Nóra Papp

An ethnobotanical study on home gardens in a Transylvanian Hungarian Csángó village (Romania)

Due to their isolation and insufficiency of official medical care, the inhabitants of several Transylvanian “Csángó” farms in Romania have valuable archaic knowledge of plants. Such ethnobotanical data reported previously from different regions of the country are available only in Hungarian. Of the various ethnic groups constituting the Csángós’ culture the present study was undertaken to survey those living in the Úz-valley (Romania), focusing on the indigenous human ethnomedicine and ethnoveterinary practices of Csinód, a village in the Eastern Carpathian Mountains. The aim of the study was to summarize the occurrence and diversity of food, medicinal, ornamental and fodder plants, as well as herbal home remedies applied on a daily basis. In the summers of 2007–2009 altogether 85 plant taxa in 13 home gardens were registered, using free interviews with local terminology, concentrating on drug parts, use, origin of knowledge and peculiar magico-mythological procedures associated with the species concerned. Due to the obvious decrease in the villagers’ traditional knowledge the prevention of these data from disappearing has gained primary importance in an effort to preserve this heritage as an integral part of the folk medicinal system in Transylvania.

Of the importance of a leaf: the ethnobotany of sarma in Turkey and the Balkans

BackgroundSarma - cooked leaves rolled around a filling made from rice and/or minced meat, possibly vegetables and seasoning plants – represents one of the most widespread feasting dishes of the Middle Eastern and South-Eastern European cuisines. Although cabbage and grape vine sarma is well-known worldwide, the use of alternative plant leaves remains largely unexplored. The aim of this research was to document all of the botanical taxa whose leaves are used for preparing sarma in the folk cuisines of Turkey and the Balkans.MethodsField studies were conducted during broader ethnobotanical surveys, as well as during ad-hoc investigations between the years 2011 and 2014 that included diverse rural communities in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo, Albania, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Romania, and Turkey. Primary ethnobotanical and folkloric literatures in each country were also considered.ResultsEighty-seven botanical taxa, mainly wild, belonging to 50 genera and 27 families, were found to represent the bio-cultural heritage of sarma in Turkey and the Balkans. The greatest plant biodiversity in sarma was found in Turkey and, to less extent, in Bulgaria and Romania.The most commonly used leaves for preparing sarma were those of cabbage (both fresh and lacto-fermented), grape vine, beet, dock, sorrel, horseradish, lime tree, bean, and spinach. In a few cases, the leaves of endemic species (Centaurea haradjianii, Rumex gracilescens, and R. olympicus in Turkey) were recorded.Other uncommon sarma preparations were based on lightly toxic taxa, such as potato leaves in NE Albania, leaves of Arum, Convolvulus, and Smilax species in Turkey, of Phytolacca americana in Macedonia, and of Tussilago farfara in diverse countries. Moreover, the use of leaves of the introduced species Reynoutria japonica in Romania, Colocasia esculenta in Turkey, and Phytolacca americana in Macedonia shows the dynamic nature of folk cuisines.ConclusionThe rich ethnobotanical diversity of sarma confirms the urgent need to record folk culinary plant knowledge. The results presented here can be implemented into initiatives aimed at re-evaluating folk cuisines and niche food markets based on local neglected ingredients, and possibly also to foster trajectories of the avant-garde cuisines inspired by ethnobotanical knowledge.

Ethnoveterinary practices of Covasna County, Transylvania, Romania

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.

Effects of Freezing on Thermoluminescence in Various Plant Species

The aim of this study was to monitor the effect of sudden frost on the photosynthetic electron transport chain in the leaves of various plant species using the thermoluminescence (TL) technique. A short period of freezing caused a decrease in the afterglow (AG) band in young maize leaves, with a slight upshift in the maximum temperature. The B band induced by far‐red (FR) illumination started to decrease at a significantly lower temperature. The flash‐induced B band also showed a substantial decrease in intensity after short preliminary freezing. In contrast to other species, for which there was always a well‐detectable TL signal even after relatively drastic freezing, there was no TL singal at all in geranium below a threshould temperature. The behavior of the FR‐induced TL curve in cucumber plants was a mixture of that found in wheat or pea, on the one hand, and maize, on the other: the AG band gradually decreased with decreasing temperature and finally totally disappeared, as in maize. The FR‐induced B band showed an upshift after freezing. These results suggest that AG is a normal component of TL bands induced not only by FR, but also by single turnover flash.

Phytochemical overview and medicinal importance of Coffea species from the past until now

Coffea (coffee) species are grown in almost all countries along the Equator. Many members of the genus have a large production history and an important role both in the global market and researches. Seeds (Coffeae semen) are successfully used in food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries due to its caffeine and high polyphenol content. Nowadays, the three best-known coffee species are Arabic (Coffea arabica L.), Robusta (Coffea robusta L. Linden), and Liberian coffees (Coffea liberica Hiern.). Even though, many records are available on coffee in scientific literature, wild coffee species like Bengal coffee (Coffea benghalensis Roxb. Ex Schult.) could offer many new opportunities and challenges for phytochemical and medical studies. In this comprehensive summary, we focused on the ethnomedicinal, phytochemical, and medical significance of coffee species up to the present.

A novel luminol-based enhanced chemiluminescence antioxidant capacity microplate assay for use in different biological matrices

INTRODUCTION Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are normal metabolic products of living cells. However, a decrease of the defense mechanisms against the effects of ROS or increased ROS production maybe one important causative factor of cellular damage. A non-enzymatic scavenger system is considered to be responsible for the maintenance of total antioxidant capacity (TAC) as a protection against oxidative injuries that exist in all higher plants and in mammals as well. METHODS In our work, we optimized and validated a luminol-peroxidase-4-iodophenol-H2O2 enhanced chemiluminescence-based (ECL) TAC measurement technique. BSA was applied in the reagent to prevent peroxidase from auto-oxidation. The ECL method was suitable for plant extracts and for human blood serum as well. Our TAC technique was adapted to microplates and compared to ORAC assay using plant extracts. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The ECL method is fast (10min) with an interassay precision of <10% as CV. TAC values of ethanolic extracts of 10 plant species did correlate (ECL vs ORAC assay data: r=0.84, 95% confidence interval, CI=0.78-0.89, P<0.001) but with systematic bias. Analysis of serum samples obtained from septic and control patients showed significantly higher TAC values in the patient group compared to those of controls (p<0.01). Moreover, we could discriminate between surviving and non-surviving patients, based on their TAC values (p<0.01). Pearsons statistics showed the strongest positive correlation with serum uric acid (r=0.73). Besides the routine laboratory parameters, our novel TAC method might give complementary information on the severity of systemic inflammation.

Ethnomycological use of Fomes fomentarius (L.) Fr. and Piptoporus betulinus (Bull.) P. Karst. in Transylvania, Romania

In Transylvania, part of Romania, fungi are traditionally used in the human medicine, handicraft, and several customs for a long time past. This study aimed at systematic collecting of ethnomycological and ethnomedicinal data of Fomes fomentarius (L.) Fr. and Piptoporus betulinus (Bull.) P. Karst. in Corund in south-eastern Transylvania. In addition, we aimed to compare our data with earlier ethnomycological and pharmacological records of the region and other countries. The fieldwork was carried out in Corund in 2012–2013. The visited “toplász” people who work with tinders were asked with semi-structured interviews to list the harvesting method and time, storage and preparations, as well as the ethnomycological and ethnomedicinal use of the fruit body of tinder fungus and birch polypore. Literature data were collected from the major scientific databases. The ethnomycological use of tinder fungus and birch polypore starts with the traditional steps of collection, storage, and trimming and involves the use for ethnomedicinal purposes and preparation of unique handmade products. These preparations are still available on national and international markets nowadays. The ethnobotanical use of these fungi resulted in a special local occupation in Corund, which is a unique activity in the world. Unfortunately, it seems to be a disappearing tradition nowadays because of the lack of transmission. Therefore, these living data should be urgently documented and preserved for the maintenance of this valuable local tradition and knowledge of Székelys.

Examination of secondary metabolites and antioxidant capacity of Anthyllis vulneraria, Fuchsia sp., Galium mollugo and Veronica beccabunga

Anthyllis vulneraria L., Fuchsia sp., Galium mollugo L., and Veronica beccabunga L. were selected to analyse the phenolic content and the antioxidant activity by ferric ion reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) assays. The highest polyphenol, tannin, and flavonoid contents were measured in Fuchsia species (7.40 ± 0.8, 5.62 ± 0.7 and 0.72 ± 0.1 g/100 g dry weight), while the lowest values were detected in Anthyllis vulneraria (0.68 ± 0.02, 0.17 ± 0.03 and 0.45 ± 0.01 g/100 g dry weight) and Galium mollugo (1.77 ± 0.05, 0.49 ± 0.04 and 0.16 ± 0.06 g/100 g dry weight). The leaf extract of Fuchsia sp. had the highest, while the herb of A. vulneraria had the lowest antioxidant effect measured by both methods, which is probably related to total polyphenol, tannin, and flavonoid contents.

Hungarian Ethnobotanical Studies in Romania

Traditional ethnobotanical knowledge concerning plant use can be attributed to the archaic folklore system in Romania, particularly in Transylvania, which forms a considerable part of the country. Various regions of Transylvania are inhabited by Hungarians and Romanians. This chapter provides an overview of the first herbal books from the sixteenth century published in Transylvania, followed by the most significant ethnobotanical surveys conducted in ten main regions from the 1930s to date, the results of which were published in monographs, books and journal papers, mostly in Hungarian. Based on traditional experiences and observations of inhabitants, the present data inventories the local use of plants in ethnomedicine, in construction and household tools, as food and fodder, as well as in various beliefs and customs. The reports are of pivotal importance in documenting the ethnomedicinal knowledge of the rural people, underlining the significance of vernacular names, various applications, home treatments and special local terminology of the plant taxa in the selected areas.

Ethnobotanical and ethnopharmacological data of Armoracia rusticana P. Gaertner, B. Meyer et Scherb. in Hungary and Romania: a case study

Horseradish (Armoracia rusticana) is a popular vegetable, spice and medicinal plant. We aimed to collect data about its cultivation, ethnomedicinal and culinary applications in a horseradish-producing region in Hungary and 32 villages in Romania. Horseradish roots are used in ethnomedicine for sore throat, asthma, cough and flu in both areas, alone or in combination with e.g. honey. In Transylvania, additional applications included digestive problems, pleuritis, and rheuma in various forms. The leaf and the grated root is for toothache and fever. Some applications were novel, others matched earlier records from these areas and those of other European countries. In ethnoveterinary practice, the root is used against roaring of horses in all regions. It is traditionally consumed in a soup in Hungary, as pickles, and the leaf in Transylvania. The root samples of the region of interest showed typical chemical pattern of horseradish roots, as shown by GC–MS: allyl isothiocyanate and 2-phenylethyl isothiocyanate were present in high amounts. The presented ethnomedicinal data are supported by a growing body of scientific evidence—pharmacological data available on the isothiocyanates. Data on antimicrobial activity support use in gastritis (Helicobacter pylori) and dental caries, while data on efficacy in inflammatory conditions justify the applications in diseases asthma and respiratory system infections. Our study presented scientific evidence-supported ethnomedicinal data on horseradish rich in bioactive isothiocyanates.