Ethnobotanical study of Juenang cultural area in Rangtang county of northwestern Sichuan / 中国中药杂志

Indigenous knowledge and traditional culture for sustainable use of native plants in Juenang cultural region of Rangtang county, Aba Zang and Qiang Prefecture of Sichuan province, have been characterized in this paper followed the principles and methods of ethnobotany. The results indicate that 38 species from 27 families(including 6 species of fungi) are ethnobotanically used commonly in this area. Of 38 species of the native plants, 13 species from 12 families are collected for eatables and vegetables, 12 families and 16 species of indigenous plants for medicinal and edible use, 4 species from 4 families for decoration, 4 species from 4 families used for building materials or firewood, and 1 species from 1 families used for religious folklore. Under the influence of Juenang culture and Tibetan culture, indigenous knowledge such as instinctive reverence and gratitude for nature, protection ecological environment and habitats, and moderate use of natural resources(especially wild bioresource), have been gotten passed on from generation to generation in Juenang culture region of Rangtang county, which is of great significance to the protection of local bioresources and environment, including ethnic medicinal plants, and also to provide practical guidance for biodiversity conservation and ecological restoration in those alpine ecological vulnerable areas.

Identification of Genetic Relationships between Medicinal Licorices Based on ITS2 Sequences / 中国药学杂志

OBJECTIVE: To obtain the genetic information of 181 domestic and foreign licorice samples by determining the internal transcribed spacer sequence 2 (ITS2) in order to clarify their phylogenetic relationships and differentiate the medicinal licorice species from the non-medicinal ones. METHODS: Genomic DNA was first extracted from licorice samples of different origins and habitats. Then, the ITS2 sequences were amplified using PCR technique. Next, the ITS2 sequences were subjected to sequence analyses and neighbor-joining(NJ) tree analysis. Finally, the analytical method based on ITS2 DNA barcodes was established for the licorice species discrimination. The method was then applied to the phylogenetic analysis among the suspected domestic mutants, foreign licorice samples and domestic medicinal licorices, in addition to the discriminations of the medicinal and non-medicinal licorices. RESULTS: The medicinal licorice could be explicitly separated from the two commonly encountered non-medicinal licorice species either by using ITS2 sequence analysis or NJ tree analysis; and the suspected domestic mutants and foreign licorice samples converged with the medicinal licorice to form one monophyletic branch in the NJ tree analysis, which indicated unambiguously conspecifics. CONCLUSION: This study establishes a method for discrimination of medicinal and non-medicinal licorices based on ITS2 barcodes; and by the advantage of this method, the conspecific relationships among the suspected domestic mutants, foreign licorice samples and Chinese medicinal licorice are clarified. Thus a theoretical reference to the expansion of medicinal licorice resources and assurance of the safety and efficacy of the clinical licorice medications are provided.