Medicinal plants collected by visitors in protected areas in Bulgaria

This survey is a part of a broader ethnobotanical research conducted amongst visitors of protected areas in Bulgaria. The aim of the present study was to find out which herbs are collected by the visitors. Two types of interviews were conducted – among visitors of the Shumen Plateau Nature Park and among users of social network Facebook. Only small proportion from both groups collected medicinal plants from the visited areas. On the other hand, their answers revealed the knowledge about the most used medicinal plants in Bulgaria. Notably, most of them specify, that they comply with legal requirements and that the collected herbs are for personal use only. There are some differences between two groups – a smaller proportion of the online group collected medicinal plants from natural habitats, but demonstrated a greatest knowledge than the visitors of the Shumen Plateau Nature Park. Reported medicinal plants by the respondents are widely distributed in Bulgaria. Two endangered species have been mentioned: Aesculus hippocastanum L. and Sideritis scardica Griseb. Four medicinal plants were cited from both groups: – Hypericum perforatum L., Thymus sp. div., Tilia tomentosa Moench and Rosa canina L. Results revealed also the major disadvantages of the online surveys – skewed respondents, as only people interested in using herbs participate in the survey.