| dc.description.abstract | Background 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.
Methods Ethnobotanical data was collected through both open and semi-structured interviews with locals. Fiftyone
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).
Results 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.
Conclusions 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. | sr |
