Abstract
This ethnobotanical survey was carried out in Caspoggio (Valmalenco, SO, Italy) with the purpose of investigating the traditional uses of medicinal plants. Moreover, a bibliographic research meant to validate or refute the uses, focusing on the potentially responsible compounds, was performed. Fifty-nine species, attributable to 30 families (Asteraceae, Pinaceae, Malvaceae, and Lamiaceae the most cited), were mentioned. Arnica montana, anti-inflammatory for traumas and musculoskeletal pains; Pinus mugo, expectorant; Malva sylvestris, anti-inflammatory and soothing; Achillea moschata, digestive. The compounds, responsible for the therapeutic activities, are often polyphenols and terpenoids: helenanin in A. montana, α-pinene, δ-3-carene, and limonene in P. mugo, gossypin and malvin in M. sylvestris, luteolin and apigenin in A. moschata. Scientific evidence for at least one of the traditional activities described was found for 50 species but only in 26 out of 196 works consulted, it is possible to make a comparison between investigated extracts and traditional preparations. This study is thus a stimulus to new phytochemical investigations, mimicking as much as possible the traditional preparations. This work is part of the European Interreg Italy-Switzerland B-ICE project, aimed at creating a management model for the ongoing climate change and searching for new sources of territory valorization as attractions for tourists.
Highlights
Ethnobotany of mountain regions is receiving increased interest in recent years [1] due to the growing awareness about the impact of global warming on mountain biodiversity and the issues of conservation and sustainable management of the landscape
The last three columns concern the bibliographic research carried out on the species and are organized: Bibliographic reference: Ethnobotany; Bibliographic reference: Biological activity; Bibliographic reference: Active compounds
Asteraceae is the most cited family (692 citations for 13 species, 41.7% of the total citations), including plants both well known in the studied area (e.g., Achillea moschata Wulfen, Arnica montana L., and Matricaria chamomilla L.) and multi-purpose plants, e.g., used in different disease categories (e.g., Achillea millefolium L.)
Summary
Ethnobotany of mountain regions is receiving increased interest in recent years [1] due to the growing awareness about the impact of global warming on mountain biodiversity and the issues of conservation and sustainable management of the landscape. Mountain areas are recognized to be an important reservoir of ethnobotanical knowledge [2,3]. Ethnobotanical knowledge is disappearing in mountain areas of many parts of the world, in developed countries, due to the ongoing socio-economic changes and the loss of ethnic cultures. This process has been widely investigated, since loss of traditional knowledge could result in declining capacities of local communities to manage and conserve their ecosystems [4]. According to Dutfield [7] the erosion of ethnopharmacological knowledge and the abandonment of Molecules 2020, 25, 4144; doi:10.3390/molecules25184144 www.mdpi.com/journal/molecules
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