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Due to anthropic factors, the spreading of the Aconitum species has known a significant reduction in the last decades, the main causes are represented by the diminution of the natural area, and by the intensive harvesting of some species for pharmaceutical purposes. All Aconitum species are distinguished by a great variability, probably as a result of hybridization, but generally they do not fit into an easy to recognize morphologic or geographic pattern. This remarkable polymorphism, underlined by the specialists in the field, is responsible for the taxonomic complexity of the Aconitum genus and results in different classification ways of the pertaining species. Thorough future chemotaxonomic researches are necessary to establish the exact place of each species in more and more complex classifications.From the species of the investigated genus, the widest spreading has Aconitum anthora, followed by A. moldavicum and A. paniculatum. The areas richest in different Aconitum species are the Northern half of the Oriental Carpathians and the Eastern part of the Southern Carpathians; in the Apuseni Mountains, Aconitum appears less frequently.

The situation of the Aninei Mountains in the South-Western part of Romania, at the interference of air masses with maritime (of Western origin), continental (of Eastern origin) and Southern character (coming across the Mediterranean Sea), as well as the carstic relief conferred by the calcareous geologic substrate, account for the floristic peculiarities of this region, containing numerous rare and characteristic Banatian elements. The European, Southern and Eastern influences are expressed in the diversified floristic composition of the pastures, where xerophile and xeromezophile species prevail. A pecularity of the researched area is represented by the calcophile vegetation of the xerophilic pastures. In the floristic composition, we were able to identify several sporadic species in Romania.

Artemisia species are used worldwide for their antioxidant, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties. This research was designed to investigate the phytochemical profile of two ethanolic extracts obtained from leaves and stems of A. absinthium L. as well as the biological potential (antioxidant activity, cytotoxic, anti-migratory and anti-inflammatory properties). Both plant materials showed quite similar thermogravimetric, FT-IR phenolic profile (high chlorogenic acid) with mild antioxidant capacity [ascorbic acid (0.02–0.1) > leaves (0.1–2.0) > stem (0.1–2.0)]. Alcoholic extracts from these plant materials showed a cytotoxic effect against A375 (melanoma) and MCF7 (breast adenocarcinoma) and affected less the non-malignant HaCaT cells (human keratinocytes) at 72 h post-stimulation and this same trend was observed in the anti-migratory (A375, MCF7 > HaCat) assay. Lastly, extracts ameliorated the pro-inflammatory effect of TPA (12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate) in mice ears, characterized by a diffuse neutrophil distribution with no exocytosis or micro-abscesses.

Natural compounds from plants and other life forms (bacteria, fungi, marine organisms) represent a major source of molecules with medicinal properties. Among them, antioxidant substances are of particular interest. The understanding of the central role that oxidative stress holds in the progression of disorders as varied as: cardiovascular diseases, degenerative conditions, rheumatic disorders, metabolic syndrome, and in aging, makes antioxidant capacity to a key-feature of modern, multipotent remedies. Rational screenings of the Plant Kingdom for the discovery of new medications are based on: a) the inventory of available species, b) knowledge accumulated from traditional phytotherapy, c) already available results of recent investigations on bioactivity, d) chemotaxonomic considerations, and e) toxicologic facts. The objective of the present work is to set the starting point for a database of plants with antioxidant properties. It is projected to serve as a basic step for further investigations aimed at discovering biomolecules with multiple effects in free-radical mediated diseases and in gerontology. The research focuses on vascular plants with a history of utilization in phytotherapy, and growing wild in the Western part of Romania (Banat region). Based on the above inclusion criteria a) – e), it was possible to point out over 140 plant species for which antioxidant activities were documented by different research groups. This impressive body of evidence provides valuable preliminary data for subsequent, more detailed research on the pharmacology, phytochemistry and clinical application of plants growing in Romania. The systematization of data performed in the present work is intended to help discover new, more efficient means to maintain and promote human health.

The ultratrace element selenium is essential for higher animals and man. It is an active constituent of over twenty different selenoproteins from human tissues. As well, this rare nonmetal element is a potent anticarcinogen, inhibiting both chemically and virally induced tumors. The ever-increasing biological importance of Se determined us to perform the first largescale investigation of Romanian medicinal plants in what their Se content is concerned, and to evaluate the extraction ratio of this element during decoction. ICP-MS (Inductively Coupled Plasma - Mass Spectrometry) analysis revealed average Se contents of 43 μg/kg dry matter. The highest Se content was found in aerial parts (average of 60 μg/kg), followed by leaves (58), roots (54), flowers (35) and fruits (12). Species grown on limestone weathering soils are significantly richer in Se than the ones grown on granite or phyllite. Outstanding Se contents were measured for samples of Betula pendula leaves – 381, 131 and 113 μg Se/kg, Agrimonia eupatoria herb - 332 μg/kg, and Galium verum herb – 287 μg/kg. The extraction ratio of Se through decoction ranges from 4% (valerian roots) to 83% (chicory roots). The Se content and the high amounts of flavonoids in birch, agrimony and yellow bedstraw underline the value of these plants in the auxiliary treatment of various free-radical mediated diseases.

The biological importance of the trace element vanadium on a triple level – nutritional, pharmacological andtoxicological – determined us to perform a large-scale investigation of medicinal plants in what their vanadium content isconcerned, and to evaluate the extraction ratio of this element onto herbal teas. The analysis of 56 species, carried out throughInductively Coupled Plasma - Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS), revealed an average V content of 502