Achillea moschata Wulfen: traditional uses and chemical characterization

In recent years, traditional plant knowledge in mountain areas has drawn attention of an increasing number of ethnobotanical studies, since these regions are recognized as crucial reservoir of biocultural heritage1. Indeed, folk knowledge has become an essential source of ethnomedicinal findings, which can act as starting point for one of the most stimulating current challenges: the selection of candidate plants as future potential source of new bioactive compounds2. In this framework, the ethnobotanical investigation presented herein, part of the European Interreg Italy-Switzerland B-ICE project, aimed at investigating the traditional uses of the autochthonous plant species in the municipality of Chiesa in Valmalenco (SO, Italy) focusing on their folk therapeutic uses with the purpose, among others, of preserving and enhancing the local bio-cultural diversity. In 2019 and 2020, 125 semi-structured interviews were conducted, bringing out a total of 108 plants employed in the therapeutic field. Among these, Achillea moschata Wulfen (Asteraceae) resulted to be one of the most familiar species in the malenca level of citations. Its inflorescences, prepared in form of decoction, were largely taken to solve digestive discomforts, among the most cited gastro-intestinal problems the survey brought out. Considering this and given that the literature data about the species are lacking, aqueous extract was obtained to reproduce the traditional preparation. The extraction product was analyzed using an HPLC-MS/MS method, acquiring the spectra in negative and positive ion mode, coupled with a targeted data analysis3. The qualitative analysis identified 28 different polyphenols, 12 as flavonols, 11 as flavones, both as aglycone and glycosylated forms, and 5 caffeoylquinic acids. Apigenin 7- malonylglucoside, apigenin 7-glucoside and syringetin 3-glucoside are examples of the most abundant compounds. Finally, preliminary bibliographic research highlighted the protective effects of several polyphenols and their metabolites in cases of gastro-intestinal disorders4, apparently consistent with the final use described by folk medicine. Nevertheless, there is a need for further investigations concerning the potential bioactivity of single major compounds, their bioavailability, stability, and synergy of action in the context of gastro-intestinal physio-pathological conditions.