Abstract
The paper provides an insight into the traditional use of medicinal plant species from the genus Gentiana in the Pirot County in Southeastern Serbia. The ethnopharmacological study was conducted in the form of interviews among the population in four municipalities: Pirot, Babušnica, Bela Palanka, and Dimitrovgrad. Among the population of Pirot County, it was noticed the use of two species from the genus Gentiana: G. cruciata and G. lutea. It was recorded that cross gentian (G. cruciata) has great popularity and versatile aspects on traditional usage, that was mentioned by 53 respondents, and that includes the treatment of cancer diseases, improving the immune system, diabetes, blood purification, for appetite, gastric and duodenal ulcer, for high blood pressure, inflammation, lung diseases, cold, cough, disease prevention, diseases of internal organs, high cholesterol, and leaking breast. The usage of the root of yellow gentian (G. lutea) was mentioned by 30 respondents, and that includes improving the immune system, appetite, for the stomach, blood purification, circulation, as an aphrodisiac, against cancer diseases, diabetes, and gastric and duodenal ulcer. It is important to note that yellow gentian, recorded in the study area, is the first species on the list of illegally collected species in Serbia.
Highlights
The efficacy of herbal medicinal products has been confirmed by many years of experience in traditional medicine
It was recorded that cross gentian (G. cruciata) has great popularity and versatile aspects on traditional usage, that was mentioned by 53 respondents, and that includes the treatment of cancer diseases, improving the immune system, diabetes, blood purification, for appetite, gastric and duodenal ulcer, for high blood pressure, inflammation, lung diseases, cold, cough, disease prevention, diseases of internal organs, high cholesterol, and leaking breast
We recorded 3754 use reports of medicinal plants concerned human medicine, of which 83 reports refer to applications of plants from genus Gentiana (2.21 %)
Summary
The efficacy of herbal medicinal products has been confirmed by many years of experience in traditional medicine. We conducted an ethnopharmacological study in Pirot County (Southeastern Serbia), situated on the border between Serbia and Bulgaria, which is a typical traditional and underdeveloped region of Serbia. This study was organized to increase the knowledge of medicinal flora on the Balkan Peninsula, as one of the most important centers of plant diversity in Europe (Zlatkovicet al., 2014). Milojevicand Mihajlov (1985) have noticed 208 species of medicinal plants and 788 native folk names, whereby most of them are characterized by the characteristics of the language of this region. A list of 326 medicinal herbs was compiled in the Pirot County by Markovicet al. Medicinal plants of the Gentiana genus which are part of Serbian medicinal flora, and which were noticed in the Pirot County, according to Markovicet al. Medicinal plants of the Gentiana genus which are part of Serbian medicinal flora, and which were noticed in the Pirot County, according to Markovicet al. (2020), are Gentiana asclepiadea L., Gentiana cruciata L., Gentiana lutea L., and Gentiana punctata L
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