treatment of prostate inflammation, use during breastfeeding and to alleviate inflammation of the eyes.

Small regions as key sources of traditional knowledge: a quantitative ethnobotanical survey in the central Balkans

“…The plant drugs are used fresh, dry and processed. Homemade food and beverage products made from or with the addition of wild plants include juices, jams, compotes, wine and Serbian traditional sweet dish “ slatko ” [ 65 ]. Fresh and dried herbs are often used for seasoning, i.e., as spices, either single or in mixtures (e.g., Achillea millefolium, Allium ursinum, Melissa officinalis, Origanum vulgare, Satureja subspicata, Thymus serpyllum, and Urtica dioica ).…”

Correlation between Antimicrobial Activity Values and Total Phenolic Content/Antioxidant Activity in Rubus idaeus L.

“…Numerous research studies have outlined that raspberries have beneficial properties for humans, like antioxidant and antimicrobial activities, and a wide range of physiological properties, such as anti-allergenic, anti-atherogenic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antioxidant, and cardioprotective effects. The pharmacological activity of natural compounds is due to their low toxicity, the ability to comprehensively affect the body, and rarely causing serious adverse reactions [ 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 ]. The antimicrobial potential of some raspberry morphological parts, such as fruits and leaves, has been investigated mostly by the scientists mentioned in this paper.…”