Ethnobotanical Diversity of Trees and Shrubs of Iran: A Comprehensive Review
Iran, possessing unique topographic and diverse climatic conditions, is the home of 8167 vascular plant species. Iran has a historical tradition in using plants for medicinal purposes. Approximately 2075 species over the whole are popularly characterized as medicinal or aromatic. Medicinal trees and...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-01-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Plant Biology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2037-0164/14/1/11 |
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| author | Mohabat Nadaf Mohammad Sadegh Amiri Mohammad Reza Joharchi Reza Omidipour Masomeh Moazezi Behzad Mohaddesi Mohammad Ehsan Taghavizadeh Yazdi Javad Mottaghipisheh |
| author_facet | Mohabat Nadaf Mohammad Sadegh Amiri Mohammad Reza Joharchi Reza Omidipour Masomeh Moazezi Behzad Mohaddesi Mohammad Ehsan Taghavizadeh Yazdi Javad Mottaghipisheh |
| author_sort | Mohabat Nadaf |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Iran, possessing unique topographic and diverse climatic conditions, is the home of 8167 vascular plant species. Iran has a historical tradition in using plants for medicinal purposes. Approximately 2075 species over the whole are popularly characterized as medicinal or aromatic. Medicinal trees and shrubs compose a significant percentage of Iranian medicinal flora. Nonetheless, there are no integrated databases on their applications and most of the publications and documents have been scattered to date. Therefore, the present investigation aims to integrate the published literature considering its ethnobotanical aspects that would serve as promising precursors for developing potent medicines of plant origin. In the study, we compile information about ethnobotany of trees and shrubs of Iran. Our survey found 174 taxa belonging to 109 genera and 56 families. The majority of species were classified in Rosaceae, Fabaceae, Rutaceae, Salicaceae, and Lamiaceae families. Rosaceae was the most dominant, representing 21.8% of the total plant species recorded, among them, the genus with the highest number of species was <i>Prunus</i> (16 species). <i>Berberis vulgaris, Citrus limon,</i> and <i>Betula pendula</i> have the highest number of medicinal uses (24 number of uses) in Iran. Leaves (22.7%) represented the most dominant usage of the plant parts, while the most commonly used preparation method was infusion (33.5%). Most of the plant species have been consumed for digestive system treatment (21%), followed by immune system treatment (20%). The present review highlights that different trees and shrubs taxa have great traditional applications in various healing throughout the Iranian territory. The represented data can potentially be a precious reference containing useful information for directing further phytochemical, biological, and pharmacological investigations. Several endemic species of trees and shrubs, particularly <i>Ribes khorasanicum</i>, are frequently used in Iranian traditional medicine. Because of overharvesting, these species are calling a wake-up alarm for conservation. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T06:24:20Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b35d17db3e3f48e9b18fd8a7fda8f874 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2037-0164 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T06:24:20Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Plant Biology |
| spelling | doaj.art-b35d17db3e3f48e9b18fd8a7fda8f8742023-11-17T11:42:39ZengMDPI AGInternational Journal of Plant Biology2037-01642023-01-0114112014610.3390/ijpb14010011Ethnobotanical Diversity of Trees and Shrubs of Iran: A Comprehensive ReviewMohabat Nadaf0Mohammad Sadegh Amiri1Mohammad Reza Joharchi2Reza Omidipour3Masomeh Moazezi4Behzad Mohaddesi5Mohammad Ehsan Taghavizadeh Yazdi6Javad Mottaghipisheh7Department of Biology, Payame Noor University, Tehran 19395-4697, IranDepartment of Biology, Payame Noor University, Tehran 19395-4697, IranDepartment of Botany, Research Center for Plant Sciences, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad 9177948974, IranDepartment of Rangeland and Watershed Management, Faculties of Natural Resources and Earth Sciences, University of Shahrekord, Shahrekord 64165478, IranDepartment of Biology, Payame Noor University, Tehran 19395-4697, IranDepartment of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran 1416634793, IranApplied Biomedical Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad 917794-8564, IranCenter for Molecular Biosciences (CMBI), Institute of Pharmacy/Pharmacognosy, University of Innsbruck, Innrain 80-82, 6020 Innsbruck, AustriaIran, possessing unique topographic and diverse climatic conditions, is the home of 8167 vascular plant species. Iran has a historical tradition in using plants for medicinal purposes. Approximately 2075 species over the whole are popularly characterized as medicinal or aromatic. Medicinal trees and shrubs compose a significant percentage of Iranian medicinal flora. Nonetheless, there are no integrated databases on their applications and most of the publications and documents have been scattered to date. Therefore, the present investigation aims to integrate the published literature considering its ethnobotanical aspects that would serve as promising precursors for developing potent medicines of plant origin. In the study, we compile information about ethnobotany of trees and shrubs of Iran. Our survey found 174 taxa belonging to 109 genera and 56 families. The majority of species were classified in Rosaceae, Fabaceae, Rutaceae, Salicaceae, and Lamiaceae families. Rosaceae was the most dominant, representing 21.8% of the total plant species recorded, among them, the genus with the highest number of species was <i>Prunus</i> (16 species). <i>Berberis vulgaris, Citrus limon,</i> and <i>Betula pendula</i> have the highest number of medicinal uses (24 number of uses) in Iran. Leaves (22.7%) represented the most dominant usage of the plant parts, while the most commonly used preparation method was infusion (33.5%). Most of the plant species have been consumed for digestive system treatment (21%), followed by immune system treatment (20%). The present review highlights that different trees and shrubs taxa have great traditional applications in various healing throughout the Iranian territory. The represented data can potentially be a precious reference containing useful information for directing further phytochemical, biological, and pharmacological investigations. Several endemic species of trees and shrubs, particularly <i>Ribes khorasanicum</i>, are frequently used in Iranian traditional medicine. Because of overharvesting, these species are calling a wake-up alarm for conservation.https://www.mdpi.com/2037-0164/14/1/11ethnobotanyIranian medicinal plantstrees and shrubsliterature survey |
| spellingShingle | Mohabat Nadaf Mohammad Sadegh Amiri Mohammad Reza Joharchi Reza Omidipour Masomeh Moazezi Behzad Mohaddesi Mohammad Ehsan Taghavizadeh Yazdi Javad Mottaghipisheh Ethnobotanical Diversity of Trees and Shrubs of Iran: A Comprehensive Review International Journal of Plant Biology ethnobotany Iranian medicinal plants trees and shrubs literature survey |
| title | Ethnobotanical Diversity of Trees and Shrubs of Iran: A Comprehensive Review |
| title_full | Ethnobotanical Diversity of Trees and Shrubs of Iran: A Comprehensive Review |
| title_fullStr | Ethnobotanical Diversity of Trees and Shrubs of Iran: A Comprehensive Review |
| title_full_unstemmed | Ethnobotanical Diversity of Trees and Shrubs of Iran: A Comprehensive Review |
| title_short | Ethnobotanical Diversity of Trees and Shrubs of Iran: A Comprehensive Review |
| title_sort | ethnobotanical diversity of trees and shrubs of iran a comprehensive review |
| topic | ethnobotany Iranian medicinal plants trees and shrubs literature survey |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2037-0164/14/1/11 |
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