Urban ethnobotany in Milan: ancient medicinal knowledge from the Peruvian community

Within the project BE ETHNO: sharing traditions, sharing plants, sharing place, sharing future (2024-2027, ID:2023-1454, Cariplo Foundation) we planned an ethnobotanical survey in an urban setting (Milan, Italy) with the Peruvian multicultural community, one of the most prominent in the city. The aim is a multidisciplinary approach as tool to reach deeper knowledge on plants' traditions of use of the selected foreign community. Since September 2024, we have conducted 30 semi-structured interviews. The respondents were randomly selected through snowball sampling with the support of Peruvian intermediaries. Attention was paid to Spanish and Quechua plant names, preservation of use after migration, preparation forms, administration methods, and therapeutic indications. Participant observation was chosen as an additional tool to record traditional preparations. A total of 121 plant species belonging to 50 families was documented. Medicinal and Food were the most reported sectors of use. Out of the most cited preparations, the infusion of Minthostachys mollis (Benth.) Griseb. (muña) and the emoliente were noteworthy. Leaves of muña are traditionally used in Peru to adjust to high altitudes symptoms, but herbal teas are still administered in Italy against menstrual pains, tummy ache, and digestive problems. Emoliente is a multi-ingredient decoction of, among others, Equisetum arvense L. (cola de caballo), Linum usitatissimum L. (linaza), and Uncaria tomentosa (Willd. ex Schult.) DC. (uña de gato) used as a depurative and anti-inflammatory remedy for the gastrointestinal tract. The Peruvians still have access to these ingredients thanks to a web of ethnic markets rooted in Milan. Finally, phytochemical and biological activity assays are currently in the making to investigate the chemical composition of the traditional preparations and the synergy of action of the phytocomplex to corroborate the beneficial properties safeguarded through this ancestral biocultural heritage.