**2. Romanian medicinal plants**

Romanian phytotherapy is an important part of our natural and cultural heritage. In this respect, it should be emphasized that in the flora of Romania, there are about 4000 plant species, of which over 20% are medicinal plants. Scientific research has confirmed the therapeutic properties of almost 50% of Romanian medicinal plants and about 25% plants are already used to obtain botanical products on large scale [2, 4, 5, 12, 23].

 Between the Romanian people and traditional medicine, there was always a very deep connection. Basically, through the entire evolution of Romanians, healing herbs played an important role. Daco-Getic civilization was considered as the most evolved society at that time in Europe [10, 12, 18]. The Dacian's vast knowledge about healing plants has been certified by several personalities of those times (Herodotus, Discorides, Tucidide, Pseudo-Apuleius, Ovid, Virgil, etc.) [10, 12, 13, 17, 18]. The Dacian's knowledge about medicine, surgery, phytotherapy, and astronomy was confirmed by historical documents and archeological evidence [11, 12, 18].

In fact, the life philosophy of our ancestors proves to be more current than ever. In this regard, it must be mentioned that the Dacians knew the psychosomatic concept and the interdependence between the psychological and the somatic factors that triggered different affections [10–13, 18]. This is not only extremely interesting but at the same time extremely rare for that time period. It must be underlined that psychosomatic medicine was recognized as a branch of medicine only many centuries later.

According to the Dacians, the human body represents a complex energy system which maintains the physical body [10, 12, 18].

 Our ancestors believed that there was a perfect balance between man and nature. Each plant or tree is a being to be respected. Thus, plant harvesting must take place only at a certain time of year, when the plant is mature and the concentration of active principles is maximal. For instance, Herb Robert (*Geranium robertianum*) is collected on the morning of August 15 [11, 12, 16, 18].


#### **Table 1.**

*Main bioactive compounds of some healing herbs included in Dacian's diet.* 


### *Therapeutic Use of Some Romanian Medicinal Plants DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.82477*


**Table 2.** 

*A brief overview of most popular Dacian medicinal plants.* 




#### *Therapeutic Use of Some Romanian Medicinal Plants DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.82477*

#### **Table 3.**

*Biological activity of main groups of natural compounds identified in Dacian medicinal plants.* 

Their complex information about therapeutic botanicals was appreciated as being very impressive and different ancient historical texts [8, 10–13, 17, 18, 20, 21]. In the first pharmacopoeia, Discorides mentioned over 700 different medical plants and about 6% were presented as Dacian origin [8, 10–13, 17, 18, 20, 21].

Complementary to phytotherapy, various products of mineral origin were used, of which the most well known are: limestone powder (hemostatic effect), volcanic tuff (healing effect), etc.

 Thermal springs are used as natural remedies for bone diseases or circulatory system disorders. In this respect, they were highly appreciated the waters of Geoagiu Bath, known by the Dacians as Germisara [11–13, 18].

Fumigations of cannabis were used as anesthetic and analgesic, mainly in labor and childbirth.

Also, Dacians paid special attention to medical preventive measures. Thus, they treated the clothing with extracts of lavender (*Lavandula angustifolia*) [4, 5, 24]


#### **Table 4.**

*Some examples of Dacian medicinal plants recognized and used in the traditional medicine of other peoples.* 

and wormwood (*Artemisia absinthium*) [4, 5, 25]. Scientific screenings of these two plants have highlighted the fact that lavender has antibacterial properties and wormwood is a disinfecting agent [11–13, 18].

 Moreover, the inclusion of different healing herbs in the Dacian diet once again reveals their profound knowledge on plant's active principles. Basically, for Dacians, food was more than a way to ensure daily nutrient needs, it was mainly a medicine per se. In this regard, we can remember some of the most commonly used healing herbs in Dacian and later Romanian cuisine: malva (*Althaea officinalis*), stinging nettle (*Urtica dioica* L.), dandelion (*Taraxacum officinalis*), daisy (*Bellis perennis*), allheal (*Prunella vulgaris*), thyme (*Thymus vulgaris* L.), borange (*Boranga officinalis*), hogweed (*Heracleum sphondylium*), and fat grass (*Portulaca oleracea*) [8, 10–21, 23].

In fact, modern studies have identified in these natural products different secondary metabolites with high biological activity [9, 24–83]. The main bioactive compounds and their therapeutic effect are summarized in **Table 1**.

The Dacian's botanical preparations were quite diverse from decocts, infusions, oilments, plant mixtures to fumigations. This proves the Dacians knew how to extract or capitalize on the active principles of the healing plants [8, 10–21].

**Table 2** summarized some of these plants used by Dacians and their therapeutic recommendations.

 It is quite remarkable that Dacian's therapeutic recommendations were corroborated by thorough scientific studies on those medicinal plants [8–21, 24–84]. This is further evidence of the fact that the Dacians had in-depth knowledge of phytotherapy, for which they were also appreciated by the great scientists of antiquity.

 **Table 3** summarized the main phytochemicals identified in Dacian healing herbs and their biological activity.

Another aspect to be mentioned is the fact that the Dacian medicinal plants are also found in other important traditional medicinal systems, such as Chinese or Hindu medicine (**Table 4**).

*Therapeutic Use of Some Romanian Medicinal Plants DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.82477* 


#### **Table 5.**

*Modern applications of Dacian healing plants.* 

Currently, some the Dacian healing herbs are appreciated worldwide for their nutritional values and even have found modern applications in several sectors of the industry (**Table 5**).

## **3.** *Aristolochia clematitis***: chemical screening of main phytoconstituients**

*Aristolochia clematitis* is a highly regarded herb in traditional medicine and at the same time controversial due to the latest research that revealed the potential carcinogenic effect of aristolochic acid [73, 74, 76, 77, 85].

 In an effort to identify the secondary metabolites from *Aristolochia clematitis*, the plant extract was analyzed in two different solvents (methanol and water). The plant material (*Aristolochia clematitis* leaves, young stems, and flowers) was obtained from a collection taken in 2017 in Timis, Romania. Plant sample was identified at Victor Babes University of Medicine and Pharmacy Timisoara. The botanical material was dried and then finely ground in a ball mill. Separation of the main constituents from different parts of the botanical material was done using two different polar solvents: water and methanol. A plant sample (2 g) was placed in a 100-mL volumetric flask containing 45 mL of solvent. The resulting mixture was sonicated for 50 min at 40°C, with a frequency of 50 kHz. Then, the solution was filtered through a 0.25-μm pore size filter. Thus, four birthwort fractions were prepared: B1 (water extract from leaves and stems), B2 (methanol extract from flowers), B3 (water extract from leaves), and B4 (methanol extract from stems). Identification of the main compounds from the birthwort fractions, B1, B2, B3, and B4, was performed using TOF-MS method.
