Molecular Basis of Ethnobotany and the Quest for Flavonoids An Analytical Journey

Abstract

Ethnobotany should not only constitute an inventory of ancient knowledge, but also be relevant for current and prospective activities. Plants are natural bioreactors where a myriad of biosynthetic reactions take place, resulting in an impressive variety of metabolites, many of which have served as an inspiration for their synthetic counterparts. Flavonoids are regarded as one of the largest and most widespread groups of secondary metabolites. They are ubiquitous in the plant kingdom and usually come into play when science turns its eyes to nature in search for answers. This chapter will deal with recent advances in flavonoid analysis, with special emphasis on the most up-to-date methodologies, such as new developments in stand-alone or chromatography-hyphenated strategies in mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy applied to structure elucidation. The ultimate goal is to explore the molecular basis of ethnobotany to provide a scientific support to the traditional use and embark the reader on an analytical journey through the state-of-the art approaches and future challenges in this regard.