Top Edible Wild Plants of Eastern Mediterranean Region Part II: Anti-inflammatory Activity

Abstract

In the first part of this series of review articles, we presented the anticancer activities of the most important wild edible plants of eastern Mediterranean region, which we named as the “Deca-plants” (D-P). In this review article, we will present the anti-inflammatory activities of these very important plants. After a brief introduction, anti-inflammatory activities of the D-P will be introduced in both traditional medicine of the peoples of this region, and in published scientific literature. Methods of use will be presented in the first part, and methods of testing and results, for modern research. In both cases, some of the D-P have notable anti-inflammatory activities. In the extensive discussion section of this article, a major focus will be presented for anti-inflammatory activities of natural products contained in these plants, and some comparisons will be made with other plants. At this point, it is worth mentioning that the D-P have notably different number of anti-inflammatory activity reports, where on the top of them Foeniculum vulgare can be found. Contrary to that and to the best of our knowledge, Cyclamen persicum was not published for anti-inflammatory activity, even though some of its secondary metabolites are very well known for having this activity. Typical search methods were used for finding relevant literature. Finally, the conclusions of this article will be accompanied with recommendations for future research.