Medicinal Herbs: Latest Advances and Prospects

A special issue of Horticulturae (ISSN 2311-7524). This special issue belongs to the section "Medicinals, Herbs, and Specialty Crops".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2024) | Viewed by 3237

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Pharmacy, Pharmacology and Health Technologies, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa, Avenida Professor Gama Pinto, 1649-003 Lisbon, Portugal
Interests: pharmacognosy; medicinal plants; herbal medicines; ethnobotany; ethnopharmacology; ethnopharmacy; rational phytotherapy; natural products
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Guest Editor
Department of Agriculture, University of Naples Federico II, 80055 Naples, Italy
Interests: botany; floras; alien species invasions; biodeterioration of historical and archaeological buildings; ethnobotany; iconographic analysis of artistic representations of natural elements in archaeological remains and artifacts of the Mediterranean region
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Medicinal plants and their preparation continue to play an important role in the health of the world population. In addition, they are recognized for its undeniable value as a source of new medicines or as a means of synthesizing them. As technological advances including artificial intelligence are tackled, new tools and challenges are being defined to be employed in the exploitation of these increasingly scarce natural resources.

In this Special Issue, original research papers, perspectives, hypotheses, opinions, reviews, modeling approaches, and methodologies related to recent advances and prospects of advancing knowledge of the production, quality, safety, and efficacy of medicinal plants and their respective preparations are welcome, with particular emphasis on the application of methods that facilitate and accelerate the obtention and certification of these natural resources in a more sustainable way.

Dr. Olga Silva
Dr. Riccardo Motti
Prof. Dr. Xinchao Wang
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • medicinal plant production
  • medicinal plant processing
  • medicinal plant preservation
  • medicinal plant quality control
  • herbal product processing
  • medicinal plant toxicity
  • medicinal plant biological activity

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 1566 KiB  
Article
Effects of Seed Priming with Gamma Radiation on Growth, Photosynthetic Functionality, and Essential Oil and Phytochemical Contents of Savory Plants
by Vahideh Mohammadi, Mahboobeh Zare Mehrjerdi, Anshu Rastogi, Nazim S. Gruda and Sasan Aliniaeifard
Horticulturae 2024, 10(7), 677; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae10070677 - 26 Jun 2024
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Abstract
Gamma radiation has been suggested to have post-effects on emerging plants when applied to the seeds. In the present study, we aimed to induce alterations in photosynthetic functionality and subsequent modifications in secondary metabolites of summer savory following seed priming with gamma radiation. [...] Read more.
Gamma radiation has been suggested to have post-effects on emerging plants when applied to the seeds. In the present study, we aimed to induce alterations in photosynthetic functionality and subsequent modifications in secondary metabolites of summer savory following seed priming with gamma radiation. Savory seeds were treated with 0, 50, 100, 200, and 300 Gy gamma radiation in a completely randomized design with ten replications for morphological and photosynthetic parameters and three for phytochemical assessments. The results showed that gamma radiation on seeds adversely affected photosynthetic performance, especially at the highest doses. It negatively influenced the growth, while increasing the shoot branching, the number of nodes, and the diameter of the stem. Gamma radiation on seeds generally reduced pigmentation in savory leaves, such as chlorophylls, carotenoids, and anthocyanins. However, soluble sugar, starch, total phenolics, and total flavonoid contents were elevated in the leaves of plants that emerged from gamma-primed seeds. Gamma radiation priming reduced essential oil’s percentage and yield. Carvacrol and limonene components of essential oil were diminished, whereas linalool and thymol were increased. In conclusion, due to its inherent stress-inducing effects, and despite some positive effects on phytochemicals, seed priming with gamma radiation adversely influenced growth, photosynthesis, and quantity and quality of savory essential oils. Further research is still needed to target the use of gamma radiations before harvesting the seeds or determine the cytogenetic characteristics of irradiated plants. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Medicinal Herbs: Latest Advances and Prospects)
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Review

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42 pages, 4030 KiB  
Review
A Review of Traditional Applications, Geographic Distribution, Botanical Characterization, Phytochemistry, and Pharmacology of Hypericum ascyron L.
by Meihui Liu, Yongmei Zhou, Xiaoxiao Rui, Zi Ye, Linyu Zheng, Hao Zang and Yuan Zhong
Horticulturae 2024, 10(6), 555; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae10060555 - 25 May 2024
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Abstract
Hypericum ascyron L. (H. ascyron) is a significant medicinal plant traditionally used for various conditions like hematemesis, hemoptysis, injuries from falls, irregular menses, dysmenorrhea, and liver fire-induced headaches. A comprehensive literature search was conducted using databases like SciFinder and Web of [...] Read more.
Hypericum ascyron L. (H. ascyron) is a significant medicinal plant traditionally used for various conditions like hematemesis, hemoptysis, injuries from falls, irregular menses, dysmenorrhea, and liver fire-induced headaches. A comprehensive literature search was conducted using databases like SciFinder and Web of Science to explore its traditional uses, geographical distribution, botanical description, phytochemistry, and pharmacology. The objective of this review is to lay groundwork and suggest fresh avenues of investigation into the possible uses of the plant. Currently, two hundred and seventy compounds have been isolated and identified from H. ascyron, including phloroglucinols, xanthones, flavonoids, phenolics, steroids and triterpenoids, volatile components, and other compounds. Notably, phloroglucinols, xanthones, and flavonoids have exhibited remarkable pharmacological effects like antioxidant, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, antidepressant, cytotoxic, and antimicrobial activities. Despite extensive research, further studies are needed to understand new components and mechanisms of action, requiring more detailed investigations. This thorough exploration could facilitate the advancement and utilization of H. ascyron. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Medicinal Herbs: Latest Advances and Prospects)
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