Climate Change Dependence in Ex Situ Conservation of Wild Medicinal Plants in Crete, Greece

Over 80% of the global population addresses their primary healthcare needs using traditional medicine based on medicinal plants. Consequently, there’s a rising demand for these plants for both household and industrial use at local, regional, national, and international levels. However, wild harvesting has negatively impacted natural ecosystems. Cultivating medicinal species has been proposed as a conservation strategy to alleviate this pressure. Yet, in this age of global climate change concerns, smallholder farmers’ views on the benefits of such cultivation clash with the uncertainties of climate change impacts, amplifying their anxieties. In this context, the climate change dependence of ex situ cultivation of ten wild medicinal taxa with significant ethnopharmacological interest in Crete, Greece, were studied, projecting their potential habitat suitability under various future climate scenarios. The results demonstrated species-specific effects. Based on the potential cultivation area gains and losses, these effects can be categorized into three groups. We also outlined the spatial patterns of these gains and losses, offering valuable insights for regional management strategies benefiting individual practitioners

Post-market outcome of an extract of traditional Cretan herbs on upper respiratory tract infections: a pragmatic, prospective observational study

Abstract Background The beneficial effects of traditional herbs of Crete, Greece for the treatment of upper respiratory tract infections have been reported in observational and laboratory studies. Following a published, double blind, randomized, placebo controlled trial, this study aimed to assess the effectiveness of an extract of three Cretan herbs on the treatment of upper respiratory tract infections, upon its market release. Methods An observational study was conducted in Heraklion, Crete, Greece. Participants were patients presenting at selected pharmacies with symptoms of upper respiratory tract infection, choosing to receive the extract for their treatment. Patients’ symptoms (local, general, total) where recorded at three time points within 1 week, using a questionnaire developed based on the Wisconsin Upper Respiratory System Survey. For each patient, symptoms were scored on a 0–7 Likert scale and three indexes were calculated: the score of local symptoms, the score of general symptoms and the total score of symptoms. Effectiveness was assessed by examining the reduction in these indexes over the 1-week observation period. Results Mean score of general symptoms was 19.1 (SE: 0.9) in day 1, dropping to 8.6 (SE: 0.6) and 3.1 (SE: 0.4) in days 4 and 7 respectively. Mean score of local symptoms declined from 7.9 (SE: 0.5) in day 1 to 2.3 (SE: 0.3) in day 4 and to 0.5 (SE: 0.1) in day 7. Total score of symptoms reached 27.0 (SE: 1.2) in day 1, decreasing to 10.9 (SE: 0.8) in day 4 and to 3.5 (SE: 0.5) in day 7. The percentage of participants reporting fever was 82.1% at baseline, 8.0% in day 4 and 2.0% in day 7 (p < 0.0001 for paired differences). Multiple regression models indicated that supplementary medication intake did not seem to affect symptoms’ severity or the day patients reported that their symptoms ceased completely. Conclusions This pragmatic study added evidence about the potential therapeutic effects of an extract of Cretan herbs on the amelioration of upper respiratory tract infection symptoms

Lichens as bioindicators of recent changes in air quality (Montecatini Terme, Italy)

A lichen mapping survey was repeated after three years in the town of Montecatini Terme (central Italy). From 1993 lichens have recovered, especially in the southern part of the study area, where new thalli of different lichen species were found and the lichen desert does not exist anymore. In the study area, over the last three years the levels of SO2 remained constantly low (about 15-20 pg/m), while NOx, showed a marked decline (from about 150 pg/m in 1993 to about 100 pg/m in 1996), suggesting that their reduction was responsible for the observed improvement in lichen frequenciesAfin de mettre en évidence de récents changements dans la qualité de l’air, une cartographie de lichens a été effectuée à Montecatini Terme (Italie centrale), et répétée après trois ans. Depuis 1993, les lichens se sont à nouveau développés, surtout au sud de l'endroit étudié, là où les nouveaux thalles de différentes espèces ont été trouvés, et le «désert de lichens» n'existe plus. Pendant les trois dernières années, le niveau de SO2 dans la zone de recherche est resté constamment bas (environ 15-20 pg/m) alors que le NOx a connu un net déclin (environ 150 pg/m3 en 1993 jusqu'à 100 pg/m3 en 1996). Ceci suggère que la réduction de NOx est responsable de l'augmentation de fréquence des lichens.Loppi Stefano, Giovannelli Luciano, Pirintsos Stergios A., Putortì Ettore, Corsini Adelmo. Lichens as bioindicators of recent changes in air quality (Montecatini Terme, Italy). In: Ecologia mediterranea, tome 23 n°3-4, 1997. pp. 53-56

A Mixture of Essential Oils from Three Cretan Aromatic Plants Inhibits SARS-CoV-2 Proliferation: A Proof-of-Concept Intervention Study in Ambulatory Patients

Introduction: The need for effective therapeutic regimens for non-critically ill patients during the COVID-19 pandemic remained largely unmet. Previous work has shown that a combination of three aromatic plants’ essential oils (CAPeo) (Thymbra capitata (L.) Cav., Origanum dictamnus L., Salvia fruticose Mill.) has remarkable in vitro antiviral activity. Given its properties, it was urgent to explore its potential in treating mild COVID-19 patients in primary care settings. Methods: A total of 69 adult patients were included in a clinical proof-of-concept (PoC) intervention study. Family physicians implemented the observational study in two arms (intervention group and control group) during three study periods (IG2020, n=13, IG2021/22, n=25, and CG2021/22, n=31). The SARS-CoV-2 infection was confirmed by real-time PCR. The CAPeo mixture was administered daily for 14 days per os in the intervention group, while the control group received usual care. Results: The PoC study found that the number and frequency of general symptoms, including general fatigue, weakness, fever, and myalgia, decreased following CAPeo administration. By Day 7, the average presence (number) of symptoms decreased in comparison with Day 1 in IG (4.7 to 1.4) as well as in CG (4.0 to 3.1), representing a significant decrease in the cumulative presence in IC (−3.3 vs. −0.9, p 2 = 0.20) on Day 7 and on Day 14 (−4.2 vs. −2.9, p = 0.027; η2 = 0.08). Discussion/Conclusions: Our findings suggest that CAPeo possesses potent antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 in addition tο its effect against influenza A and B and human rhinovirus HRV14 strains. The early and effective impact on alleviating key symptoms of COVID-19 may suggest this mixture can act as a complementary natural agent for patients with mild COVID-19