Journal of Ethnopharmacology 109 (2007) 295303

Plants species in the folk medicine of Montecorvino

Rovella (inland Campania, Italy)
Antonino De Natale a, , Antonino Pollio b
a

Department Ar.Bo.Pa.Ve., University of Naples Federico II, Via Universit`a, 100, 80055 Portici (NA), Italy
Department of Biological Sciences/Section Plant of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Via Foria, 223, 80139 Napoli, Italy
Received 18 April 2006; received in revised form 25 July 2006; accepted 28 July 2006
Available online 4 August 2006

Abstract
An ethnobotanical survey was conducted in the territory of Montecorvino Rovella (MR), inland Campania, Italy. Information on traditional uses
of 95 botanical taxa was collected; more than half of which are used to treat a wide range of diseases, ranging from pains of different origins, to
skin problems, and diseases of the respiratory system. For each medicinal species, data were collected including the vernacular names, preparation,
plant part, and therapeutic use. Twenty-four out of the 57 medicinal plants listed have a therapeutic use not previously reported in Campania and
neighbouring regions. Plant uses by Montecorvino inhabitants are compared with those described in medical and botanical literature by Campanian
authors from the last three centuries.
2006 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Ethnobotany; Traditional plant use; Medicinal plants; Montecorvino Rovella; Campania; Italy

1. Introduction
The study of traditional uses of plants and their products in the
Mediterranean region has been progressively increasing during
the past few years, and has enabled the collection of a significant
body of knowledge (Abu-Irmaileh and Afifi, 2003; Ali-Shtayeh
et al., 2000; Agelet and Valles, 2001; Camejo-Rodrigues et al.,
2003; El-Hilaly et al., 2003; Everest and Ozturk, 2005; Hanlidou
et al., 2004; Heinrich et al., 2005; Leporatti and Ivancheva, 2003;
Pieroni and Quave, 2005, 2006; Said et al., 2002; Skoula et
al., 2003; Tuzlaci and Aymaz, 2001; and references therein). In
Italy, recent ethnobotanical research has been mainly focused on
Central-South Italy, taking into special account traditional plant
knowledge (TPK) of small ethnic groups and isolated communities (Guarrera, 2003, 2005; Guarrera et al., 2005; Leporatti
and Corradi, 2001; Palmese et al., 2001; Pieroni et al., 2002,
2004, 2005). Compared to neighbouring regions, particularly
Latium and Basilicata, Campania has been poorly studied from
an ethnopharmacological point of view, the only studies dealing
with this topic being confined to a few locations, e.g., Rocca-

Corresponding author. Tel.: +39 081 7754850; fax: +39 081 7760104.
E-mail address: denatale@unina.it (A. De Natale).

0378-8741/$ see front matter 2006 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.jep.2006.07.038

monfina (Antonone et al., 1988), Monti Lattari (De Feo et al.,

1992; De Feo and Senatore, 1993) and Monte Vesole and Ascea
(Scherrer et al., 2004). No studies have been conducted so far in
the inland territory of Campania, which includes Avellino and
Benevento provinces, and represent more than one third of the
regional territory. Inland Campania, like many other interior territories of Central and South Italy, is mainly mountainous, with
a small population, relatively small settlements, and numerous
well preserved and protected natural areas that are only partially
studied for their floristic and vegetational characteristics.
The municipality of Montecorvino Rovella (MR) is located at
the foot of Mount Telegrafo (Fig. 1), which belongs to the Monti
Picentini range, one of the southern spurs of Appennini Campani. The district extends to the coast, embracing very different
vegetation belts, ranging from beach to chestnut groves. The MR
can be considered one of the corridors that connects the coast to
inland Campania, and is situated at the boundary of several districts: the Vesuvian area to the north, the Cilentanean area to the
south, the Sorrentinean area to the east, and the Irpinian area to
the west. It is well connected to the north, east, west, and south
by major roads that have been used since prehistoric times by
the diverse ethnic groups inhabiting Campania and neighbouring regions. Therefore, the MR area is expected to have been
heavily influenced by adjoining areas.

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A. De Natale, A. Pollio / Journal of Ethnopharmacology 109 (2007) 295303

Fig. 1. Location of the area studied.

After 553 BC, following the battle that destroyed Picentia, the
Romans forced the survivors to spread out and settle in small
communities. Thus, MR was originally constituted as a few
clusters of houses, most of which expanded until they became
large villages (e.g., Occiano, Ferrari, Gauro, Macchia, Marangi,
Martorano, Molenadi, Nuvola, S. Martino, Votraci, Cornea, and
Bellizzi).
In the following centuries the Barbarians, such as Goths, Longobards, Saracens, and Normans invaded the area (Serfilippo,
1856) and lead to marked changes in the language, habits, and
civilisation.
The aim of this paper is to highlight the eventual occurrence
of an ethnobotanical koin`e extending from inland Campania to
the coastal areas. The traditional plant knowledge (TPK) of the
MR community has been compared with that reported for the
municipalities of Ascea-Monte Vesole and Monti Lattari Peninsula (De Feo et al., 1992; De Feo and Senatore, 1993; Scherrer et
al., 2004), located to the west and south-east of MR, respectively,
and closely related to coastal Campania. Due to the scarcity of
recent studies dealing with plant uses in inland Campania, the
MR data were compared to ethnobotanical information gathered
for this geographical area from historical sources dating back to
two centuries.
2. Methodology
2.1. Study area
The MR area is characterised by a very complex orography,
hence many different plant communities are present. On the top
of mountains there are rocky phytocenoses rich in Apennineendemics (e.g., Campanula fragilis Cyr. s.l., and Cardamine
chelidonia L.), orophytes and mountain-Mediterranean species
(e.g., Arabis collina Ten and Biscutella laevigata L.), some of
which are very rare in southern Italy.
Grazing lands belong to the typical Apennine Brometea (with
Bromus erectus Huds., Anthyllis montana L., and Lotus corniculatus L.), whereas woody vegetation is mainly represented by
chestnut groves, which are very well preserved, especially in the
upper stands (with Lilium martagon L., Neottia nidus-avis (L.)
Rich., and Epipactis helleborine (L.) Crantz).

During the last few years, land use development produced

strong changes in lower mountain areas. In those stands the
Mediterranean maquis was substituted by crops, and more
recently also by expanding urban and industrial areas. Land use
changes also affected the areas at elevations from 750 to 900 m,
where chestnut plantations were replaced by hazelnut. Little or
no transformation has taken place in the highest areas.
In the mountain areas there is no dry period, even during
summer, whereas at lower elevations the Mediterranean climatic
pattern is easily recognisable, with a dry summer from June to
August. Rainfall is mainly restricted to late spring and autumn.
The mean annual temperature ranges between 12 and 16 C in
the lower areas, and between 6 and 12 C in the upper areas.
The most important economic resource of MR is hazelnut,
and to a minor extent olive cultivation. Some industrial areas are
also present, though they are not considered of primary importance.
2.2. Methods
Field work was conducted from April to October 2000.
The information was gathered by ethnobotanical interviews,
limited to people involved in agriculture and living outside major
MR villages, in very small rural settlements, often with no more
than two or three houses where small families of peasants live.
Their economic way of life does not rely entirely on agriculture.
Small landholdings, comprising the majority of the land adjacent
to the settlements, are used for subsistence farming, and all our
informants resided there. Preliminary investigations suggested
that people living in larger MR villages and working in the secondary or tertiary sector did not retain knowledge about the local
flora and its uses. Fifty-six participants were initially selected;
most were women (60% female and 40% male), aged between
50 and 85 (average age 65). Open informal interviews were used
to collected information. Twenty-five people were chosen from
the selected participants on the basis of their ability to identify
species in the field and to retain traditional knowledge of plant
uses. Only the plants indicated by at least two informants were
taken into account. Generally, plants were collected with the
informants, who were asked to indicate their vernacular names,
the part of the plant and its uses, and the preparation procedure.
Plant samples were identified in the field, except for dubious
cases, which were brought back to the laboratory and identified according to Pignatti (1982) and Tutin et al. (19641980,
1993). The floristic list is ordered alphabetically. Nomenclature
is according to Tutin et al. (19641980, 1993), though in some
cases the Med-Checklist (Greuter et al., 1984, 1986, 1989) was
used.
Voucher specimens of wild plants reported by informants in
the study area were prepared and deposited in the Herbarium of
the Department of Arboricoltura, Botanica e Patologia Vegetale
dellUniversit`a di Napoli Federico II (PORUN).
3. Results and discussion
Ethnobotanical investigation in the municipality of MR has
revealed that 95 species, out of a total of about 400 species

A. De Natale, A. Pollio / Journal of Ethnopharmacology 109 (2007) 295303

Fig. 2. Percentage spectrum of the ethnobotanical uses of the entities in MR.

identified in this territory (De Natale, unpublished results), are

used for different purposes related to local traditions (Fig. 2). The
etnobotanicity index (Port`eres, 1970) applied to useful plants is
23.75, which indicates a good level of TPK, comparable to that
of other Mediterranean areas. Similar index values were found in
Spain (Agelet and Valles, 2001; Martinez, 1993) and in Tunisia
(Boukef, 1986).
Table 1 lists the medicinal plants (57 species) of MR and their
related applications. More than half (58%) of phytoremedies
described were quoted by no more than four informants, which
represent less than 20% of the total number of informants. This
low consensus distribution suggests that TPK are declining in
this territory, and could explain the reduced number of plants
used in MC folk therapy.
Medicinal species listed belong mainly to Rosaceae (10
species), followed by Fabaceae and Asteraceae, both with 6
species, Poaceae (5), Fagaceae (4) and Lamiaceae (4). All these
families are largely represented in Mediterranean Flora, and
medicinal uses of their members have been already reported
for Turkey (Everest and Ozturk, 2005), Bulgary (Leporatti and
Ivancheva, 2003), Greece (Hanlidou et al., 2004), and Spain
(Raja et al., 1997).
Phytogeographical attributes of the species used in MC
were derived from Flora dItalia (Pignatti, 1982). Mediterranean species are well represented (21%); most of them are
Stenomediterranean (8.8%) or Mountain-Mediterranean (14%).
Euro-Asiatic species are also considerably abundant (19%) and
are primarily found in wooded areas. Widely distributed species
represent about 44% of the total. As already observed in many
floristic researches related to the Campania district, this group
has shown a remarkable increase during recent years (De Natale,
2003; La Valva and De Natale, 19931994). Most of these
species are cosmopolitan (42%), mainly weeds, whereas the others are adventitious, typical of anthropic and urban areas. The
relative abundance of the former group points out the importance of agricultural activity in these areas, as cultivated fields
are usually invaded by species that are widely distributed all over
the world (Ricciardi et al., 2004).
In MR folk therapy the most frequently used plant organs are
leaves (31 species) and the entire aerial part of the plant; flowers and fruits are often used, whereas the medicinal use of roots
ad bulbs is more restricted (Table 2a). The majority of species
provided one or few medicinal uses; however, Echium italicum
L. is used to treat five different diseases, and Lamium album
L., Sambucus nigra L., and Hedera helix L. subsp. helix are
used for several different ailments. Internal and external uses of

297

plants are equally distributed. The most reported uses are related
to the treatment of pains (ranging from toothache to rheumatic
and arthritic complaints), and ailments of the respiratory system, including remedies for cough, which represent the ailments
most frequently cited by MR inhabitants (Table 2b). With reference to the procedure of preparation, plant potions (infusion and
decoction) represent by far the most common way to administer
medicinal plants; however, external applications of fresh plants
are also frequently used (Table 2c). The use of preparations containing more than two plants species is specifically designed for
a few apparently not related ailments. Plants are generally used
in the therapy of existing ailments, the prophylactic use being
restricted only to Eryngium amethystinum L., whose flowers
were previously eaten to prevent malaria.
Medicinal plant uses recorded in MR were compared with the
available ethnobotanical literature of Campania (Antonone et al.,
1988; De Feo et al., 1992; De Feo and Senatore, 1993; Scherrer
et al., 2004), neighbouring regions with a special emphasis
on Latium and Lucania (Guarrera, 2003, 2005; Leporatti and
Corradi, 2001; Palmese et al., 2001; Pieroni and Quave, 2005;
Pieroni et al., 2002; Pieroni et al., 2004), South Italy (Barbagallo
et al., 1979; Catanzaro, 1970; Leporatti and Pavesi, 1989), and
the standard Italian Officinal Flora (Gastaldo, 1987).
In general, the phytotherapeutical plant use in MR is typical
to all folk medicine, such as the use of the herbs individually
or in potions, and the high number of plants administered to
relieve pains (Adams and Garcia, 2006; Bueno et al., 2005;
Schlege et al., 2000; Uniyal et al., 2006). On the other hand,
by comparing the plants used in MR with those reported for
neighbouring areas, it appears that there are many (24 of the 57
medicinal plants listed) uses that are not present in other locations, and that frequently, there are changes in the way the plants
are administered. However, many of the peculiar medicinal uses
documented in MR are quoted by the Italian Officinal Flora
(Gastaldo, 1987). Moreover, for some of these species namely
Agrimonia eupatoria L., Fumaria ofcinalis L., Lamium album
L., and Symphytum ofcinalis L., similar uses have been quoted
in other countries, mainly in the Eastern Mediterranean region
(Hanlidou et al., 2004; Everest and Ozturk, 2005; Leporatti and
Ivancheva, 2003). Probably, some of the unrecorded species
were regarded in the past by different communities as medicinal herbs, but their uses have been abandoned. This is the case
of Atropa bella-donna L. and Solanum nigrum L. subsp. nigrum,
both toxic and responsible of severe poisoning (Aliotta, 1987).
Their persistence in MR TPK could be considered as a relic of
ancient traditions that are still alive in other Mediterranean communities, as reported by Dafni and Yaniv (1994) for Israel. For
all the other unreported species, there is scarce available information, although some of these plants have been studied for their
chemical and pharmacological properties, and the results could
validate the folk therapeutic uses reported by MC informants.
This is the case of Plantago afra L. seeds, whose utilisation has
received clinical validation (WHO, 1999), and Cyperus rotundus L., that contains constituents with anti-inflammatory and
analgesic properties (Gupta et al., 1971).
Noteworthy is the therapeutical use of several cosmopolitan
weeds, like Amaranthus retroexus L., Chenopodium album L.,

298

Table 1
Medicinal plants used in the phytoterapy of the MR
Frequencya

Local names

Part(s) used

Uses in the local popular

medicine

Preparation

Adiantum capillus-veneris L. (PORUN ADN 3796) ADIANTACEAE

Fraola salvatica

Fronds

Abortive, regulator of
menses, anti-cough

Agrimonia eupatoria L. s.l. (PORUN - ADN

3777) ROSACEAE
Althaea ofcinalis L. (PORUN - ADN 3802)
MALVACEAE

CC

Aremonia

Anti-diarrhoea

Malvone

Aerial parts with

flowers
Leaves, roots

Amaranthus retroexus L. (PORUN - ADN

3830) AMARANTHACEAE

CC

Fiocchi cardinali

Aerial parts

Anti-rheumatic

Anagallis arvensis L. subsp. arvensis

(PORUN - ADN 3839) PRIMULACEAE
Arisarum vulgare Targ.-Tozz. (PORUN ADN 3816) ARACEAE

CC

Erva ra smania

Aerial parts

Sore throath

CC

Lanzanielli

Rhizomes

To heal bruises

Nasciensu

Flowers

CC

Lanzani

Rhizomes

For toothache, digestive, for

worms
To heal contusions

Decoction of about a quarter of a

liter of water with some dried
figs, an apple, some Prunus
cerasus fruits, some pieces of
Prunus dulcis epicarpus and A.
capillus-veneris leaves. The
decoction is filtered and honey or
sugar is added
Infusion of aerial parts with
flowers
Root decoction or local
application of crushed leaves
(cataplasmata)
Decoction together with
Chenopodium album and Conyza
canadensis. Then, the herbs are
locally applied for one hour when
they are still warm
Plants are crushed and locally
applied
Pieces of rhizomes are cut and
locally applied. Used as a
substitute of Arum italicum
Wine infusion of flowers

Erba ruggine

Aerial parts

For dandruff

Bellaronna

Analgesic

CC

Vurraina antica

Roots, leaves,
seeds
Young leaves

Digestive, depurative

Pieces of rhizomes are cut and

locally applied
External application of the
infusion
External application of the
infusion
Decoction

CC

Cicoria salvatica

Aerial part

Depurative, tonic

Fresh juice

CC

Spaccaprete

Aerial part

See Adiantum capillus-veneris

CC

Campumilla

Flowers

Abortive, regulator of
menses, anti-cough
Sedative, stomach ache

Infusion

CC

Farinello

Aerial parts

Antrheumatic

See Amaranthus retroexus

Zafferanone

Flowers (stamina)

For lices

CC

Cocolecchie

Leaves

For skin burns

Flowers decoction were locally

applied against lices
Leaves in poultice are applied on
the skin immediately after
vaccinations, to avoid skin burns

Artemisia arborescens L. (PORUN - ADN

3787) ASTERACEAE
Arum italicum Miller s.l. (PORUN - ADN
3808) ARACEAE
Asplenium trichomanes L. s.l. (PORUN ADN 3860) ASPLENIACEAE
Atropa bella-donna L. (PORUN - ADN
3859) SOLANACEAE
Borago ofcinalis L. (PORUN - ADN 3794)
BORAGINACEAE
Capsella bursa-pastoris (L.) Medicus
(PORUN - ADN 3797) BRASSICACEAE
Ceterach ofcinarum Willd. s.l. (PORUN ADN 3858) ASPLENIACEAE
Chamomilla recutita (L.) Rauschert
(PORUN - ADN 3790) ASTERACEAE
Chenopodium album L. (PORUN - ADN
3856) CHENOPODIACEAE
Colchicum autumnale L. (PORUN - ADN
3855) COLCHICACEAE
Convolvulus arvensis L. (PORUN - ADN
3833) CONVOLVULACEAE

Colds and cough

Campaniab

Bordering
regionb

A. De Natale, A. Pollio / Journal of Ethnopharmacology 109 (2007) 295303

Botanical name

Conyza canadensis (L.) Cronquist (PORUN

- ADN 3850) ASTERACEAE
Coronilla emerus L. s.l. (PORUN - ADN
3823) FABACEAE
Cymbalaria muralis P. Gaertn., B. Meyer et
Scherb. s.l. (PORUN - ADN 3803)
SCROPHULARIACEAE
Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers. (PORUN ADN 3854) POACEAE
Cyperus rotundus L. (PORUN - ADN 3852)
CYPERACEAE
Digitalis micrantha Roth (PORUN - ADN
3788) SCROPHULARIACEAE
Echium italicum L. (PORUN - ADN 3851)
BORAGINACEAE

CC

Pulucarella, Mocchia

Aerial part

Antirheumatic

See Amaranthus retroexus

CC

Vezza

Leaves, bark

Cardiotonic

Infusion

Cupputielli

Aerial part

Vulnerary use

External application of the plant

aerial part after decoction

CC

Gramegna

Aerial part

Anti-cough

Decoction

CC

Picierni

Rhizomes

Analgesic

Digitale piccola

Leaves

Cardiac-tonic

A poultice of rhizomes is
externally applied
Infusion of leaves for arrythmia

CC

Viperina

Aerial part

Decoction

Eryngium amethystinum L. (PORUN - ADN

3848) APIACEAE

Cardogna

Flowers

Depurative, diaphoretic,
diuretic, emollient for healing
respiratory infections
For malaria

Euphorbia amygdaloides L. s.l. (PORUN ADN 3785) EUPHORBIACEAE

Euphorbia helioscopia L. s.l. (PORUN ADN 3792) EUPHORBIACEAE
Ficus carica L. (PORUN - ADN 3847)
MORACEAE
Fumaria ofcinalis L. s.l. (PORUN - ADN
3780) FUMARIACEAE
Hedera helix L. subsp. helix (PORUN ADN 3836) ARALIACEAE

lattarola

Latex

Anti-wart

CC

Tutumaglio

Latex

Anti-wart

Shepards used to press flowers

and eat them before entering
swamps
Latex was externally applied
against corns and warts
See E. amygdaloides

CC

Fichi

Fruits

Campanielli

Aerial part

See Adiantum
capillus-veneris
Tonic, depurative

CC

Edera

Leaves

Hordeum vulgare L. (PORUN - ADN 3845)

POACEAE
Hypericum perforatum L. (PORUN - ADN
3782) CLUSIACEAE
Lamium album L. s.l. (PORUN - ADN 3783)
LAMIACEAE

Orzo

Seeds

Anti-nevralgic,
anti-rheumatic, cleansing,
haemolityc, used in the
treatment of sores and
wounds
Anti-cough

Fresh juice of the plant diluted in

water
Infusion, decoction

CC

Sementella

Young leaves

For wounds and skin burns

Ardica salvatica

Flowers

Malus domestica Borkh. (PORUN - ADN

3879) ROSACEAE

CC

Milo

Fruits

Malva sylvestris L. (PORUN - ADN 3789)

MALVACEAE

CC

Malva

Leaves, flowers

Mentha aquatica L. (PORUN - ADN 3877)

LAMIACEAE
Mentha suaveolens Ehrh. (PORUN - ADN
3826) LAMIACEAE
Origanum vulgare L. (PORUN - ADN 3837)

Mentuccia, Mentella

Aeriel part

Mentastro

Aerial part

Leaves eaten; fresh juice with

garlic
See M. aquatica

Anti-diarrhoea, depurative,
tonic, diuretic, colagogue,
anti-diarrhoea
1: anti-cough 2: abortive,
regulator of menses,
anti-cough
Anti-cough, for tooth-ache
and gingival abscesses, for
acne (external application)
Stomach ache, abdominal
pains (for children)
See M. aquatica

Decoction of H. vulgare seeds

with apples, dried figs, and pears
External application of leaves
poultice
Infusion

Ar`etica

Flowers

For colds

Leaves decoction with sugar or

honey

Decoction 1: pears, dried figs,

barley, apples. Decoction 2: see
Adiantum capillus-veneris
Decoction with lemon, honey and
the egg white

A. De Natale, A. Pollio / Journal of Ethnopharmacology 109 (2007) 295303

See Adiantum capillus-veneris

299

300

Table 1 (Continued )
Frequencya

Local names

Part(s) used

Uses in the local popular

medicine

Preparation

Campaniab

Bordering
regionb

Papaver rhoeas L. (PORUN - ADN 3876)

PAPAVERACEAE
Plantago afra L. (PORUN - ADN 3875)
PLANTAGINACEAE

Papagno

Petals

Sedative, anti-cough

Decoction

Seeds

For rhagades

Plantago lanceolata L. (PORUN - ADN

3874) PLANTAGINACEAE
Potentilla reptans L. (PORUN - ADN 3827)
ROSACEAE
Prunus cerasus L. (PORUN - ADN 3872)

CC

Lengua re cane

Leaves

Fraola salvatica

Aerial parts

For tooth-ache, to heal sores

and wounds
Anti-diarrhoea

Seeds are boiled until a

mucillagineous paste is obtained.
Topical application
Leaves crushed and topically
applied
Decoction

Am`ennola

Seeds (stone)

See Adiantum capillus-veneris

Prunus dulcis (Miller) D.A. Webb (PORUN

- ADN 3870)
Pyrus communis L. (PORUN - ADN 3864)

Mandorlo

Exocarps

Piro

Fruits

RR

Ruveta (pianta), morena (frutto)

Aerial parts, fruits

See Adiantum
capillus-veneris
See Adiantum
capillus-veneris
Infusion, decoction of the
fruits
Anti-acne

Ruta

Aerial part

Anti-rheumatic

CC

Sauco

Leaves, flowers

Colds, pains (gout), skin

infections, abscesses

Solanum nigrum L. subsp. nigrum (PORUN

- ADN 3812) SOLANACEAE
Symphytum ofcinale L. (PORUN - ADN
3866) BORAGINACEAE
Urtica dioica L. (PORUN - ADN 3867)
URTICACEAE

CC

Pummarulelle salvatiche

Leaves

Anti-rheumatic

RR

Vurraina salvatica

Roots

Anti-diarrhoea

CC

Ardica

Aerial part

Anthi-rheumatic

Valeriana ofcinalis L. s.l. (PORUN - ADN

3869) VALERIANACEAE
Verbena ofcinalis L. (PORUN - ADN 3890)
VERBENACEAE
Veronica cymbalaria Bodard (PORUN ADN 3813) SCROPHULARIACEAE
Vinca major L. (PORUN - ADN 3888)
APOCYNACEAE
Viola odorata L. (PORUN - ADN 3887)
VIOLACEAE
Xanthium spinosum L. (PORUN - ADN
3824) ASTERACEAE

Valeriana

Roots

Sedative

Verbena

Aerial part

Cupputielli

Aerial part

Pervinca

Leaves, flowers

Violetta

Flowers

Ripuli

Unripened fruits

Rubus ulmifolius Schott (PORUN - ADN

3862)
Ruta graveolens L. (PORUN - ADN 3861)
RUTACEAE
Sambucus nigra L. (PORUN - ADN 3776)
CAPRIFOLIACEAE

a
b

See Adiantum capillus-veneris

Decoction of pears, dried figs,
barley, apples
Decoction

Oleolite (the plant fried in olive

oil and topically applied)
Flower decoction against colds.
Oleolite (dried flowers fried in
olive oil) against pains (gotta).
Bath of flowers against skin
diseases. Leaves scoured on the
skin against local abscesses
Oleolite (the plant fried in olive
oil and topically applied)
Decoction





Topically applicatio; the plants

was vigorously scoured on the
skin
Decoction

Anti-diarrhoea, for muscolar

pains, febrifuge
For malaria

Infusion

Decoction

For colds, anti-diarrhoea,

febrifuge
Anti-cough, for diaphoretic,
diuretic, mild laxative
Febrifuge

Infusion

Frequency, C; common, CC; very common, R; rare, RR; very rare.

Campania and Bordering region: () plant not used for medicinal aims or used for different scopes; ( ) similar use; () same use of plant.


Decoction

A. De Natale, A. Pollio / Journal of Ethnopharmacology 109 (2007) 295303

Botanical name

A. De Natale, A. Pollio / Journal of Ethnopharmacology 109 (2007) 295303

301

Table 2
Plant parts used, pharmacological action and medicinal application in MR folk therapy
A

Part of plant

Pharmacological action

Medicinal application

Leaves
Aerial part
Flowers
Fruits
Roots
Seeds
Wood
Latex
Bulbs
Cortex

31
28
17
12
8
5
3
2
1
1

Pain-killer
Anti-cough
Anti-congestion
Abortive
Anti-diarrhoea
Febrifuge
Tonic, stimulative
Anti-malarial
Digestive

22
21
13
8
6
4
4
2
2

Decoction
Infusion
External application
Internal application
Cataplasm
Bath
Oleolite
Massage
Compress
Unguent

21
14
6
4
2
1
1
1
1
1

and Conyza canadensis (L.) Cronq., which are also administered

altogether for external applications used to alleviate arthritic
pains. The use in the treatment of arthritis is also reported for the
latter species (Gastaldo, 1987). The weedy Chenopodium album
could be used in the same way as Chenopodium vulvaria, which
has been sometimes employed as an antirheumatic (Gastaldo,
1987). The medicinal use of Amaranthus retroexus, which has
no related species used in folk medicine in Italy, could be an
extension of the more usual incorporation of new species with
habit and distribution similar to old species in the TPK. The
role of weeds in folk therapy is probably still not well evaluated.
According to Stepp (2004), disturbed habitats are often preferred
to forests by indigenous people for collecting medicinal plants,
which are frequently weeds. Another possible explanation is
that weeds are generally annual, and in their short-life span they
accumulate a higher amounts of bioactive compounds (Stepp
and Moerman, 2001).
Eryngium amethystinum L. and Veronica cymbalaria Bodard
are additional medicinal plants specific to MR, and administered against malaria. Although no reports are available on the
phyto-therapeutic uses of Eryngium amethystinum, other Eryngium species from different geographical areas have been used
to treat malaria (Cardozo et al., 2004). On the other hand, there
is no evidence of the anti-malarial properties of Veronica cymbalaria. It cannot be ruled out that this species is commonly
confused with the similar Cymbalaria muralis Gaertn., B. Mey.
et Scherb, distributed all over MR and well known by its inhabitants as a remedy against malaria. Interesting is the use of
Digitalis micrantha Roth as a replacement of Digitalis purpurea
L. Digitalis micrantha is common in wooded areas of central and
south Italy. At the beginning of the 19th century its medicinal
use was suggested by the Campanian physician Stellati (1813),
who stated that the plant had the same pharmacological properties, but limited side effects, compared to Digitalis purpurea.
No recent studies have been carried out on Digitalis micrantha,
and the pharmacological effects and chemical constituents of
this species remain unknown. The same is true for the properties of Coronilla emerus L., also claimed to be effective as a
cardiotonic, as reported by Usher (1974).
Since Neolithic times (De La Geni`ere, 1968) MC was
in the commercial trade, and coastal and inland Campania
were interconnected. Although this peculiar geographical posi-

tion, the TK of this municipality seems to be prevalently

local, and the suggestion of an ethnobotanical koin`e including the territory lying between the Picentini Mountains and
the Campanian coast is not supported by the present study.
On the other hand, the hypothesis that the phytoterapeutical
knowledge of Montecorvinos community has more similarities
with that of adjacent Apenninic territories remains unexplored:
presently, studies dealing with the TK of the numerous mountain communities located in the Picentini district are completely
absent.
We have also taken into account several manuscripts written by physicians and naturalists in the 18th and 19th century
describing the flora and, to a minor extent, the ethnobotany of
several territories of inland Campania, although not specifically
devoted to the Picentini district (Pasquale and Avellino, 1841;
Pasquale and Pasquale, 1892; Petagna, 1796; Tenore, 1823,
1827). Only three of the species used in MR (Hedera helix L.
subsp. helix, Hypericum perforatum L., and Matricaria recutita L.) are described in the historical literature, but it should be
stressed that these species are used in the same way all over Italy
(Gastaldo, 1987). In some other few cases (Agrimonia eupatoria
L., Anagallis arvensis L. subsp. arvensis, Artemisia arborescens
L., Ficus carica L., and Sambucus nigra L.), there was a limited
correlation between folk therapeutic uses of MR and the selected
literature, whereas no similarity was found for the other medicinal plants of MR territory.
Since the reduced rate of shared TK of MC with neighbouring Companion territories has probably a cultural explanation,
a combined anthropological and ethnobotanical field research is
necessary to have a more detailed picture of the folk plant uses in
this geographical area. As in many other countries also outside
the Mediterranean basin, the dissemination of phytotherapeutical knowledge is prevalently matrilineal (Pereira, 19951996;
Pokhrel et al., 2003; Martindale and Jurakic, 2004). Women
administer plant remedies and transfer knowledge about the
healing system from generation to generation. They generally
have a sedentary life style, in contrast to men, who have much
more opportunity for travel, meeting people, and exchanging
information. Thus, cultural isolation may also occur in nonsegregated communities.
The results of this first contribution on medicinal plant uses
in inland Campania have indicated that this area could retain

302

A. De Natale, A. Pollio / Journal of Ethnopharmacology 109 (2007) 295303

peculiar TPK, which surely deserves further research. As in

many other Mediterranean areas, this is a very urgent task.
Inland Campania is not an isolated territory: modern life styles
have been fully accepted by the population and traditional
culture is now limited to a very limited number of elderly
people in the rural areas.
Acknowledgement
We would like to thank Dr. Maaike Bader for her helpful
comments on the manuscript.
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