Session Speaker

The Endemic Vascular Plants as a Source of New Medicines
Sulejman S. Redzic
Bosnia-Herzegovina


The biodiversity of Balkan includes 8500 vascular plants. In ethno botany of this region people use approximately 960 plant species in traditional human and veterinarian phytotherapy and nutrition [1, 2]. Except of more common plants there are a lot of endemic and relic vascular plant species as potentials for the production of new medicines through advanced biotechnology and genetical engineering [3]. Western Balkan area is so rich in endemic species. In our investigation more than 579 plant species have been found on the Dinaric Mts. only [4].

Main aims of this presentation is to found of richness of medicinal wild flora and to determinate their phylogenetic-biochemical relationship with common medicinal plants as well as d, to evaluate biodiversity of the potential medicinal flora and its possibility in terms of new chemical compound's discoveries and modes of use in contemporary phytotherapy and biotechnology.

In order to achieve all planned aims, it has been applied adequate methodology: intensive field research on different vertical profiles, including ethno botanical interviews, followed at the end by comparative taxonomic-biochemical method.

Among plants that could be potentially significant in terms of the pharmacology and pharmacy it was detected 450 endemic species of Dinaric Mts. and other parts of W Balkan. The most significant new resources are contained within endemic genera: Pinus (Pinaceae), Drypis, Dianthus, Minuartia, Saponaria, Silene (Caryophyllaceae), Ranunculus, Anemone, Pulsatilla, Aquilegia, Helleborus (Ranunculaceae), Berteroa, Aubretia, Malkolmia, Alyssum, Cardamine (Brassicaceae), Potentilla, Sibireja, Geum, Dryas (Rosaceae), Astragalus, Genista, Oxytropis, Anthyllis (Fabaceae) Athamanta, Eryngium, Pancicia, Peucedanum, Seseli, Bunium (Apiaceae), Acinos, Micromeria, Salvia, Satureja, Stachys, Teucrium, Thymus, Scutellaria (Labiatae), Euphrasia, Pedicularis, Scrophularia (Scrophulariaceae), Veronica, Plantago (Plantaginaceae), Achillea, Amphoricarpos, Centaurea, Crepis, Leucathemum, Senecio, Doronicum (Asteraceae), Lilium, Chouardia, Allium (Liliaceae) and others. Those plants are potential sources of new metabolites, such as alkaloids, heterozides, saponins, essential oils, tannins, carbohydrates, proteins as well as other secondary and primary metabolites.