Spontaneous Officinal Plants in the Cilento, Vallo di Diano and Alburni National Park: Tradition, Protection, Enhancement, and Recovery

Abstract

The aim of this study was to deepen our knowledge on the heritage and traditional uses of some medicinal plants of the Cilento, Vallo di Diano and Alburni National Park (Salerno province) and to evaluate their productive potential, in order to increase possible uses to recover and enhance the territory. Biometric surveys and biomass evaluation were carried out. Two types of aqueous extract were prepared using air-dried samples of six harvested species and tested for anti-germination activity on Lepidium sativum L. Hydrolates were recovered via steam distillation from aromatic species and the chemical–physical characteristics were determined. Historical evidence of industrial activity was collected in the territory of Sanza on Monte Cervati, where lavender essential oil has been distilled in the past century, and characterization of the essential oil components was carried out. The ethnobotanical uses detected mainly concerned traditional medicine and nutritional, ritual, or religious uses. The experimental results highlight that spontaneous medicinal plants could become potential sources of local economic development, with uses not only in the phytotherapeutic sector, but also in others, such as food and agriculture for weed control. Moreover, the evidence derived from industrial archeology could represent a further driving force for the enhancement of the territory’s resources.