0000000001134669
AUTHOR
Laura Cornara
The problem of misidentification between edible and poisonous wild plants: Reports from the Mediterranean area
Abstract Today, in many European countries, people are looking for wild edible plants to experience new tastes and flavors, by following the new trend of being green and environmentally friendly. Young borage and spinach leaves can be easily confused by inexpert pickers with those of other plants, including poisonous ones, such as Mandragora autumnalis Bertol. (mandrake) or Digitalis purpurea L. (foxglove), common in southern and northern Italy respectively. In the last twenty years, several cases of intoxication by accidental ingestion of mandrake and foxglove have been reported. The purpose of this work was to perform a pharmacognostic characterization of young leaves from borage, mandrak…
Ethnobotany of the Aegadian Islands: safeguarding biocultural refugia in the Mediterranean
Abstract Background The Aegadian Islands are located west of Trapani, Sicily. Once the site of bountiful tuna fisheries and fruit orchards (plums, peaches, apricots), grapevines, prickly pears, and grains, the local economy is now based on tourism, and many traditional agricultural and maritime practices have been abandoned. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the state of traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) concerning the use of wild and cultivated plants and fungi for human health, food, maritime, and agricultural purposes on the islands of Levanzo, Favignana, and Marettimo and compare present-day practices with those documented in the past. Methods In-depth semi-structured interviews …
Essential oil of Citrus lumia Risso: Phytochemical profile, antioxidant properties and activity on the central nervous system
Citrus lumia Risso Essential oil Antioxidant properties Anti-cholinesterase activity Cytotoxicity Neuroactive effects 1. Introduction Plants that produce essential oils (EOs) represent a large part of natural flora and an important resource in various fields such as pharmaceutical, food and cosmetic industries, due to their flavor, fra- grance and biological activity (Swamy et al., 2016). EOs play a pivotal role in the growth and colonization of plants, giving color and scent to reproductive organs, attracting pollinators, favoring seed dispersion (Sharifi-Rad et al., 2017), and defending the plant against abiotic (light, temperature, etc.) and biotics (herbivores, harmful insects and pa- t…
Additional file 1 of Ethnobotany of the Aegadian Islands: safeguarding biocultural refugia in the Mediterranean
Additional file 1. Ethnobiological uses of local taxa. Data table reporting the specific uses of local taxa documented in the present work and comparison to prior publications in the region. (.pdf file format).