Enhancing Knowledge of Local Medicinal Flora as a Tool for Promoting Human Health

Medicinal and aromatic plants are widely used in numerous processes in the pharmaceutical, food, liquor, cosmetics, and herbal industries, and demand for them is constantly increasing worldwide. In Italy, as well as in Europe in general, despite a significant increase in quantity and turnover by the processing and marketing industry, there isn’t a corresponding increase in the cultivated area dedicated to medicinal plants. With the exception of a few species that are cultivated on a large scale, most plants for the industry are imported from foreign countries, mainly due to production cost requirements. Interestingly, about 80% of medicinal plant species still come from spontaneous collection, with inevitable environmental repercussions. A rational development of medicinal plant cultivation as a marginal activity in mountainous areas would lead to the development or birth of local botanical supply chains and the preservation and enhancement of medicinal flora as a tool for health and individual well-being. The study describes the results of a research project conducted on the plant species gentian (Gentiana lutea), that has economic importance in the production of various products, including liqueurs, phytotherapeutic products, herbal products, and food. Research on this species included studies on propagation methods, phytochemical characterization of spontaneous ecotypes, and experimental cultivation trials in relation to the pedoclimatic requirements of the species and the pedological typology of the areas where potential experimental sites, in the Gran Sasso (n=6) and Majella (n=1) massifs, were identified. Regarding the germination assays, samples from Vado di Sole harvesting station (Gran Sasso massif) showed the highest germination rate (69% of the plated seeds). In parallel, the root elongation from the same seeds was the greatest. Indeed, these samples showed a more than threefold increase in length (from 13 to 43 mm) between the 16th and 23rd day of the experiment. Also regarding the total content of secoiridoids Vado di Sole samples resulted with the highest concentration in the roots (average content of 100 mg/g of dry plant material). The project led to the acquisition of knowledge and skills for the propagation and cultivation of gentian. The research confirmed the high applicative value of spontaneous medicinal flora and paved the way for sustainable and environmentally friendly entrepreneurial activities. The project can continue with new initiatives and represents a development path for the mountainous areas of central Apennines.