Traditionally Used Medicinal Plants of Armenia

Abstract

The rich and diverse flora of Armenia has been used for medicinal purposes for at least 3000 years. The relevant literature in Armenian, English, and Russian revealed a vast array of used medicinal plants, some of them unique to the Caucasus region. The usage of medicinal plants confirms the position of Armenia as a country at the crossroads of Asia and Europe because of its traditional usage of medicinal plants from both continents. Literature data in Armenian, English, and Russian on medicinal plants of Armenia were mainly obtained using various electronic databases. From all available sources, 320 Armenian medicinal plant species were extracted with their botanical and local names and traditional uses. The use of medicinal plants by the Armenian people is systematically compiled, including the used plant organs and preparations and the ailments for which the various taxa are/were used. Medicinal plants of Armenia are represented for both wild and cultivated species. Some of the taxa used are unique to Armenia or the Caucasus region, while many other species are also used in various other countries. Some of the species from traditional Armenian medicine are currently being studied using modern methods.

Keywords: Armenia; Caucasus; ethnopharmacology; medicinal plants; traditional medicine.

Figure 1

Physical map of the South Caucasus (Cartographer: GRIDArendal/Manana Kurtubadze; https://www.grida.no/resources/7628 (accessed on 1 December 2024)).

Figure 2

Landscape zones of the Republic of Armenia (The fifth national report to convention on biological diversity, 2014).

Figure 3

Percentage representation of plant families used in Armenian traditional medicine. The “Others” includes all families represented by four or fewer plant species.

Figure 4

List of the most frequently used plant parts together with the number of relevant species used in Armenian traditional medicine.

Figure 5

Woronowia speciosa (Albov) Juz. (Rosaceae) (photo by Ilya Mikheev).