Botanical Provenance of Traditional Medicines From Carpathian Mountains at the Ukrainian-Polish Border
Plants were an essential part of foraging for food and health, and for centuries remained the only medicines available to people from the remote mountain regions. Their correct botanical provenance is an essential basis for understanding the ethnic cultures, as well as for chemical identification of...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2018-04-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Pharmacology |
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| Online Access: | http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fphar.2018.00295/full |
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| author | Weronika Kozlowska Charles Wagner Charles Wagner Erin M. Moore Erin M. Moore Adam Matkowski Slavko Komarnytsky Slavko Komarnytsky |
| author_facet | Weronika Kozlowska Charles Wagner Charles Wagner Erin M. Moore Erin M. Moore Adam Matkowski Slavko Komarnytsky Slavko Komarnytsky |
| author_sort | Weronika Kozlowska |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Plants were an essential part of foraging for food and health, and for centuries remained the only medicines available to people from the remote mountain regions. Their correct botanical provenance is an essential basis for understanding the ethnic cultures, as well as for chemical identification of the novel bioactive molecules with therapeutic effects. This work describes the use of herbal medicines in the Beskid mountain ranges located south of Krakow and Lviv, two influential medieval centers of apothecary tradition in the region. Local botanical remedies shared by Boyko, Lemko, and Gorale ethnic groups were a part of the medieval European system of medicine, used according to their Dioscoridean and Galenic qualities. Within the context of ethnic plant medicine and botanical classification, this review identified strong preferences for local use of St John's-wort (Hypericum perforatum L.), wormwood (Artemisia absinthium L.), garlic (Allium sativum L.), gentian (Gentiana lutea L.), lovage (Levisticum officinale W.D.J. Koch), and lesser periwinkle (Vinca minor L.). While Ukrainian ethnic groups favored the use of guilder-rose (Viburnum opulus L.) and yarrow (Achillea millefolium L.), Polish inhabitants especially valued angelica (Angelica archangelica L.) and carline thistle (Carlina acaulis L.). The region also holds a strong potential for collection, cultivation, and manufacture of medicinal plants and plant-based natural specialty ingredients for the food, health and cosmetic industries, in part due to high degree of biodiversity and ecological preservation. Many of these products, including whole food nutritional supplements, will soon complement conventional medicines in prevention and treatment of diseases, while adding value to agriculture and local economies. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-12T19:04:00Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-5b3857d59c5c49958d308ab89e5c4a7b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1663-9812 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-12T19:04:00Z |
| publishDate | 2018-04-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Pharmacology |
| spelling | doaj.art-5b3857d59c5c49958d308ab89e5c4a7b2022-12-22T00:15:00ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Pharmacology1663-98122018-04-01910.3389/fphar.2018.00295342376Botanical Provenance of Traditional Medicines From Carpathian Mountains at the Ukrainian-Polish BorderWeronika Kozlowska0Charles Wagner1Charles Wagner2Erin M. Moore3Erin M. Moore4Adam Matkowski5Slavko Komarnytsky6Slavko Komarnytsky7Department of Pharmaceutical Biology, Medical University of Wroclaw, Wroclaw, PolandPlants for Human Health Institute, North Carolina State University, Kannapolis, NC, United StatesDepartment of Plant and Microbial Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United StatesPlants for Human Health Institute, North Carolina State University, Kannapolis, NC, United StatesDepartment of Biology, Catawba College, Salisbury, NC, United StatesDepartment of Pharmaceutical Biology, Medical University of Wroclaw, Wroclaw, PolandPlants for Human Health Institute, North Carolina State University, Kannapolis, NC, United StatesDepartment of Food, Bioprocessing & Nutrition Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United StatesPlants were an essential part of foraging for food and health, and for centuries remained the only medicines available to people from the remote mountain regions. Their correct botanical provenance is an essential basis for understanding the ethnic cultures, as well as for chemical identification of the novel bioactive molecules with therapeutic effects. This work describes the use of herbal medicines in the Beskid mountain ranges located south of Krakow and Lviv, two influential medieval centers of apothecary tradition in the region. Local botanical remedies shared by Boyko, Lemko, and Gorale ethnic groups were a part of the medieval European system of medicine, used according to their Dioscoridean and Galenic qualities. Within the context of ethnic plant medicine and botanical classification, this review identified strong preferences for local use of St John's-wort (Hypericum perforatum L.), wormwood (Artemisia absinthium L.), garlic (Allium sativum L.), gentian (Gentiana lutea L.), lovage (Levisticum officinale W.D.J. Koch), and lesser periwinkle (Vinca minor L.). While Ukrainian ethnic groups favored the use of guilder-rose (Viburnum opulus L.) and yarrow (Achillea millefolium L.), Polish inhabitants especially valued angelica (Angelica archangelica L.) and carline thistle (Carlina acaulis L.). The region also holds a strong potential for collection, cultivation, and manufacture of medicinal plants and plant-based natural specialty ingredients for the food, health and cosmetic industries, in part due to high degree of biodiversity and ecological preservation. Many of these products, including whole food nutritional supplements, will soon complement conventional medicines in prevention and treatment of diseases, while adding value to agriculture and local economies.http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fphar.2018.00295/fullethnobotanytraditional knowledgeherbal textsbioactive compoundsfunctional foodsfolk remedies |
| spellingShingle | Weronika Kozlowska Charles Wagner Charles Wagner Erin M. Moore Erin M. Moore Adam Matkowski Slavko Komarnytsky Slavko Komarnytsky Botanical Provenance of Traditional Medicines From Carpathian Mountains at the Ukrainian-Polish Border Frontiers in Pharmacology ethnobotany traditional knowledge herbal texts bioactive compounds functional foods folk remedies |
| title | Botanical Provenance of Traditional Medicines From Carpathian Mountains at the Ukrainian-Polish Border |
| title_full | Botanical Provenance of Traditional Medicines From Carpathian Mountains at the Ukrainian-Polish Border |
| title_fullStr | Botanical Provenance of Traditional Medicines From Carpathian Mountains at the Ukrainian-Polish Border |
| title_full_unstemmed | Botanical Provenance of Traditional Medicines From Carpathian Mountains at the Ukrainian-Polish Border |
| title_short | Botanical Provenance of Traditional Medicines From Carpathian Mountains at the Ukrainian-Polish Border |
| title_sort | botanical provenance of traditional medicines from carpathian mountains at the ukrainian polish border |
| topic | ethnobotany traditional knowledge herbal texts bioactive compounds functional foods folk remedies |
| url | http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fphar.2018.00295/full |
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