Alpine ethnobotanical knowledge in Sondalo (SO, Lombardy, Italy)

Abstract

Background: Whereas Alpine populations have been geographically isolated from major cities since ancient times, they have long learned to make use of the features of their own territory and its resources, especially autochthonous spontaneous plants. In such areas there is still a wide traditional use of plant species; this heritage, however, risks becoming extinct. Our work gathered and processed information on the plants used for medicinal, veterinary, cosmetic, domestic, ritual, and religious purposes by the inhabitants of Sondalo (Valtellina, SO, Lombardy, Italy).Methods: The survey was conducted through semi-structured interviews. All data was entered within a database.Extensive bibliographic research was performed in scientific literature on the biological activity of the species used for human medicinal purposes.Results: We interviewed 101 people aged 25-98. 112 plants were mentioned, belonging to 52 families. 87 species were spontaneous, 25 cultivated. The most cited species were Taraxacum officinale F.H. Wigg., Sambucus nigra L., and Achillea erba-rotta subsp. moschata (Wulfen) I. Richardson. The most frequently used parts were flowers/inflorescences, leaves, and fruits. The most common preparation forms were infusion, decoction, and syrup. The traditional uses covered different aspects of the daily life: 73 species were used for cooking, 62 for medicinal purposes, 27 in the domestic field, 17 for agropastoral activities, 13 for animal healthcare. The evaluation of scientific literature allowed us to find information on the biological activity of 36 plants, linked to the traditional uses of the territory.Conclusions: This work enhances the mosaic of ethnobotanical studies carried out in the Alpine region and highlights the importance of this kind of surveys in the search for new natural potentially active compounds.

From Primary Data to Ethnopharmacological Investigations on Achillea erba-rotta subsp. moschata (Wulfen) I.Richardson as a Remedy against Gastric Ailments in Valmalenco (Italy)

“…Nevertheless, the general warning was not to use an excessive number of flower heads, not due to the very bitter taste but due to the risk of side effects: “however, you must not overdo it, too many flowers cause stomach ache”, “very few flowers are enough to have an effect”, “it causes me tachycardia”. Its digestive power was previously recorded by other ethnobotanical studies carried out in the alpine and pre-alpine regions [ 28 , 29 , 30 ], specifically in the valleys surrounding Valmalenco ([ 9 , 31 ] and the literature within), but none of these studies focused on an in depth-analysis of the primary data concerning the use of the species as a preventive or symptomatic agent. In fact, some informants in Valmalenco stated that the decoction must be used only when needed, while others advised to drink it every evening, without a specific therapeutic need.…”

“…moschata extracts (decoction, infusion, hydroethanolic extract) against gastric inflammatory disorders, mostly due to the presence of H. pylori . The infusion was tested as a viable alternative to the decoction, because, in some of the valleys surrounding Valmalenco, the use of the infusion was mentioned as well [ 9 ]. We investigated also the hydroalcoholic extract, as these types of preparations are more common at a production and commercial level.…”

“…Previous ethnobotanical surveys have been carried out in the alpine and pre-alpine areas surrounding Valmalenco [ 9 , 10 ]. None of these have used raw primary data to discuss the relationship between humans and plants, giving instead relevance to ethnobotanical indexes as a tool for the selection of medicinal plants [ 11 ].…”

Remnants from the Past: From an 18th Century Manuscript to 21st Century Ethnobotany in Valle Imagna (Bergamo, Italy)

“…For the comparisons among the different sources, we defined ‘use’ as ‘category of use’, namely the affected organ groups, such as ‘digestive tract disorders’, ‘urinary tract disorders’, etc. The followed criterion for the classification of the different categories of use was based on previous published works [ 34 , 35 , 41 , 42 , 43 ].…”

Alpine Diet in Valmalenco (Lombardy, Italy): Nutritional Features of Spontaneous Plants and Traditional Dishes

“…Although the dietary pattern of the Alpine diet is mainly known for its animalbased products, which could pose a problem concerning their health value (i.e., due to the high content of saturated fatty acids, cholesterol, sodium, etc. ), the Alpine diet is also characterized by the collection and consumption of seasonal spontaneous plant species, unprocessed or in local traditional dishes [9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17]. Despite the importance and spread of this dietary model in the Alpine regions, very few epidemiological studies have been conducted in this area [18], as well as little can be found in the scientific literature regarding the nutritional analysis of its typical ingredients and products [19].…”