Wild food plants traditionally consumed in the area of Bologna (Emilia Romagna region, Italy)

Bibliographic Data

ID4617455
AuthorsSabrina Sansanelli (University of Bologna, corresponding author), A Tassoni (0000-0002-3541-4030, University of Bologna, corresponding author)
Year2014
Volume10
Issue1
Pages69-69
Publication date2014-12-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1746-4269 • E-ISSN: 1746-4269
PublisherSpringer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1186/1746-4269-10-69
PMID25258146
PMCIDPMC4189172
OpenAlexW2145428182
LanguageEN
Citations received14
References cited30

BACKGROUND: This research was performed in an area belonging to the province of the city of Bologna (Emilia-Romagna region, Northern Italy). The purpose of the present survey was to record the local knowledge concerning traditional uses of wild food plants and related practices, such as gathering, processing, cooking, therapeutic uses, with the aim of preserving an important part of the local cultural heritage. METHODS: Thirty-nine people still retaining Traditional Local Knowledge (TLK) were interviewed between March-April 2012 and September-October 2013 by means of open and semi-structured ethnobotanical interviews. For each plant species mentioned, we recorded the botanical family, the English common name, the Italian common and/or folk names, the parts of the plant used, the culinary preparation, and the medicinal usage. The relative frequency of citation index (RFC), a tool that measures the local cultural importance of a plant species, was also included. RESULTS: The folk plants mentioned by the respondents belonged to 33 botanical families, of which the Rosaceae (14 plants) and the Asteraceae (9 plants) were the most representative. The species with the highest RFC index (0.77) were Crepis vesicaria subsp. taraxacifolia (Thuill) Thell and Taraxacum officinale Weber. Eleven folk plants were indicated as having therapeutic effects. T. officinale Weber, C. vesicaria subsp. taraxacifolia (Thuill) Thell and Sonchus spp., which are used as food, were reported to be depurative, blood cleaning, refreshing, diuretic and laxative. The most commonly used species was Urtica spp, which was also the most frequently cited for medicinal uses. CONCLUSIONS: The present survey documented the wild food plant traditional knowledge of an area belonging to the province of the city of Bologna (Emilia-Romagna region, Northern Italy). The general perception obtained is that on one side the TLK related to wild food plants has strongly been eroded, mainly due to immigration and urbanization phenomena, whereas on the other side these plants are revaluated today because they are perceived as healthy and also because they represent the preservation of biodiversity and a way of getting back to nature

Asteraceae · Biodiversity · Biology · Botanical garden · Botany · Common name · Dandelion · Ethnobiology · Ethnobotany · Geography · Indigenous · Medicinal plants · Taraxacum officinale · Traditional knowledge · Traditional medicine · Essential Oils and Antimicrobial Activity · Ethnobotanical and Medicinal Plants Studies · Medicinal plant effects and applications · Medicine · Nuts composition and effects · Phytochemicals and Antioxidant Activities · Ecology

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