BackgroundEthnoveterinary medicine is a topic of growing interest among ethnobiologists, and is integral to the agricultural practices of many ethnic groups across the globe. The ethnoveterinary pharmacopoeia is often composed of ingredients available in the local environment, and may include plants, animals and minerals, or combinations thereof, for use in treating various ailments in reared animals. The aim of this study was to survey the current day ethnoveterinary practices of ethnic Hungarian (Székely) settlements situated in the Erdővidék commune (Covasna County, Transylvania, Romania) and to compare them with earlier works on this topic in Romania and other European countries.MethodsData concerning ethnoveterinary practices were collected through semi-structured interviews and direct observation in 12 villages from 2010 to 2014. The cited plant species were collected, identified, dried and deposited in a herbarium. The use of other materials (e.g. animals, minerals and other substances) were also documented. Data were compared to earlier reports of ethnoveterinary knowledge in Transylvania and other European countries using various databases.ResultsIn total, 26 wild and cultivated plants, 2 animals, and 17 other substances were documented to treat 11 ailments of cattle, horses, pigs, and sheep. The majority of applications were for the treatment of mastitis and skin ailments, while only a few data were reported for the treatment of cataracts, post-partum ailments and parasites. The traditional uses of Armoracia rusticana, Rumex spp., powdered sugar and glass were reported in each village. The use of some plant taxa, such as Allium sativum, Aristolochia clematitis, and Euphorbia amygdaloides was similar to earlier reports from other Transylvanian regions.ConclusionsAlthough permanent veterinary and medical services are available in some of the villages, elderly people preferred the use of wild and cultivated plants, animals and other materials in ethnoveterinary medicine. Some traditional ethnoveterinary practices are no longer in use, but rather persist only in the memories of the eldest subset of the population. A decline in the vertical transmission of ethnoveterinary knowledge was evident and loss of practice is likely compounded by market availability of ready-made pharmaceuticals.
Inhabitants of some Transylvanian farms in Romania have a valuable archaic knowledge of medicinal plants because of their isolation and the insufficiency of official medical treatment. In this work we present ethnobotanical data about the use of medicinal plant taxa for various respiratory diseases in the villages Lövéte and Nagybacon. Altogether 34 plant taxa were documented in Lövéte and 26 species in Nagybacon with 15 concordant data of the villages. This information plays an important role in the documentation of the disappearing indigenous medical information of the villages.
The aim of the study was to analyze the antioxidant activity of Ajuga reptans, Anthyllis vulneraria, Impatiens noli-tangere, Lilium candidum, Ononis arvensis, Plantago media, Rhinanthus serotinus, Thymus serpyllum, and Veronica beccabunga used in ethnomedicine in Romania. In vitro antioxidant assays were performed with 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), modified chemiluminescence and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) assays on the ethnomedicinally used parts of the species. The 50% ethanolic extracts of plants exerted a similar radical-scavenging effect measured by DPPH and chemiluminescence assays (R² = 0.8811). However, considerably higher values were measured by the ORAC method and these data did not correlate with the results of the chemiluminescence and the DPPH assays. The studied vegetal products from of L. candidum, P. media, Rh. serotinus, Th. serpyllum, and V. beccabunga showed the highest total antioxidant capacity values by all used methods, while I. noli-tangere expressed the lowest antioxidant capacity. The study highlights the promising phytochemical values of ethnomedicinally used plants from Romania. RezumatScopul acestui studiu a fost analiza activității antioxidante asupra Ajuga reptans, Anthyllis vulneraria, Impatiens nolitangere, Lilium candidum, Ononis arvensis, Plantago media, Rhinanthus serotinus, Thymus serpyllum,și Veronica beccabunga, utilizate în România, în medicina populară. Statusul antioxidant, in vitro a fost evaluat prin metoda 2,2-difenil-1-picrilhidrazil (DPPH), chemiluminiscență modificată și prin metoda ORAC (oxygen radical absorbance capacity) asupra produselor vegetale a acestor plante utilizate în etnomedicină. Extractele etanolice 50% au exercitat o activitate antioxidantă asemănătoare, determinată atât cu DPPH cât și prin chemiluminescență (R² = 0.8536). Prin metoda ORAC s-au obținut valori ridicate, care nu s-au corelat cu rezultatele obținute prin chemiluminescență sau DPPH. Produsele vegetale studiate provenind de la L. candidum, P. media, Rh. serotinus, Th. serpyllum, și V. beccabunga au prezentat valori ridicate ale capacității antioxidante prin fiecare metodă, în timp ce I. noli-tangere a prezentat valori scăzute. Aceste studiisubliniază valorile fitochimice promițătoare ale plantelor utilizate în medicina populară, în România.
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