Phytochemical Analysis of the Aerial Parts of Campanula pelviformis Lam. (Campanulaceae): Documenting the Dietary Value of a Local Endemic Plant of Crete (Greece) Traditionally Used as Wild Edible Green

Abstract

Native wild edible greens usually include plants with widespread geographical ranges and represent a long tradition associated with well-documented health effects, especially in the frame of the Mediterranean diet. Although consuming local endemic and range-restricted plants as wild edible greens is rare, in some areas of Crete this is a long ethnobotanical tradition. The present study is focused on the phytochemical and nutritional element analyses of the edible parts of the wild-growing green Campanula pelviformis. To date, nine secondary metabolites have been isolated: lobetyolin (1), calaliukiuenoside (2), demethylsyrrigin (3), wahlenoside A (4), chlorogenic acid methyl (5) and butyl ester (6), nicotiflorin (7), rutin (8) and corchoionoside A (9). This first-time research on the phytochemical composition of this local endemic plant of Crete is a basic step in attempts to document its nutritional value, also allowing an exploration of its beneficial properties. The nutritional value of the Mediterranean diet owes much to the inclusion of native edible wild plants, which are abundant in mineral elements and bioactive compounds known to promote human health. Among these plants, the local Cretan endemic species C. pelviformis stands out as a rare and valuable source of wild edibles with traditional dietary significance in eastern Crete. This plant’s rich content of mineral elements and bioactive compounds makes it an intriguing subject for further research into the potential health benefits of wild plant consumption.