Floris Ignazio, Pusceddu Michelina, Satta Alberto
Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Sassari, Viale Italia 39A, 07100 Sassari, Italy.
Antioxidants (Basel). 2021 Mar 24;10(4):506. doi: 10.3390/antiox10040506.
Sardinian bitter honey, obtained from the autumnal flowering of the strawberry tree ( L.), has an old fame and tradition in popular use, especially as a medicine. Its knowledge dates back over 2000 years, starting from the Greeks and Romans to the present day. There are many literary references from illustrious personalities of the past such as Cicero, Horace, Virgil, and Dioscorides, until recent times, associated with the peculiar anomaly of its taste, which lends itself to literary and poetic metaphors. The curiosity of its bitter taste is also what led to the first studies starting in the late 1800s, aimed to reveal its origin. Other studies on its botanical source and characteristics have been carried out over time, up to the most recent investigations, which have confirmed its potential for use in the medical field, thanks to its antioxidant, antiradical, and cancer-preventing properties. These benefits have been associated with its phenolic component and in particular with the prevailing phenolic acid (homogentisic acid). Later, other strawberry tree honeys from the Mediterranean area have also shown the same properties. However, Sardinian bitter honey maintains its geographical and historical identity, which is recognized by other Mediterranean cultures.
撒丁岛苦蜂蜜源自草莓树（ ）的秋季开花，在民间应用中久负盛名且历史悠久，尤其作为一种药物。其被认知的历史可追溯到2000多年前，从希腊人和罗马人时期一直到如今。过去有许多杰出人物如西塞罗、贺拉斯、维吉尔和狄奥斯科里季斯等在文学作品中提及它，直至近代，都与它独特的味道异常有关，这使其成为文学和诗歌隐喻的对象。它苦味的奇特之处也促使了从19世纪末开始的首批研究，旨在揭示其来源。随着时间推移，人们对其植物来源和特性开展了其他研究，直至最近的调查，这些研究证实了它在医学领域的应用潜力，这得益于其抗氧化、抗自由基和防癌特性。这些益处与它的酚类成分有关，特别是与主要的酚酸（尿黑酸）有关。后来，来自地中海地区的其他草莓树蜂蜜也展现出了同样的特性。然而，撒丁岛苦蜂蜜保持着其地理和历史特性，这得到了其他地中海文化的认可。
