Wild Plants Used as Herbs and Spices in Italy: An Ethnobotanical Review

Motti, Riccardo

doi:10.3390/plants10030563

Cited by 54 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 75 publications

(69 reference statements)

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“…In our study, the EI was 10.3% considering only native and alien wild food plants; it was slightly lower (10.2%) when only native flora was taken into account. These values are consistent with those of other Italian regions (range 5.4-11%) for seasonings only [48], or different areas of the Iberian Peninsula (range 5.05-29.01%) for all food and medicinal uses [49]. Recently, Gras et al [44] have reported that 6.62% of the total native flora in the Catalan linguistic area has a traditional food use.…”

Section: General Datasupporting

confidence: 83%

“…vesca, and S. nigra (23) (Supplementary Material S2). The number of taxa used as seasoning in our study (79) was much higher than that listed by Motti [48] for Tuscany itself (24) and for other regions such as Campania (23), Abruzzo, and Lombardy (22 each). Most of these plants belong to Lamiaceae, Amaryllidaceae, and Apiaceae.…”

Section: Preparation Forms and Detailed Usescontrasting

confidence: 53%

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The Renaissance of Wild Food Plants: Insights from Tuscany (Italy)

Baldi

Bruschi

Campeggi

et al. 2022

Foods

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This paper provides an overview of wild food plants traditionally used in the gastronomy of Tuscany, an Italian region with high biological diversity and whose cultural heritage is well known. Forty-nine bibliographic sources, including five unpublished studies, were reviewed. A list of species with ecological characteristics, plant parts used, use category (food, liquor, or seasoning), methods of preparation (raw or cooked), and recipes is presented. The use of 357 taxa (3711 use reports, URs), was recorded, belonging to 215 genera and 72 botanical families. Over the total taxa, 12 are new for Tuscany, 52 seem not to be present in other Italian regions, and 54 were not detected in the consulted European ethnobotanical literature. Of these taxa, 324 (3117 URs) were used as food, while 49 (178 URs) and 81 (416 URs) were used for liquor and seasoning, respectively. Of the 17 different food recipes, cooked vegetables constituted the largest group, followed by salads, omelets, snacks, and fillings. The chemical composition of the recorded food plants and the possible safety risks associated to their consumption, as well as their traditional medicinal use, are also shown. This review highlights the richness of ethnobotanical knowledge in Tuscany. Such biocultural heritage can be a “source of inspiration” for agriculture. As a reservoir of potential new crops, wild edible flora may contribute to the development of emerging horticultural sectors such as vertical farming and microgreens production. Moreover, the nutrient content and healthy properties of many wild food plants reported in this study has the ability to meet consumer demand for functional foods.

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Section: General Datasupporting

confidence: 83%

Section: Preparation Forms and Detailed Usescontrasting

confidence: 53%

The Renaissance of Wild Food Plants: Insights from Tuscany (Italy)

Baldi

Bruschi

Campeggi

et al. 2022

Foods

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“…Root sap of Glycyrrhiza is utilized in wine production in the middle region of Turkey [21]. Decoction of root is used as a mild laxative in Italy [22] and juice from root and stem is used as a stimulant, astringent, and tonic in Nepal [23]. It is mixed with tea as the cure for sore throat in Egypt [11].…”

Section: Traditional Usesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phytochemistry, pharmacological activity, and potential health benefits of Glycyrrhiza glabra

Hasan

Ara

Mondal

et al. 2021

Heliyon

121

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Nature has always been an excellent source for many therapeutic compounds providing us with many medicinal plants and microorganisms producing beneficial chemicals. Therefore, the demand for medicinal plants, cosmetics, and health products is always on the rise. One such plant from the Leguminosae family is licorice and the scientific name is Glycyrrhiza glabra Linn. It is an herb-type plant with medicinal value. In the following article, we shall elaborately look at the plants' phytochemical constituents and the pharmacological impact of those substances. Several compounds such as glycyrrhizin, glycyrrhizinic acid, isoliquiritin, and glycyrrhizic acid have been found in this plant, which can provide pharmacological benefit to us with its anti-cancer, anti-atherogenic, antidiabetic, anti-asthmatic, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, and antispasmodic activity. Alongside, these products have a different role in hepatoprotective, immunologic, memory-enhancing activity. They can stimulate hair growth, control obesity, and have anti-depressants, sedatives, and anticoagulant activity. This review examines recent studies on the phytochemical and pharmacological data and describes some side effects and toxicity of licorice and its bioactive components.

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“…Since historic times, spices and herbs have been used as food flavors, and their effects on human health are still being investigated to understand the roles of their chemical components [1,2]. Rosmarinus officinalis L. (also known as Salvia rosmarinus Schleid) and Lavandula angustifolia Mill.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Headspace/GC–MS Analysis and Investigation of Antibacterial, Antioxidant and Cytotoxic Activity of Essential Oils and Hydrolates from Rosmarinus officinalis L. and Lavandula angustifolia Miller

Garzoli

Masci

Franceschi

et al. 2021

Foods

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In this work, essential oils (EOs) and hydrolates (Hys) of Rosmarinus officinalis L. and Lavandula angustifolia Mill., grown in Tuscany (Italy), were studied to describe their chemical composition and biological activities. The aromatic profile of the EOs liquid phase was carried out by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS), while the volatile composition of vapor phase EOs and Hys was performed by headspace (HS)/GC–MS. The obtained results show that monoterpene hydrocarbons (71.5% and 89.5%) were the main compounds, followed by oxygenated monoterpenes (26.0% and 10.5%) in the liquid and vapor phase of R. officinalis EO, respectively. The oxygenated monoterpenes were the main components of L. angustifolia EO, reaching 86.9% in the liquid phase and 53.7% in the vapor phase. Regarding Hys, they consisted only of oxygenated monoterpenes, and 1,8-cineole (56.2%) and linalool (42.9%), were the main components of R. officinalis and L. officinalis Hys, respectively. Their cytotoxicity was investigated on an SHSY5Y neuroblastoma cell line by thiazolyl blue tetrazolium bromide (MTT) test, showing a notable effect of the EOs with a time-independent manner of activity and half maximal effective concentration (EC50) values quite similar for the two plant species (from 0.05% to 0.06% v/v for the three time points evaluated). A measurable activity of Hys was also obtained although with higher EC50 values. The antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli ATCC® 25922, Pseudomonas fluorescens ATCC® 13525, Acinetobacter bohemicus DSM 102855 as Gram-negative bacteria and Kocuria marina DSM 16420, Bacillus cereus ATCC® 10876 as Gram-positive bacteria, was evaluated by the agar disk-diffusion method and the VPT (vapor phase test) to determinate the MIC (minimal inhibitory concentration) and the MBC (minimal bactericidal concentration) values. Both EOs possessed a high activity against all the bacterial strains with MIC values ranging from 0.19% to 3.13% v/v. Unlike EOs, Hys did not show an inhibition of the bacterial growth at the tested concentrations. Furthermore, antioxidant power was measured by 2,2’-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt-based (ABTS•+) and the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assays, showing a remarkable ability to reduce radicals by both EOs; Hys were slightly less active. The findings highlighted that R. officinalis and L. angustifolia EOs and Hys have a chemical composition rich in bioactive molecules, which can exert different biological activities.

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Wild Plants Used as Herbs and Spices in Italy: An Ethnobotanical Review

Cited by 54 publications

References 75 publications

The Renaissance of Wild Food Plants: Insights from Tuscany (Italy)

The Renaissance of Wild Food Plants: Insights from Tuscany (Italy)

Phytochemistry, pharmacological activity, and potential health benefits of Glycyrrhiza glabra

Headspace/GC–MS Analysis and Investigation of Antibacterial, Antioxidant and Cytotoxic Activity of Essential Oils and Hydrolates from Rosmarinus officinalis L. and Lavandula angustifolia Miller

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