Search results for " edible plants"
showing 4 items of 4 documents
The problem of misidentification between edible and poisonous wild plants: Reports from the Mediterranean area
2018
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…
Bioactive Compounds in Wild Asteraceae Edible Plants Consumed in the Mediterranean Diet
2020
Three wild edible plant species belonging to the Asteraceae family, Crepis vesicaria L. (s.l.), Sonchus asper (L.) Hill s.l., and Sonchus oleraceus L., usually consumed in the Mediterranean diet, were tested for their nutritional composition and content of carotenoids, tocols, thiamine and riboflavin. Low amounts of thiamine and riboflavin were found. All species were sources of xanthophylls (violaxanthin, neoxanthin, lutein, zeaxanthin and β-cryptoxanthin) and carotenes (α-carotene, β-carotene, 9-cis-β-carotene and 13-cis-β-carotene). Lutein accounted for the highest content (about 4 mg/100 g). They had good tocol amounts, in particular α-tocopherol (about 2–3 mg/100 g). Taking into accoun…
Environmental effects and potential impact on human health caused by the recent Nyiragongo eruption (Democratic Republic of Congo)
2022
Volcanic activity emits large amounts of gases and particles to the atmosphere subsequently spreading contaminants to rain, surface waters and soils, negatively impacting on the environment and the human health. The recent eruption of Nyiragongo occurred on 22nd of May, injected large quantities of ash affecting the environment of the Virunga area, and more than 2 million people living between 18-25 km far from the main crater of Nyiragongo. Several studies demonstrated that drinking waters and plants may contain high contents of natural pollutants, and when ingested they become harmful to human health causing acute or chronic diseases. In this study, we investigated the impact of the recen…
The recent Nyiragongo (Democratic Republic of Congo) eruption: the impact of volcanic ash fallout on drinking water and edible plants
2022
Nyiragongo is an active intraplate volcano well known for its fascinating persistent lava lake inside the crater and is recognized as one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world as more than two million people live on its slopes, 18-25 km far from the main crater. It is located in the Virunga Volcanic Province (VVP), in the western branch of the East African Rift System (EARS), at the intersection between the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda. Unexpectedly, on 22 May 2021, Nyiragongo produced three different lateral lava flows in the low flanks and significant amounts of volcanic gas and ash were emitted from the summit crater. For several weeks, the ash fallout strongly…