An ethnobotanical field study; traditional foods production and medicinal utilization of Gundelia L. species in Tunceli (Turkey)

This article gives important ethnobotanical information about Gundelia L. (Kenger) in Tunceli (Eastern Anatolia Region-Turkey). Traditional use of three newly discovered species of Kenger (G. vitekii, G. dersim, G. munzuriensis) in and around Tunceli, as well as Gundelia glabra Miller, has been investigated. A field study had been carried out for a period of approximately two years (2015–2016). During this period, 27 Gundelia L. species were collected. Nine different traditional uses of Kenger plant as food were recorded. Local people use Kenger plant as egg meal with olive oil, watery food with rice, food with garlic yogurt, salad, pickle, gum, coffee, snack and animal feed. Since the plants are newly discovered, the first literature records have been made by us

Determination of the antioxidant properties of ethanol and water extracts from different parts of Teucrium parviflorum Schreber

This study was designed to examine in vitro antioxidant of extracts of Teucrium parviflorum Schreber. The plants were extracted successively in ethanol and water using soxhlet-apparatus. They were screened for possible antioxidant activity using the ABTS• (2,2'-azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6- sulphonic acid)) radical scavenging capacity, DPPH• (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging capacity, superoxide anion radical scavenging capacity, hydrogen peroxide scavenging capacity, reducing power and metal chelating activities. These various antioxidant activities were compared with standard antioxidants such as butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) and α- tocopherol. The extracts of T. parviflorum showed strong antioxidant activity and effective antioxidant assay. This antioxidant property depends on concentration and increase with increased amount of sample. In addition, total phenolic compounds in the extracts of T. parviflorum were determined as pyrocatecol equivalents. The results obtained in the present study indicated that T. parviflorum is a potential source of natural antioxidant.Keywords: Teucrium parviflorum, antioxidant activity, medicinal plants, extract, flower, leaves

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

BACKGROUND: Sarma - 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. Methods: Field 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. Results: Eighty-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. Conclusion: The 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

Gundelia glabra miller (Compositae) - an ignored taxon

When it was realized that Gundelia tournefortii L. (1753) consists of several clearly distinguishable taxa (Vitek et al. 2010) it was the next step to check all species and infra-specific taxa described later and treated as synonyms for their content

Gundelia asperrima (Compositae) – a species endemic in Turkey

When it was realized that Gundelia tournefortii L. (1753) consists of several clearly distinguishable taxa (Vitek et al. 2010) it was the next step to check all species and infra-specific taxa described later and treated as synonyms for their content. Gundelia glabra Miller (Vitek & al. 2017) and G. rosea M. Hossain & Al-Taey (Vitek & Noroozi 2017b) have been re-established as distinct species, G. microcephala (Bornm.) Vitek is classified as species in the meantime (Vitek 2018). Another variety which needed to be checked is G. tournefortii var. asperrima, described by Trautvetter (1876)

Essential oil composition of three Centaurea species from turkey: Centaurea aggregata fisch. & Mey. ex. DC. subsp. aggregata, C. balsamita lam. and C. behen L

The essential oils of Centaurea aggregata subsp. aggregata, C. balsamita and C. behen collected in the same habitat from Turkey, have been investigated. A total of 26, 54 and 26 components were identified in C. aggregata subsp. aggregata, C. balsamita and C. behen, respectively. The main constituents of the investigated populations of the three taxa have been revealed as follows: Centaurea aggregata subsp. aggregata: hexadecanoic acid (35.8%), phytol (7.2%), caryophyllene oxide(6.0%), spathulenol (6.0%); C. balsamita: hexadecanoic acid (23.0%), spathulenol (8.9%), germacrene D (2.1%); C. behen: hexadecanoic acid (32.7%), germacrene D (14.8%), and phytol (12.3%). © 2016 ACG Publications. All rights reserved