Lola Djurdjević

Phytotherapy in medieval Serbian medicine according to the pharmacological manuscripts of the Chilandar Medical Codex (15-16th centuries).

The Chilandar Medical Codex is the most significant and best preserved medieval Serbian manuscript and collects together documents on European medical science from the 12th to 15th centuries. It represents the best-known and most complete example of a large collection of medical manuscripts from the Salerno-Montpellier school, written in the vernacular - something which does not exist among the majority of European nations. This paper presents the section of the Codex that deals with phytotherapy, which is contained within the pharmacological manuscripts. An analysis of their contents shows that out of a total of 167 recorded substances, 135 are of plant origin (81%), 13 animal origin (7.7%) and 19 inorganic (11.3%). The recorded plant species are categorised into 63 families, of which the most frequent are: Apiaceae (8.1%), Lamiaceae (8.1%), Asteraceae (5.9%), Rosaceae (5.9%) and Fabaceae (4.4%). All possible plant parts were used in treatments: the whole plant (6%), underground parts (13.7% - root, rhizome, bulb) and aerial parts (80.3% - stem, leaf, flower, buds, fruit, seeds). Of the plants quoted, the following are mentioned most frequently: Vitis sp. (120), Rosa canina (55), Olea europaea (45), Pistacia lentiscus (25), Saccharum officinarum (23), Artemisia absinthium (16) and Foeniculum vulgare (15). The contents of the pharmacological manuscripts of the Chilandar Medical Codex point to the sound contemporary knowledge of the diversity of plant species, their origins, habitat types, the levels of their healing powers, and when and how to gather them and prepare them, as well as the recommended dose for the treatment of specific illnesses. As these manuscripts contain not only common, lay terms for the plants, but also scientific, botanical ones, we can consider them the precursor to Serbian botany. Based on its contents and the way in which they are presented, it can be viewed not only as the first Serbian pharmacopeia, but first Slavic pharmacopeia, too, because similar manuscripts written in the vernacular did not exist during that period among the other Slavic nations, or even most European nations.

Origin identification of Pinus nigra populations in southwestern Europe using terpene composition variations

The geographical variation of terpenes of Pinus nigra populations from southwestern Europe was studied. Terpenes from the foliage of 16 populations from Corsica, Herault (France) and the East Pyrenees (France and Spain) were analyzed. A total of 42 terpenes were detected, with α-pinene the dominant monoterpene and germacrene-d and caryophyllene the dominant sesquiterpenes. The differences in quantitative content of selected compounds clearly divide populations into two basic geographical groups: on one side the populations from Herault and the East Pyrenees and on the other the populations from Corsica. β-Phellandrene and δ-cadinene have the greatest influence on this global discrimination. Some trees and populations show a similarity although they belong to different geographic locations. The similarity of some trees from Herault and the East Pyrenees and trees from Corsica points to their common origin (Corsica). Our results confirm the hypothesis that the afforestation of Herault and the East Pyrenees was also performed with black pine from Corsica.

Phenolic acids distribution in a peat of the relict community with Serbian spruce in the Tara Mt. forest reserve (Serbia)

Restoration of tertiary endemorelict Serbian spruce (Picea omorika Pancic) in forest-peat in Tara Mt., the only such finding in the world is rather poor. This could be partially ascribed to the presence of phenolics in peat soil. Content of total phenols and phenolic acids was determined in peat samples taken from: (1) knolls of forest-peat bog with dominance of trees and between the knolls and (2) peat bog knolls with dominance of Agrostis alba and between the knolls where Sphagnum mosses prevailed. In knoll samples of forest-peat bog where there are conditions for growth and development of trees, the amount of free phenolics was up to three times higher compared to that in the peat-bog knoll samples with dominance of A. alba. Amount of bound phenolics between the knolls of forest-peat bog was significantly higher than that between the knolls of the peat bog. Content of bound phenolics exceeded that of free ones 1.77-12 times. In the forest-peat bog soil, derivatives of benzoic acid mainly originating from woody plants were dominant, while in peat bog cinnamic acid derivatives, originating from A. alba and Sphagnum mosses prevailed. Our results demonstrate that aerobic conditions in knolls enable a more extensive accumulation of free phenolics, while anaerobic conditions between the knolls result in a higher accumulation of bound phenolics. Content and composition of phenolic compounds depend on dominant plants in phytocoenotic microcomplex, as well as characteristics of the microhabitat.