Department of Ecology, Institute for Biological Research 'Siniša Stanković' - National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Bulevar Despota Stefana 142, 11108, Belgrade, Serbia.
J Ethnobiol Ethnomed. 2024 Jan 10;20(1):7. doi: 10.1186/s13002-024-00647-2.
Ethnobotanical research in Southeast Europe-one of the most important European hotspots for biocultural diversity-is significant for the acquisition of Traditional Ecological Knowledge related to plants as well as for encouraging the development of local environments. The current ethnobotanical research was conducted in the region of Mt Stara Planina (south-eastern Serbia), which is characterised by rich phytodiversity with a large number of endemic and relict plant species. The aim of the study was to document the diversity of uses of medicinal plants and of traditional knowledge on their therapeutic uses.
Ethnobotanical data was collected through both open and semi-structured interviews with locals. Fifty-one inhabitants were interviewed (26 men and 25 women), aged 30-91, and data was analysed by means of use reports, citation frequency, use values (UV), and the informant consensus factor (ICF).
The study identified 136 vascular medicinal plant taxa and one lichen species belonging to 53 families and 116 genera. Lamiaceae (19), Rosaceae (18), and Asteraceae (17) had the highest species diversity. The plant parts most commonly used to make a variety of herbal preparations were the aerial parts (54 citations), leaves (35 citations), fruits (20 citations), flowers (18 citations), and roots (16 citations), while the most common forms of preparation were teas (60.78%), consumption of fresh tubers, leaves, roots, and fructus (6.86%), compresses (5.88%), juices (5.39%), decoctions (3.92%), 'travarica' brandy (3.92%), and syrups (2.45%). Of the recorded species, 102 were administered orally, 17 topically, and 18 both orally and topically. The plants with a maximum use value (UV = 1) were Allium sativum, Allium ursinum, Gentiana asclepiadea, Gentiana cruciata, Gentiana lutea, Hypericum perforatum, Thymus serpyllum and Urtica dioica. The highest ICF value (ICF = 0.95) was recorded in the categories of Skin and Blood, Blood Forming Organs, and Immune Mechanism.
This study shows that medicinal plants in the research area are an extremely important natural resource for the local population as they are an important component of their health culture and provide a better standard of living.
东南欧的民族植物学研究——生物文化多样性的欧洲最重要热点之一——对于获取与植物相关的传统生态知识以及鼓励当地环境的发展具有重要意义。本项当前的民族植物学研究在斯特拉山脉地区（塞尔维亚东南部）进行，该地区植物多样性丰富，拥有大量的特有和遗留植物物种。该研究的目的是记录药用植物的多样性以及有关其治疗用途的传统知识。
通过对当地人进行开放式和半结构化访谈收集民族植物学数据。共采访了 51 位居民（26 名男性和 25 名女性），年龄在 30-91 岁之间，通过使用报告、引用频率、使用值 (UV) 和信息共识因子 (ICF) 对数据进行分析。
本研究共鉴定出 136 种维管束药用植物类群和 1 种地衣物种，隶属于 53 科 116 属。唇形科（19 种）、蔷薇科（18 种）和菊科（17 种）的物种多样性最高。用于制作各种草药制剂的植物部位最常见的是地上部分（54 个引用）、叶子（35 个引用）、果实（20 个引用）、花（18 个引用）和根（16 个引用），而最常见的制剂形式是茶（60.78%）、新鲜块茎、叶子、根和果实的食用（6.86%）、敷布（5.88%）、果汁（5.39%）、煎剂（3.92%）、“特拉瓦里卡”白兰地（3.92%）和糖浆（2.45%）。在所记录的物种中，102 种被口服，17 种被局部使用，18 种同时口服和局部使用。使用值（UV）最高的植物（UV=1）为大蒜、熊葱、龙胆属、杂交龙胆、黄花龙胆、贯叶金丝桃、夏枯草和荨麻。最高信息共识因子（ICF）值（ICF=0.95）记录在皮肤和血液、血液形成器官和免疫机制类别中。
本研究表明，研究区域的药用植物是当地居民极其重要的自然资源，因为它们是其健康文化的重要组成部分，提供了更高的生活水平。
