Abstract

WILD ANTHEMIS PLANTS OF ISRAEL AND PALESTINE – VERY PARTIALLY STUDIED BEAUTY

Abdullatif Azab*

Abstract

The Anthemis genus is part of the largest plant family of Asteraceae. The number of species of this genus in Israel and Palestine is debated. Interestingly, some of these species were reasonably studied and published while others were not published for any medicinal or biological activities. The chemical compositions of a few species were published by several groups revealing natural products with very interesting structures. Among the reported activities, the allelopathy of these plants is quite notable. In addition to a brief section of taxonomy and archeology, extended parts will present the ethnomedicinal and ethnobotanical uses of these species, and the major part will present the published medicinal and biological activities of these plants. In the discussion section, some topics will be clarified, and indirect activities of the plants will be presented, such as preparation on nanoparticles using plants extracts. The last part will include conclusions and future research recommendations.

Keywords: Anthemis, Asteraceae, archeobotany, ethnobotany, Anthemis cotula, Anthemis tinctoria, fatty acids, polyphenols, antimicrobial, antioxidant.