Traditional Knowledge Evolution over Half of a Century: Local Herbal Resources and Their Changes in the Upper Susa Valley of Northwest Italy

A significant decline in traditional medicinal plant knowledge and usage has been observed in the Susa Valley, Italy, over the past 50 years. This study, comparing data from 2018 with a 1970 survey, documented 36 species—21 for medical purposes and 15 as food-medicines—highlighting a loss of ethnobotanical practices likely due to socioeconomic and cultural shifts. Promising species like Taraxacum officinale, Urtica dioica, and Artemisia genipi were identified for potential future use in nutraceuticals, food, and medicine. The research employed 30 semi-structured interviews to capture current practices, offering insights into the erosion of traditional ecological knowledge in mountainous regions.

Sulaiman, N., Zocchi, D. M., Borrello, M. T., Mattalia, G., Antoniazzi, L., Berlinghof, S. E., Bewick, A., Häfliger, I., Schembs, M., Torri, L., & Pieroni, A. (2023). Traditional Knowledge Evolution over Half of a Century: Local Herbal Resources and Their Changes in the Upper Susa Valley of Northwest Italy. Plants, 13(1), 43. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13010043