Ethnobotany and herbal medicine in modern complementary and alternative medicine: An overview of publications in the field of I&C medicine 2001–2013

Abstract Ethnopharmacological relevance Ethnobotanical knowledge and traditional medicinal practices from different parts of the world are of global importance and documentation of ethnobotanical, and ethnopharmacological data is a key prerequisite for further research in the area of herbal medicine and its implementation in clinical practice. Aims An attempt was made to evaluate the scientific output of research related to ethnobotany and herbal medicine in journals indexed in the subject area “Integrative and Complementary Medicine” in the period 2001–2013, in order to ascertain research trends in both subdisciplines. Materials and methods All articles related to ethnobotany and herbal medicine, extracted from journals included in the field of IC more than 800 medical disorders were treated. Conclusions The study revealed the regions most studied for new records of floristic and ethnomedicinal diversity, the most frequently studied plant species, and the most promising therapeutic indications for the integration of herbal remedies in the curative process, as ascertained from the selected bibliographic databases.