Abstract

QUERCUS (OAK) TREES OF ISRAEL AND PALESTINE UPDATED REVIEW

Abdullatif Azab*

Abstract

Quercus (oak) trees are of the most prominent species that comprise the landscape between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. They are unmistakable. Humans used them since ancient times for various objectives, and this review article will focus mainly on ethnomedicinal and activities-properties that modern research found. Among those, antimicrobial activity is the most published. Other activities such as anticancer, anti-inflammatory, wound healing and antimalarial were also published multiple times. Interestingly, and maybe strangely, the chemical compositions of these plant were very partially published, and unique natural products from these trees are scarcely known. Most of the research so far focused on acorns, which are also the edible parts for humans, in most cases. Leaves and other parts of these trees, that can reach impressive size, were not significantly studied. Some researchers addressed the concerns about the toxicity of some parts of these trees and this topic will be presented and discussed as well.

Keywords: Quercus, Quercus infectoria, antibacterial, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antimalarial, ethnomedicine, chemical composition, food source, wound healing.