Wild food plants in Graecanic communities in Calabria, Southern Italy - Ethnobotany, current role in Mediterranean diets, and antioxidant activity Thesis presented by Sabine M. Nebel for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Centre for Pharmacognosy and Phytotherapy The School of Pharmacy University of London 2006 ’^OL OF " ProQuest Number: 10104805 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. uest. ProQuest 10104805 Published by ProQuest LLC(2016). Copyright of the Dissertation is held by the Author. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. ProQuest LLC 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 This thesis describes research conducted in the School of Pharmacy, University of London between 2002 and 2006 under the supervision of Prof. Michael Heinrich. I certify that the research described is original and that any parts of the work that have been conducted by collaboration are clearly indicated. I also certify that I have written all the text herein and have clearly indicated by suitable citation any part of this dissertation that has already appeared in publication. 7 / (^foC Signature Date Abstract Dietary patterns are changing rapidly all over the world. The body of available local food knowledge, which forms the basis of many local traditions, is decreasing dramatically. In rural areas throughout the Mediterranean, vegetables and salads made from wild plants have been particularly important as local foods since ancient times. However, very little is known about the use of these wild food plants (WFPs) and about their contribution to health, while numerous clinical and pharmacological-biochemical studies have shown beneficial effects for major components of Mediterranean diets. This research project studied WFPs used in the Graecanic area in Calabria, Southern Italy as components of the local diet with potential antioxidant activity. It was embedded in an EU-fimded project entitled “Local Food - Nutraceuticals”. The research approach adopted for this interdisciplinary research combined ethnobotanical methods with pharmacology and nutritional sciences. The gathering, processing and consumption of these plants were studied using participant observation techniques and semi-structured interviews. Local perceptions about WFPs (beneficial health effects, health risks) and nutritional data were obtained through a socio-nutritional study conducted in Italy, Spain and Greece. More than 40 WFPs are used as condiments, or vegetables, including edible greens, called ta chorta in the local language. Many are considered to be healthy because of their bitterness (e.g. Reseda alba). Furthermore, the antioxidant activity of WFPs from Italy, Spain and Greece, was evaluated using in vitro assays. Crude extracts were tested for free radical scavenging activity (FRSA), and for the inhibition of xanthine oxidase (XO). Only a small number of plant extracts showed significant antioxidant activity. However, some extracts had promising activity in the XO-system. This interdisciplinary research contributed not only to the understanding of locally used WFPs as a promising source of natural antioxidants, but also to the safeguarding of this rapidly vanishing local knowledge. éla condàmu ce dommu to chéri vienimi vicino e dammi la mano a ttelise i cardîamu na mi pesàni se vuoi che il mio cuore non muoia i agapimîa e(ne) fola ena lulùdi l’amore è come un fiore an den ndo potise spisio ecino cottèni se non lo innaffi spesso esso appassisce 1 zoi ene mien la vita è breve éla agàpimu vieni amor mio ti ego de ssonno zi che io non posso vivere Mimmo Nucera Milinari di Gallicianô 6 Acknowledgements I wish to express my sincerest thanks to: - the inhabitants of the Graecanic area in Calabria, particularly the inhabitants of Gallicianô, for their enthusiasm for this project and willingness to share their knowledge with me, and their lovely hospitality: they have given me a second home. Furthermore, I would like to thank all the members of the Cumelca Association for their support throughout my stay in Gallicianô - 1 still feel like dancing whenever I hear la tarantella', the Mayor of Condofuri, Nucera Giovanni S. and the town councillor, Manti Natale and for the logistic support. - to Prof. Michael Heinrich as my supervisor, to Dr. Jo Barnes (second supervisor). Dr. Andrea Pieroni, Dr. Marco Leonti, Prof. Felicity Smith and Dr. José Prieto-Garcia from the School of Pharmacy for their scientific support. Thanks also to Dr. Cristina Inocencio Pretel and Rafael Llorach from the University of Murcia, Spain; to Dr. Zaxarias Kypriotakis (Exoli gsoponias, TEI Kritis, Crete, Greece), Dr. Manuel Pardo de Santayana (Royal Botanic Garden in Madrid), Andreas Lardos (Switzerland) for discussions about specific aspects of the project, as well as to all members of the consortium “Local Food-Nutraceuticals”. Furthermore, I would like to thank Dr. Nicholas Hind from the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew, UK, for his help with the identification of some Asteraceae species. Thanks also to the Erasmus students Sandra Maier, Lydia Tomantschger and Henrik Nilsson for their contribution to this thesis. - to all my colleagues and staff at the Centre for Pharmacognosy and Phytotherapy, School of Pharmacy, University of London, UK. - last but not least I express my deepest thank to Caspar Schmidt, and to both our families for their love, support and patience. Financial support during the work of this thesis was obtained from: The School of Pharmacy, University of London, The British Federation of Woman Graduates (BFWG) - The European Commission, DG Research [Quality of Life and Management of Living Resources, key action 1 : Food, Nutrition and Flealth (“Local Food- Nutraceuticals”, contract number: QLKl-CT-2001-00173, coordinator: M. Heinrich Table of Contents Abstract................................................................................................................................... 3 List of Tables........................................................................................................................11 List of Figures.......................................................................................................................13 Abbreviations.......................................................................................................................15 1 Introduction...................................................................................................................17 1.1 Local food as an element of traditional knowledge - a theoretical perspective....................................................................................... 21 1.2 Local foods of the Mediterranean...................................................................... 26 1.3 The changing food pattern..................................................................................30 1.4 Food as medicine - medicine as food................................................................... 32 1.5 The *Tocal Food-Nutraceuticals” project and its goals................................ 34 2 Wild food plants used in the Graecanic area in Calabria, Southern Italy 37 2.1 Introduction........................................................................................................... 38 2.1.1 The ethnographic background: Graecanic communities in Calabria, 81... 40 2.1.2 Historical sources of botanical data ...............................................................43 2.2 Aims and Objectives............................................................................................. 45 2.3 Methods...................................................................................................................46 2.3.1 Ethnobotanical methods ..................................................................................47 2.3.2 Historical-linguistic method ........................................................................... 49 2.4 Results and Discussion..........................................................................................50 2.4.1 Wild food plants traditionally consumed in the Graecanic area ................. 50 2.4.2 Traditional dishes made of wild food plants .................................................66 2.4.3 Historical importance of wild food plants ..................................................... 69 2.4.4 Food as medicines ........................................................................................... 75 2.4.5 Dissemination of ethnobotanical information ...............................................77 2.5 Conclusion...............................................................................................................80 3 Socio-nutritional study in six rural areas of the Mediterranean.........................83 3.1 Introduction...........................................................................................................84 3.2 Aims and Objectives............................................................................................86 3.3 Methodology ..........................................................................................................87 3.3.1 Sampling and