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These days edible wild plants (EWPs) play a fundamental role in the Mediterranean diet, thanks to their content of mineral elements and bioactive compounds with proven benefits for human health. The present study aims to document ethnobotanical knowledge and uses of EWPs in Central Italy so that this knowledge will not be lost. During various nature fairs and exhibitions in Umbria three hundred subjects were interviewed face-to-face between March and May 2013-2015. The participants provided information on local plant names, where and when the plants were collected, part(s) used, categories used, folk medicinal uses, taste perception and other uses. The results were analyzed using two ethnobotanical indices: the Relative Frequency of Citation (RFC) and Relative Importance Index (RII). The 100 EWPs mentioned by the respondents belonged to 23 families, Asteraceae (33%), Brassicaceae (17%) and Lamiaceae (11%) being the most dominant. The part(s) used were leaves (49%), shoots (17%), flowers and inflorescences (10%). Fourteen food use categories were cited, of which boiled 31%, 28% raw, 12% in vegetable soups, 11% fried in fat, without or with beaten eggs. Twenty-seven plant species were also mentioned as having folk medicinal uses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to show how the importance of edible wild plants regards not only a question of uses linked to folk traditions but also their value in human nutrition. Data on the use of 50 species were collected through informed consent semi-structured interviews with local informants. They were eaten raw in salads (43%), boiled (35%), as ravioli filling (10%), fried without or with eggs (8%) and in vegetable soup (4%). Furthermore, the nutraceutical analysis centred on four of the commonly used wild edible plants demonstrates how these species contain many of the so-called minor nutrients, such as antioxidising vitamins and polyphenols, which were highest inSanguisorba minorL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]