An ethnobotanical meta-analysis of North American medicinal Asteraceae

Abstract

The Asteraceae is the largest family of plants in North America and widely used as medicine by Indigenous peoples. This study investigated the medicinal ethnobotany of North American Asteraceae to identify taxa that appear preferentially selected or avoided for general and specific medicinal uses. Asteraceae-specific ethnobotanical reports recorded in the Native American Ethnobotany Database were compiled and, using residual and binomial analyses, 14 tribes were compared and ranked as either over- or under-selected for medicine, food or technology, and for different categories of medicinal applications. Statistical analysis supported the hypothesis that selection of species for ethnobotanical purposes is non-random and does not depend on the size of the flora. The Anthemideae tribe was identified as over-selected for all types of applications, including most therapeutic categories, most significantly as pulmonary and orthopedic aids. Subsequent analysis revealed that the over-representation of this tribe was attributed mainly to Achillea millefolium and Artemisia spp.. The significance of Anthemideae, particularly of Achillea and Artemisia species, as highly-selected medicinal taxa emphasizes their cultural importance to Indigenous North Americans. Residual and binomial statistics generally provided parallel results but supplementary statistical methods, more in-depth investigation of other use categories, and inclusion of plant distribution data may provide greater insight into traditional uses of Asteraceae in North America.

Neutrophil Immunomodulatory Activity of Farnesene, a Component of Artemisia dracunculus Essential Oils

“…Asteraceae-specific ethnobotanical reports recorded in the Native American Ethnobotany database revealed Artemisia species as the second most selected medicinal taxa after Achillea . A. tridentata was most commonly cited as a pulmonary aid, whereas A. dracunculus L., A. tridentata , and A. douglasiana Besser were cited for orthopedic uses [ 9 ]. Many Artemisia species are characterized by a strong odor due to essential oils that are mainly concentrated in their leaves and flowers.…”

Calendula arvensis (Vaill.) L.: A Systematic Plant Analysis of the Polar Extracts from Its Organs by UHPLC-HRMS

“…In this scenario, knowledge of edible plants biodiversity available in the local food tradition, and of new pathways for the eco-sustainable enhancement of food resources, constitute crucial aspects to intercept in marginal or valuable areas (e.g., Nature Reserves and National Parks), in full agreement with the EU's biodiversity strategy plan for 2030 [17]. From the ethnobotanical point of view, Asteraceae is one of the most studied angiosperm families [18,19], thanks to their great diversity and wide worldwide distribution [20]. Within this family, the genus Calendula L. currently includes 15 species and several infraspecific taxa [21]; it is the only genus of the tribe Calenduleae in the Mediterranean region, spreading from Macaronesia to South Western (SW) Asia [21].…”

Urban trading of medicinal plants in San Salvador de Jujuy (Argentina): How does species composition vary between different biocultural supply sites?

“…Similar results were found by Barboza et al (2009), who noted that Asteraceae is the family with the highest proportion (17%) of native medicinal taxa in Argentina. In accordance with and Kachura and Harris (2021), the Asteraceae family is of great ethnopharmacological significance;…”