Καταγραφή θεραπευτικών ιδιοτήτων τροφίμων φυτικής προέλευσης: μια εθνοφαρμακολογική επισκόπηση

Abstract

Nowadays, natural products have attracted the interest of the scientific community in order to treat a diversity of diseases as well as search for new active substances of pharmaceutical interest. It is known that foods of plant origin contain plethora of phytochemicals with varying health-promoting activities. Cyprus has great diversity of flora consisting of approximately 2000 native plants as it is found in the crossroad of three continents: Africa, Asia and Europe. In addition, several ethnic groups left their cultural traces on the island. Thus, the objective of the present study was to document the traditional uses, preparations and applications of food of plant origin by the local community. The search was carried out through questionnaires which were recorded apart from the use of plants information on the manufacture and use of herbal medicines. Results showed that plant material belonging to 20 plant families are used for therapeutic purposes;, the presence of Rosaceae and Lamiaceae plants are the most ascendant. The plants, mostly outlined for their therapeutic effect were peppermint, chamomile, anise, oregano and basil. As it is expected, herbs and spices are used more often than fruit and vegetables. They mainly act as agents against respiratory tract infections, gastrointestinal problems, and cardiovascular diseases. Furthermore the exploitation of these plant materials for cosmetic and repelling purposes as well as for removal of insects and reptiles was also reported. Results also highlights that Cypriots mainly include leaves and fruits in traditional medicine recipes and mostly consume as decoction or fresh product without any processing. Overall, the present work may provide a knowledge database for therapeutic uses of plant materials that are widely used as food.