BACKGROUND: Traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) and practice associated with wild edible plants (WEPs) is an important part of local culture of the Yao people in Jianghua Yao Autonomous County, which possesses the biggest population of Yao ethnic group in China. Economic development, urbanization, and transition of lifestyle and changing interests of the younger generations risk loss of such valuable knowledge. However, no record had been reported about WEPs from the Yao communities of Jianghua County. It is urgent to assemble data on the major WEPs and their uses in Jianghua. This can be used to educate and stimulate new interest in these WEPs, to aid inheritance and improvement of cultural identity and confidence, to enhance local resilience to various changes and to suggest pathways for novel and value-added applications to create new local business opportunities.
METHODS: To record WEPs associated with TEK and practice, we conducted field surveys in 2018, 2019 and 2023. The ethnobotanical methods such as free-listing, participatory observation, semi-structured interview, and market survey were adopted in the field investigations. Information about WEPs including vernacular names, parts used, ways of use, and collection time were recorded. Voucher specimens were collected, identified, and deposited in the herbarium at Minzu University of China, in Beijing.
RESULTS: Totally, 81 Yao people from 12 villages were interviewed. WEPs traditionally play a crucial role in Yao peoples\' daily lives. A total of 130 plant species from 89 genera and 49 families were recorded. The plants collected showed great diversity and reflected unique local culture. Most (54.5%) WEPs were also used as medicines. Baba can be defined as a cultural identity food, and WEPs are commonly used as tea substitutes for their health benefits.
CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that WEPs use is facing great challenges in a rapidly changing era. Preservation of WEPs related practice and knowledge is not only important for conserving local biocultural diversity, but also valuable in providing potential functional and healthy materials for food security and future economic development. Cultivation of young generations\' interest in nature and biodiversity, combined with local policy to enhance public awareness are recommended.

Despite its millennial existence and empirical documentation, the ethnological knowledge of herbs is a more recent phenomenon. The knowledge of their historical uses as food, medicine, source of income and small-scale businesses, and the sociological impacts are threatened due to the slow ethnobotanical research drive. Species of the genus Solanum have long been extensively used in folk medicine to treat various illnesses of humans since the dawn of civilization. All data were systematically obtained from papers, monographs, and books written in Uzbek, Russian, and English through various scientific online databases, including Google, Google Scholar, PubMed, Scopus, Semantic Scholar, Science Direct, and Web of Science using specific keywords focused on eight Solanum species. Eight native and non-native Solanum species as S. dulcamara L., S. lycopersicum L., S. melongena L., S. nigrum L., S. rostratum Dunal., S. sisymbriifolium Lam., S. tuberosum L., and S. villosum Mill. have been recorded in Uzbekistan of Central Asia. In this article we presented recently obtained data on the diversity, morphological characteristics, global distribution, habitat, population status, phenology, reproduction, pharmacology and phytochemistry of these Solanum species in Uzbekistan. Furthermore, relying on a combination of literature reviews and analyses from various scientific papers, we focus on food consumption coupled with global ethnobotanical and ethnopharmacological uses in human diseases of the Solanum species growing in Uzbekistan. Since the dawn of civilization, these eight cultivated and non-cultivated species of Solanum have provided sustainable resources of medicinal plants in Uzbekistan to prevent and treat various human diseases. Based on the collected data, it was shown that Solanum species have not been studied ethnobotanically and ethnomedicinally in Uzbekistan and it is necessary to conduct phytochemical and biotechnological research on them in the future. Traditional uses and scientific evaluation of Solanum indicate that S. nigrum, S. sisymbriifolium and S. tuberosum are one of the most widely used species in some parts of the world. Although considerable progress has been made to comprehend the chemical and biological properties of S. nigrum and S. tuberosum species, more research on the pharmacology and toxicology of these species is needed to ensure the safety, efficacy, and quality of their biologically active extracts and isolated bioactive compounds. Additionally, conducting additional research on the structure-activity relationship of certain isolated phytochemicals has the potential to enhance their biological efficacy and advance the scientific utilization of traditional applications of Solanum taxa.

Ribosome-inactivating proteins (RIPs) are a class of cytotoxic rRNA N-glycosylase, which widely exist in higher plants in different taxonomy, including many traditional Chinese medicinal materials and vegetables and fruits. In this paper, the traditional Chinese medicinal plants containing RIPs protein were sorted out, and their pharmacological effects and clinical applications were analyzed. Since many RIPs in traditional Chinese medicine plants exhibit antiviral and antitumor activities and show great clinical application potential, people\'s interest in these proteins is on the rise. This paper summarizes the possible mechanism of RIPs\'s anti-virus and anti-tumor effects, and discusses its potential problems and risks, laying a foundation for subsequent research on how to exert its anti-virus and anti-tumor effects.

Entomoceuticals define a subset of pharmaceuticals derived from insects. The therapeutic effect of insect-derived drugs has been empirically validated by the direct use of various folk medicines originating from three sources in particular: the glandular secretions of insects (e.g., silk, honey, venom), the body parts of the insect or the whole used live or by various processing (e.g., cooked, toasted, ground), and active ingredients extracted from insects or insect-microbe symbiosis. Insects have been widely exploited in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) relative to other ethnomedicines, especially in the prospect of insect species for medicinal uses. It is noticeable that most of these entomoceuticals are also exploited as health food for improving immune function. In addition, some edible insects are rich in animal protein and have high nutritional value, which are used in the food field, such as insect wine, health supplements and so on. In this review, we focused on 12 insect species that have been widely used in traditional Chinese herbal formulae but have remained less investigated for their biological properties in previous studies. We also combined the entomoceutical knowledge with recent advances in insect omics. This review specifies the underexplored medicinal insects from ethnomedicine and shows their specific medicinal and nutritional roles in traditional medicine.

Arctium lappa L. is a medicinal edible homologous plant, commonly known as burdock or bardana, which belongs to the Asteraceae family. It is widely distributed throughout Northern Asia, Europe, and North America and has been utilized for hundreds of years. The roots, fruits, seeds, and leaves of A. lappa have been extensively used in traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). A. lappa has attracted a great deal of attention due to its possession of highly recognized bioactive metabolites with significant therapeutic potential. Numerous pharmacological effects have been demonstrated in vitro and in vivo by A. lappa and its bioactive metabolites, including antimicrobial, anti-obesity, antioxidant, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, anti-allergic, antiviral, gastroprotective, hepatoprotective, and neuroprotective activities. Additionally, A. lappa has demonstrated considerable clinical efficacies and valuable applications in nanomedicine. Collectively, this review covers the properties of A. lappa and its bioactive metabolites, ethnopharmacology aspects, pharmacological effects, clinical trials, and applications in the field of nanomedicine. Hence, a significant attention should be paid to clinical trials and industrial applications of this plant with particular emphasis, on drug discovery and nanotechnology.

A new icetexane diterpenoid, 11, 12, 20α-trihydroxyl-7β-methoxyicetexa-8, 11, 13-triene-19, 10-lactone [Phyllane A (1)], and a new abietane diterpenoid, 7β, 20-epoxy-3β, 17-acetoxy-abieta-8, 11, 13-teriene-11, 12-diol [phyllane B (2)], along with two known compounds (3 and 4) were isolated from the methanol (MeOH) extract of twigs and leaves of the folk medicinal Isodon phyllopodus. Their structures were determined by spectroscopic analyses including 2 D NMR spectral data, and further confirmed by X-ray single crystal diffraction. Moreover, the compounds were evaluated for their cytotoxicity and anti-HIV activities, and phyllane A showed anti-HIV activity with an IC50 value of 15.7 μM, but phyllane B was found to be cytotoxic to the A549 host cells with a CC50 value of 108.5 μM.

Toddalia asiatica (L.) Lam., belonging to Toddalia genus of Rutaceae family, is a folk medicine in China used for hundreds of years. The whole plant can be used as medicine, especially the root that used to be applied in the folk. In recent decades, with the in-depth research from domestic and foreign researchers, it has gradually been discovered that the chemical components in T. asiatica are mainly coumarins and alkaloids. Its pharmacological effects are manifested in anti-inflammatory and analgesic, hemostatic coagulation, anti-tumor, treatment of cardiovascular diseases, etc. It has a wide range of clinical applications and significant effects on rheumatism, pain, wound bleeding, and bruises. Due to its important research value, in this article, the chemical compositions and pharmacological effects of T. asiatica are comprehensively expounded in recent years in order to provide a reference for the related research and application of this medicinal material, which were carried out through a bibliometric search using the Science Citation Index- Expanded (SCIE) database, web of science, Google scholar and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) and all that.

The use of traditional medicines has tremendously increased over the past few decades. Approximately 80% of the world\'s population relies on traditional medicines for their primary healthcare needs because of their cost effectiveness and efficiency with no or minimal side effects. Zootherapy refers to the use of medicines that are prepared or derived from animals or from their products. The current study documented the folk knowledge related to the practice of various animal-derived products and ethnozoological based drugs used as medicines by the residents of the Cholistan desert of Bahawalpur (Pakistan). In this regard 46 knowledgeable and reliable elderly people, hakims and spiritual healers ranging from 35-60 years of age having knowledge related to zootherapy were included in the current study. A field survey from February 2006 to November 2007 was conducted by interviewing the selected respondents through a structured questionnaire. They provided knowledge regarding the use of animals and their derived products in traditional medicine. The zootherapeutic knowledge was based on both domestic animals as well as wild animals. A total of 20 animal species were included in the study, among which nine animals were domestic while 11 were wild animals. Among selected animals, nine were mammals, four birds, four reptiles and three insects. It was reported that camel was the most commonly used (n = 32 respondents) among mammals while Pigeon (n = 39 respondents), Spiny-tailed lizard (n = 41 respondents) and Indian honey bee (n = 27 respondents) among birds, reptiles and insects, respectively, have significant use for the treatment of different diseases. Based on this communication we could recommend that this type of abandoned knowledge should be considered for the management and conservation of faunistic resources. However, the advantageous role of animals and their products was reported but more extensive research is required to explore the bioactive constituents in the raw material of these animals responsible for their beneficial effects.

Standards for seeds and seedlings of Chinese materia medica are very important to the production, quality control and management of seeds and seedlings of Chinese materia medica. In this paper, the current standards including international standards, national standards, industry standards, local standards and group standards before 2020, involving relevant standards for seeds and seedlings of Chinese materia medica, were comprehensively and systematically summarized. Relevant standards for seeds and seedlings of Chinese materia medica were analyzed based on the standard issue year, the source and types of Chinese materia medica, and whether they are included in the Pharmacopoeia of the People\'s Republic of China 2015. It is suggested that the standards for seed and seedling of Chinese materia medica shall be systematic, professional and feasible, so as to ensure the sould and sustainable development of the seed and seedling industry of Chinese materia medica.

Aralia elata (Miq.) Seem. (Araliaceae), which is the key point of this review, is a precious wild vegetable that has served in the treatment of diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis in traditional folk medicine in East Asia (China, Japan, Korea, Russia). This review aims to overview the results of the current research related to Aralia elata (Miq.) Seem., with particular emphasis on chemical composition and biological activity. The existing research has been searched and summarized through the database, and it has been found that it has a certain therapeutic effecta on a variety of chronic diseases such as: malignant tumors, cardio-cerebrovascular disease, diabetes, and its complications, etc. Additionally, it is loved by people in East Asia due to its rich taste as a wild vegetable. In conclusion, it offers the possibility of developing innovative pharmacological drugs as well as healthy food. Thus, it is critical to prove its validity and clarify the exact action mechanisms that promote it as a pharmacological drug. This review is expected to provide direction for future research.