The results of an ethnobotanical study on the use of wild and cultivated plants in
middle, west and south Bosnia and Herzegovina (Western Balkan Peninsula; Southeast
Europe) carried out in the years 2006-2009 are presented. Despite the country's extraordinary
high plant diversity with about 3600 known species of vascular plants, plant usage
in traditional medicine remained largely unexplored in the past. The purpose of this
study was the systematic collection of information about usage of wild and cultivated
plants in human therapy from Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Information was gathered by performing so called open ethnobotanical interviews by
which data on the name, age and occupation of the interviewed person; the geographic
locality and date of the interview; the name of the used plant; part of the plant
used; the prescription background and preparation procedure as well as the indication
was systematically collected. Plants mentioned to be used by the informants were collected,
taxonomically determined and corresponding material was deposited in the herbarium
of the Department of Pharmacognosy of the University of Vienna.
In total, 34 places including villages and mountain areas were visited and 51 people,
known as 'traditional healers' by the rest of the inhabitants, questioned. 228 wild
and cultivated species and 730 different preparations for the use in human therapy
were recorded. Species of the genera Achillea, Hypericum, Mentha, Teucrium, Thymus,
and Urtica were particularly highly recommended by the majority of the informants.
The most frequently mentioned indications were urogenital tract disorders, respiratory
system disorders, gastrointestinal tract disorders, skin ailments, blood system disorders,
nervous system disorders, cardiovascular system disorders, and rheumatism. Infusions
were the most frequently prepared formulation. Other applied preparations mentioned
with decreasing frequency were decocts, ointments, direct application of plants without
prior preparation, fluid unctions, sirups and tinctures or collars, freshly pressed
juices, powders, and finally macerations. Balms known as "mehlems" were special to
Bosnia and were prepared from freshly chopped or freshly pressed herbal parts of various
plants. Warmed resins from Abies or Picea species, bees wax, raw cow or pig lard,
olive oil and honey were used as additives in the mehlem formulations. Representatives
of the genera Arctium, Carlina, Euphrasia, Hypericum, Plantago, Teucrium, and Urtica
were most frequently used in these balms. Prescriptions were verbally delivered, usually
from mother to daughter and for even more than six generations. For the purpose of
further analyses and comparisons, the collected data were inserted in the so called
"VOLKSMED" data base of Austrian prescriptions.
The identified broad variety of indications and their frequent applications suggests
that traditional plant use is of high importance and still crucial for the medicinal
accommodation of Bosnian people. Fifty-seven of the species reported by Bosnian people
were used in official pharmacy. In addition, a variety of less known plants has been
used since ages in traditional therapy of this country and hence may be potential
sources for new therapies. Therefore, further pharmaceutical research into this particular
and scientifically still underexplored proportion of Bosnian plant biodiversity appears
promising and is recommended by the authors.
(c) 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.