Does aroma influence Indigenous and local people’s selection and utilization of plants? A scoping review

Background The influence of morphological traits on the selection and utilization of plants has been widely investigated, but explaining how people recognize a plant’s usefulness based on chemistry has been challenging. Plant aroma, as a perceptual indicator of underlying chemical composition, may play an important role in this process, yet its contribution remains insufficiently understood. Methods We conducted a review of literature published over the past 50 years to examine the role of plant aroma and human olfaction in shaping plant selection and perceived utility within Indigenous and local knowledge systems. We assessed patterns of interdisciplinarity by combining qualitative content and co-occurrence analyses with matrix-based heatmap visualizations. Results We find that aroma contributes, to some extent, to the selection and utilization of plants by facilitating preliminary identification, therapeutic classification, and intergenerational knowledge transmission. However, the mechanisms underlying this relationship remain poorly understood mainly due to the lack of interdisciplinary approaches and methodological limitations in most studies. Conclusions Limited integration across disciplines constrains definitive conclusions, underscoring the need for more rigorous interdisciplinary research. We propose integrating phytochemistry with standard ethnobotanical data collection to better understand the role of plant aroma and olfactory perception in plant selection.