Supplementary Files
Keywords
Azerbaijan
flora
officinal medicinal plants
habitats
rare species
Red Data Book
How to Cite
Abstract
The Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, situated at the crossroads of Mediterranean, Western Asian, and Iranian floras, is home to a rich diversity of medicinal plants. Approximately 132 species of officinal medicinal plants have been identified, with 44 cultivated and 88 wild-growing species. This region's flora contributes significantly to both traditional and scientific medicine, with many species documented in pharmacopoeias over the past 137 years. The escalating global demand for herbal remedies and natural health products underscores the importance of these plants, yet they face threats from habitat destruction, over-harvesting, and climate change. This study aims to assess the species composition, distribution, and conservation status of medicinal plants in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. It focuses on understanding their habitats, ecological conditions, and the traditional knowledge associated with their use. Field expeditions conducted from 2015 to 2021 involved the collection of herbarium specimens and the identification of species using established botanical references. The study employed Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for mapping plant distributions and assessing biodiversity hotspots. The Conservation Priority Index (CPI) was calculated for each species, incorporating biological scores and risk of use scores to classify species into three conservation categories. The study identified 132 officinal medicinal plant species across 47 families and 105 genera. The most represented families include Rosaceae, Asteraceae, and Fabaceae. Among these, several species are classified as endangered, including Adiantum capillus-veneris and Juniperus sabina. The research also documented the traditional uses of 59 species in folk medicine, highlighting their cultural significance.
References
Astutik S, Pretzsch J, Ndzifon Kimengsi J (2019) Asian medicinal plants’ production and utilization potentials: a review. Sustainability 11(19): 5483. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11195483
Bairagi S, Salaskar PP, Loke SD, Surve NN, Tandel DV, Dusara MD (2012) Medicinal significance of coumarins: a review. International Journal of Pharmaceutical Research 4(2):16–19.
Borrelli F, Izzo AA (2000) The plant kingdom as a source of anti-ulcer remedies. Phytotherapy Research 14: 581–591. https://doi.org/10.1002/1099-1573(200012)14:8<581::AIDPTR776>3.0.CO;2-S
Bussmann RW, Paniagua Zambrana YZ, Shikarulidze S, Kikvidze Z, Kikodze D, Tchelidze D, Batsatsashvili K, Hart RE (2016) Medicinal and Food Plants of Svaneti and Lechkhumi, Sakartvelo (Republic of Georgia), Caucasus. Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (Los Angel) 5: 266. https://doi.org/10.4172/2167-0412.1000266
Chen SL, Yu H, Luo HM, Wu Q, Li ChF, Steinmetz A (2016) Conservation and sustainable use of medicinal plants: problems, progress, and prospects. Chinese Medicine 11: 37. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13020-016-0108-7
Dalar A, Mukemre M, Unal M, Ozgokce F (2018) Traditional medicinal plants of Agrı province, Turkey. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 226: 56–72. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2018.08.004
Damirov IA, Prilipko LI, Shukurov DZ, Kerimov YA (1982) Medicinal plants of Azerbaijan. Maarif, Baku, 319 pp. [In Russian]
Demir U, Demir I (2022) Traditional Plants Used for Medicinal Purposes in Güroymak (Bitlis/Turkey) District. Journal of the Institute of Science and Technology 12(2): 609–662. https://doi.org/10.21597/jist.1060040
Du G, Yuan T, Du L, Zhang Y (2016) The potential of traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment and modulation of pain. Advances in Pharmacology 75: 325–361. https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.apha.2016.01.001
Engemann K, Sandel B, Enquist BJ, Jørgensen PM, Kraft N, Marcuse-Kubitza A, McGill B, Morueta-Holme N, Peet RK, Violle C, Wiser S, Svenning J-Ch (2016) Patterns and drivers of plant functional group dominance across the Western Hemisphere: a macroecological re-assessment based on a massive botanical dataset. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 180(2): 141–160. https://doi.org/10.1111/boj.12362
Farnsworth NR, Akerele O, Bingel AS, Soejarto DD, Guo Z (1985) Medicinal plants in therapy. Bull World Health Organ 63(6): 965–981.
Fitzgerald M, Heinrich M, Booker A (2020) Medicinal plant analysis: a historical and regional discussion of emergent complex techniques. Frontiers in Pharmacology 10: 1480. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2019.01480
Flora of Azerbaijan (1950–1961) Koryagin II (Ed.) Vols 1–8. Publishing house of the Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan SSR, Baku. [In Russian]
Grossheim AA (1939–1967) Flora of the Caucasus. Vols 1–7. Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Moscow-Leningrad. [In Russian]
Grossheim AA (1946) Plant resources of the Caucasus. Academy of Sciences of the Azerbaijan SSR, Baku, 671 pp. [In Russian]
Guidance on the quality of herbal medicinal products, recommendation of the Board of the Eurasian Economic Commission dated 10 May 2018.
Guidelines for assessing the quality of medicinal products based on combinations of medicinal plant materials and (or) herbal pharmaceutical substances (drugs based on medicinal plant materials), recommendation of the Board of the Eurasian Economic Commission dated 25 May 2021.
Guimaraes R, Barros L, Dueñas M, Carvalho AM, Santos-Buelgo C, Ferreira ICFR (2013) Characterisation of phenolic compounds in wild fruits from Northeastern Portugal. Food Chemistry 141(4): 3721–3730. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2013.06.071
Guliyev AM (2014) Honey-bearing plants of Azerbaijan. Vyaz, Baku. [In Azerbaijani]
Halloy S (1990) A morphological classification of plants, with special reference to the New Zealand alpine flora. Journal of Vegetation Science 1: 291–304.
Ibadullayeva SJ (2020) Ethnobotany of local used medicinal plants in Azerbaijan Republic. Journal of Medicine and Biology 2(2): 72–81.
Ibragimov AS, Nabiyeva FH (2010) Resources of medicinal plants of Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic and ways of their rational use. Scientific Works of the Nakhchivan State University. Series of Natural Sciences and Medicine 2(31): 35–39. [In Azerbaijan]
IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria (2001) Version 3.1. IUCN Species Survival Commission. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK.
Kakhramanova SD, Bokov DO, Rendyuk TD, Janulis V, Sakr M, Samylina IA, Potanina OG, Nikulin AV, Nasser RA (2020) Evaluation of the nomenclature of herbal expectorants on Russian pharmaceutical market: current status and future prospects. Systematic Reviews in Pharmacy 11(6): 196–205. https://dx.doi.org/10.31838/srp.2020.6.31
Kumar V, Marković T, Emerald M, Dey A (2016) Herbs: composition and dietary importance. In: Caballero B, Finglas PM, Toldrá F (Eds) Encyclopedia of Food and Health. Academic Press; Oxford, UK. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-384947-2.00376-7
Mamedov N, Mehdiyeva NP, Craker LE (2015) Medicinal plants used in traditional medicine of the Caucasus and North America. Journal of Medicinally Active Plants 4(3): 42–66. https://doi.org/10.7275/R51834DS
Mehdiyeva NP (2011) Biodiversity of medicinal flora of Azerbaijan. Letter Press, Baku, 186 pp. [In Azerbaijan]
Mehdiyeva NP (2014) About some plants of Azerbaijan flora used in folk medicine and cooking. Traditional Medicine 4(39): 25–32. [In Russian]
Mikulic-Petkovsek M, Samoticha J, Eler K, Stampar F, Veberic R (2015) Traditional elder flower beverages: a rich source of phenolic compounds with high antioxidant activity. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 63(5): 1477–1487. https://doi.org/10.1021/jf506005b
Nađpal JD, Lesjak MM, Šibul FS (2018) Phytochemical composition and in vitro functional properties of three wild rose hips and their traditional preserves. Food Chemistry 241: 290–300. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2017.08.111
Official Medicinal Plants of Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic (2014) Ajemi Publishing and Printing Association, Nakhchivan, 432 pp. [in Russian]
Ozturk M, Altay V, Altundag E, Ibadullayeva S, Aslanipour B, Gonenc MT (2018a) Herbal in Igdir (Turkey), Nakhcivan (Azerbaijan), and Tabriz (Iran). Plant and Human Health 1: 197–266. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-93997-1_6
Ozturk M, Altundag E, İbadullayeva S, Altay V, Aslanipour B (2018b) A comparative analysis of medicinal and aromatic plants in the traditional medicine of İgdir (Turkey), Nakhchivan (Azerbaijan) and Tabriz (İran). Pakistan Journal of Botany 1: 337–343. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-93997-1_6
Palhares RM, Gonçalves Drummond M, Dos Santos Alves Figueiredo Brasil B, Pereira Cosenza G, das Graças Lins Brandão M, Oliveira G (2015) Medicinal plants recommended by the world health organization: DNA barcode identification associated with chemical analyses guarantees their quality. PloS one 10(5): e0127866. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0127866
Passport of the classifier of medicinal plant materials, approved by the Decision of the Board of the Eurasian Economic Commission dated 16 April 2019.
Pesic M (2015) Development of natural product drugs in a sustainable manner. Brief for United Nations Global Sustainable Development Report, New York, NY, USA, 1–4.
Pharmacopoeia of the Eurasian Economic Union, approved by the Decision of the Board of the Eurasian Economic Commission dated 11 August 2020.
Red Data Book of the Azerbaijan Republic (2023) Rare and endangered species of plants and mushrooms. Imak, Baku, 507 pp. [In Azerbaijani]
Sandru D, Niculescu V, Lengyel E, Tiţa O (2016) Identification and quantification of total polyphenols in plants with bioactive potentially. International Journal of Pharmacology Phytochemistry and Ethnomedicine 4: 47–51. https://doi.org/10.18052/www.scipress.com/IJPPE.4.47
Shikov AN, Narkevich IA, Flisyuk EV, Luzhanin VG, Pozharitskaya ON (2020) Medicinal plants from the 14th edition of the Russian Pharmacopoeia, recent updates. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 268: 113685. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2020.113685
Talibov TG, Ibragimov ASh (2010) Red Data Book of Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic (ferns, gymnosperms and angiosperms). Vol. 2. Ajemi, Nakhchivan, 678 pp. [In Azerbaijan]
Talibov TG, Ibragimov ASh, Ibrahimov AM, Ismayilov AH, Alekperov RA (2012) Natural reserves of some trees and shrubs being officinal medicinal plants distributed on the territory of Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. Proceedings of the Nakhchivan Branch of NAS of Azerbaijan, Series of Natural and Technical Sciences 2: 49–58. [In Azerbaijan]
Talibov TG, Ibrahimov AM, Bayramov AB, Seyidova GS (2021) Therapeutic properties of species of the genus Hawthorn (Crataegus L.) in the flora of Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic of Azerbaijan. News of the State Humanitarian-Technological University (GGTU). Medicine, Pharmacy 1: 65–69. [In Russian]
Theodoridis S, Drakou EG, Hickler Th, Thines M, Nogues-Bravo D (2023) Evaluating natural medicinal resources and their exposure to global change. The Lancet 7(2): E155–E163. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2542-5196(22)00317-5
The rules of good practice for the cultivation, collection, processing and storage of raw materials of plant origin, approved by the decision of the Council of the Eurasian Economic Commission dated 26 January 2018.
The State Pharmacopoeia of Bepublic Kazahkstan (2014) Ministry of Public Health of Republic Kazakhstan, Astana.
The State Pharmacopoeia of the Republic of Belarus (2007) Ministry of Public health of the Republic of Belarus, Minsk.
The State Pharmacopoeia of Russian Federation (2018) Ministry of Public Health of the Russian Federation, Moscow.
Uritu CM, Mihai CT, Stanciu GD, Dodi G, Alexa-Stratulat T, Luca A, Leon-Constantin M-M, Stefanescu R, Bild V, Melnic S, Tamba BI (2018) Medicinal plants of the family Lamiaceae in pain therapy: a review. Pain Research and Management 2018: 7801543. https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/7801543
Whaley AO, Whaley AK, Kovaleva EL, Frolova LN, Orlova AA, Luzhanin VG, Flisyuk EV, Shigarova LV, Pozharitskaya ON, Shikov AN (2023) The standardization of officinal medicinal plants used in the Eurasian Economic Union: comparison with other pharmacopoeias. Phytochemistry Reviews 23: 349–419. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11101-023-09887-8
WHO (2011) The world traditional medicines situation, in traditional medicines: global situation, issues and challenges. Geneva 3: 1–14.
Yakovlev GP, Alekseeva GM, Belodubrovskaya GA, Blinova KF, Goncharov MY, Zhokhova EV, Zelentsova AB, Mistrova AA, Povydysh MN, Pryakhina NI, Sklyarevskaya NV, Strelkova LF, Syrovezhko NV, Teslov LS, Fomina LI, Kharitonova NP (2013) Medicinal raw materials of plant and animal origin. Pharmacognosia. SpecLit, St. Petersburg, 847 pp. [In Russian]
Acta Biologica Sibirica is a golden publisher, as we allow self-archiving, but most importantly we are fully transparent about your rights.
Authors may present and discuss their findings ahead of publication: at biological or scientific conferences, on preprint servers, in public databases, and in blogs, wikis, tweets, and other informal communication channels.
ABS allows authors to deposit manuscripts (currently under review or those for intended submission to ABS) in non-commercial, pre-print servers such as ArXiv.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0) that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).