Pharmaceutical Potential of Arable Weeds: A Case Study From the Czech Republic

Abstract

One of the positive roles of weeds may be their potential use as medicinal plants. The aim of this article is to evaluate the occurrence and distribution of weeds with pharmaceutically important active substances on arable land in the Czech Republic in organic farming. In 2006–2018, a phytocoenological survey was performed on selected organic farms in different production areas representing various climate and soil conditions and in different crops. A total of 223 species were found throughout the survey and of those, 56 species were identified to have a pharmaceutical significance. The effect of different production area and crops on the occurrence of these species was found statistically significant; however, most of the plants were not strongly associated with a particular region or crop. Among the species that were both frequent and with high mean cover are Cirsium arvense, Polygonum aviculare, Capsella bursa-pastoris, Stellaria media, Galium aparine, Elytrigia repens, Convolvulus arvensis, Fumaria officinalis, Centaurea cyanus, Descurainia sophia and Equisetum arvense. Recognizing possible benefits of ecosystem services provided by arable weeds and finding opportunities for organic farmers to have new seasonal markets may help improve sustainability of small farming operations.