Essential Oil and Phylogenetic Positions of Five Medicinal <i>Litsea</i> Species (Lauraceae)

Essential Oil and Phylogenetic Positions of Five Medicinal <i>Litsea</i> Species (Lauraceae)

<i>Litsea</i> species have been used for herbal medicine by many ethnic groups. However, defining the morphological characteristics of the species remains difficult, leading to confusion and misuse of <i>Litsea</i> names. We examined <i>Litsea</i> classification,...

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Main Authors: Natcha Chaisoung, Henrik Balslev, Ratchuporn Suksathan, Prateep Panyadee, Chunlin Long, Chatchai Ngernsaengsaruay, Tanawat Chaowasku, Angkhana Inta
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-02-01
Series:Diversity
Subjects:
ethnobotany
ethnomedicine
molecular phylogeny
aromatic profiles
ethnospecies
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/17/3/168
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Summary:<i>Litsea</i> species have been used for herbal medicine by many ethnic groups. However, defining the morphological characteristics of the species remains difficult, leading to confusion and misuse of <i>Litsea</i> names. We examined <i>Litsea</i> classification, focusing on folk taxonomy. A field survey revealed that <i>Litsea cubeba</i>, <i>L. elliptica</i>, <i>L. mollis</i>, <i>L. glutinosa</i>, and <i>L. martabanica</i> have the highest use values. Using headspace solid-phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC-MS) analysis and multivariate statistical methods, we examined metabolites from these species to assess consistency across plant parts. Principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) and cluster analysis revealed distinct metabolite patterns, grouping species into four significant clusters: Group I (<i>L. elliptica</i> and <i>L. martabanica</i>), Group II (<i>L. martabanica</i> roots), Group III (<i>L. cubeba</i> and <i>L. mollis</i> bark and roots), and Group IV (<i>L. glutinosa</i> and <i>L. cubeba</i> and <i>L. mollis</i> leaves). Chemical compounds are clustered by species rather than by plant parts. Our study reveals a significant correlation (<i>p</i> < 0.05) between phylogenetic distances and chemical differences among <i>Litsea</i> species, elucidating the evolutionary links through metabolite variations. This predictive approach could help with more efficient selection for traditional medicine discovery and should be the first to be pharmacologically tested for drug development.
ISSN:1424-2818

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