Medicinal Plants Used Traditionally for Skin Related Problems in the South Balkan and East Mediterranean Region—A Review

Abstract

A review research was conducted to provide an overview of the ethnobotanical knowledge of medicinal plants and traditional medical practices for the treatment of skin disorders in Albania, Cyprus, Greece, and Turkey. The geographical and ecological characteristics of the Balkan Peninsula and Mediterranean Sea, along with the historical connection among those countries, gave rise to the development of a distinct flora and to the uses of common medicinal plants against various skin ailments, respectively. The review focuses on the detailed study of 128 ethnobotanical surveys conducted in these areas and the species used for skin ailments were singled out. The analysis showed that 967 taxa belonging to 418 different genera and 111 different families are used in the treatment of skin related problems. The majority of the plants belong to the families of Asteraceae (11.7%), Lamiaceae (7.4%), Rosaceae (6.7%), Plantaginaceae (5.4%), and Malvaceae (3.8%). Their usage is internal or external to treat ailments such as wounds and burns (22.1%), hemorrhoids (14.7%), boils, abscesses, and furuncles (8.2%). Beside specific skin disorders, numerous species appeared to be used for their antifungal, antimicrobial, and antiseptic activity (9.1%). Literature evaluation highlighted that, the most commonly used species are Plantago major L. (Albania, Turkey), Hypericum perforatum L. (Greece, Turkey), Sambucus nigra L. (Cyprus, Greece), Ficus carica L. (Cyprus, Turkey), Matricaria chamomilla L. (Cyprus, Greece), and Urtica dioica L. (Albania, Turkey), while many medicinal plants reported by interviewees were common in all four countries. Finally, to relate this ethnopharmacological knowledge and trace its expansion and diversification through centuries, a comparison of findings was made with the use of the species mentioned in Dioscorides’ “De Materia Medica” for skin disorders. This work constitutes the first comparative study performed with ethnobotanical data for skin ailments gathered in the South Balkan and East Mediterranean areas. Results confirm the primary hypothesis that people in Albania, Cyprus, Greece, and Turkey are closely related in terms of traditionally using folk medicinal practices. Nevertheless, more field studies conducted, especially in remote places of these regions, can help preserve the traditional medical knowledge, aiming at the discovery of new phytotherapeutics against dermatological diseases.

Ethnopharmacological study of medicinal plants used against skin ailments on Mount Pelion, central Greece

“…An interesting comparison was also effectuated contrasting the data collected through the conduction of the present ethnopharmacological research and the data reported in the total of ethnobotanical or ethnopharmacological studies carried out in Greece. For this purpose, we consulted our recent review ( Tsioutsiou et al, 2022 ), which indicates the medicinal plants used traditionally for skin related problems in the south Balkan and east Mediterranean region. Moreover, the ethnopharmacological background of the study area was accentuated by comparing the obtained information to the already existing evidence on the local uses of medicinal plants against skin diseases described in the study of Brussell.…”

Phytochemical Profiling and Biological Assessment of the Aerial Parts from Three Mediterranean Alkanna Species (A. orientalis, A. tinctoria, A. kotschyana) in the Boraginaceae Family

“…Besides naphthoquinones, A. tinctoria accumulates PAs, of which 7-angeloylretronecine, triangularine, and dihydroxytriangularine have been previously identified [ 11 ]. The antioxidant, sun protection and skin anti-wrinkle effects of different extracts of the root bark of alkanet have been assayed and are widely used based on strong ethnobotanical and ethnopharmacological records from different regions of Greece and Eastern Mediterranean areas [ 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 ], confirming it as candidate for cosmetic and pharmaceutical preparations. As a single ingredient or in combination with olive oil and beeswax it was tested in the treatment of burn wounds in a small clinical study [ 16 ] and was found to decrease the skin re-epithelialization time.…”

Production of Polyphenolic Natural Products by Bract-Derived Tissue Cultures of Three Medicinal Tilia spp.: A Comparative Untargeted Metabolomics Study

“…The inflorescence of Tilia species, typically harvested with the bracts, is commonly referred to as "lime flower", "linden flower" or "Tiliae flos" in the phytomedical literature. Its traditional use in Eastern and Mediterranean Europe spans millennia [14,15]. Notably, T. cordata and T. platyphyllos are among the most popular components of herbal teas in Russia [16], reflecting their widespread use across Eurasia as a traditional herbal remedy, as well as a tea substitute or recreational beverage.…”