Exploring the Potential of Araceae Plants in Penggaron Forest for Traditional Medicine and Biodiversity Conservation

Tradition Beyond the Hotspot: Biocultural Conservation and Medicinal Plant Diversity in the Ilha Grande National Park, Brazil

The Ilha Grande National Park region (Brazil) holds one of the most diverse traditional knowledge repositories among Atlantic Forest conservation areas. This study describes the current composition of the medicinal plant knowledge, its taxonomic breadth, and its relevance for conservation. In 2026, this inventory documented 47 species from 33 botanical families cited across a sample of 4 remaining traditional healers. About 27.7% of these specimens are wild/native to nature and 72.3% are cultivated, reflecting both historic management and the residents’ long tradition in household plant acclimatization. The collection includes 25 species of herbs and 11 species of trees, as well as 9 shrubs and 2 climbers. Quantitative analysis at the category level revealed that gastrointestinal disorders had the highest consensus index (ICF = 0.375) after interviews, taxonomic revision, data grouping, and standardizing nomenclature based on the British National Formulary. The results reveal a severe risk of information erosion and a limited representation of younger generations among practitioners, underscoring the need for targeted safeguarding. Strengthening national partnerships, developing cooperative cultivation networks, and improving scientific validation records are proposed as key strategies to enhance the biocultural preservation value of this traditional heritage. Overall, the Ilha Grande healer knowledge serves as an important scientific, educational, and pharmacological resource and plays a central role in advancing the preservation of Brazil’s medicinal plant diversity.

Phytochemical Diversity, Bioactivity and Bioeconomic Potential of Selected Woody Flora from the Karditsa Region (Central Greece): A Comprehensive Review

This review provides a comprehensive overview of the phytochemical composition, biological activities, and bioeconomic potential of five selected woody species occurring in the Karditsa region and identifies future research directions for the sustainable exploitation of selected woody flora from the Karditsa region.

Diversity and ethno-ecological aspects of wild edible mushrooms of Pakistan

Fungi is one of the multiferious group of organisms in thw world. They play important ecological roles, including nutrient cycling, decomposition, and mycorrhizal symbiosis. They also provide important nutritional and medicinal resources, and are widely used for treating various diseases. Pakistan’s have diverse ecosystems and long history of wild mushroom use, information on the diversity, distribution and medicinal potential of wild edible mushrooms remains scarce and has not been comprehensively integrated. This study addresses this gap by reviewing poorly documented fungal diversity and ethnomycological knowledge in Pakistan, with implications for conservation, sustainable harvesting and future research. Data were collected, oranized and compiled through a comprehensive survey of the published literature, including 162 research articles up to 2026, retrieved from different search engines, including PubMed, Google Scholar, Web of Science, Scopus, ScienceDirect, ResearchGate, PakMediNet and local research repositories. The relevant studies were identified by using keywords, “wild edible mushrooms,” “medicinal mushrooms,” “ethnomycology,” “mushroom traditional uses,” and “mushrooms in Pakistan. Non-English literature, news articles and conference papers were excluded. A total of 132 edible mushroom species belonging to 39 families were documented. . The dominant family was Agaricaceae (22 species), followed by Boletaceae (14 species) and Morchellaceae (11 species). In present study genus Morchella was the most species-rich, with 12 species. Geographically, Azad Jammu and Kashmir had the highest recorded species diversity (74.2%), followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (64.4%), Sindh (11.4%) and Gilgit Baltistan (9.8%), which remained comparatively unexplored. Of the 132 species, 88 (66.7%) have reported medicinal properties, with antioxidant, antitumor, anticancer and antimicrobial potential. Major research gaps included a lack of medicinal-use data for 44 species and complete information gaps for 10 species. Overall, Pakistan is a hubof wild edible mushroom diversity with reported medicinal potential, emphasizing the need for comprehensive exploration, molecular identification and documentation of traditional knowledge for conservation and sustainable use.

Floral Diversity of Modibbo Adama University Yola: A Preliminary Investigation

Biodiversity supports ecosystem balance and human well-being, yet floral resources in many Nigerian regions remain underexplored. This study provides a preliminary account of floral diversity within Modibbo Adama University, Yola, Adamawa State. - Field surveys of plant species with the University community were conducted between July 2023 and October 2024. Whole plant was for small sized plants such as herbs or parts of plants along with fruits or flowers were collected for large sized plants, the specimen for each species was identified using the taxonomic keys and confirmed with existing collections deposited in the Herbarium of Department of Plant science, Modibbo Adama University, Yola. Ninety-two (92) plant species belonging to 34 families were noted from the fauna composition of the campus. Members of the family Fabaceae were the most dominant (19.6%), followed by Malvaceae (8.7%) and Lamiaceae (7.6%). Herbs constituted the largest growth form (39%), followed by trees (37%), shrubs (19%), and grasses (5%). The dominance of legumes is indicative of their adaptability to the climatic conditions of savanna regions and their ecological role in the enrichment soil with valuable nutrients. The diversity observed points to the university’s ecological significance as a refuge for species with medicinal, nutritional, and ornamental value. This study provides an essential baseline data for biodiversity conservation and sustainable management within the Northern Guinea Savanna zone of Nigeria.

Phytochemical Study of Orchidaceae: Composition, Bioactivity and Potential Application in Functional Foods

  The family Orchidaceae is one of the most taxonomically diverse groups of angiosperms, recognized for their ornamental significance and their content of pharmacologically relevant secondary metabolites. This review critically evaluates the phytochemical diversity, bioactivities, and potential of Orchidaceae species as natural sources for the development of functional food products. This review is based on a comprehensive literature survey of 32 peer-reviewed articles indexed in Scopus and PubMed through April 2025, which reports the presence of diverse bioactive compounds-mainly phenolics, flavonoids, alkaloids, tannins, and anthocyanins in various orchid species and plant tissues. These compounds exhibit a broad spectrum of biological activities, including antioxidants, antimicrobial, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, anti-aging, photoprotective, and neuropharmacological effects. The concentration and composition of these metabolites depend on species differences, plant organ specificity, and extraction methods. Cumulative evidence underscores the underutilized potential of orchids as phytochemical reservoirs for nutraceutical applications. However, further translational research on bioavailability, safety, and functional stability in complex food systems is essential to enable their practical application in consumer health products. This review advocates intensive multidisciplinary research on Orchidaceae to open up new opportunities in the functional food and health-promoting bioactive industries.

A comprehensive review on phytochemistry and pharmacological activities of genus Saussurea