Objective: Apiaceae (Umbelliferae) family is one of the biggest plant families on the earth. Iran has a huge diversity of Apiaceae members. This family possesses a range of compounds that have many biological activities. The members of this family are well known as vegetables, culinary and medicinal plants. Here, we present a review of ethnobotanical uses of Apiaceae plants by the Iranian people in order to provide a comprehensive documentation for future investigations.Materials and Methods: We checked scientific studies published in books and journals in various electronic databases (Medline, PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus and Google Scholar websites) from 1937 to 2015 and reviewed a total of 52 publications that provided information about different applications of these plant species in human and livestock.Results: As a result of this review, several ethnobotanical usages of 70 taxa, 17 of which were endemic, have been determined. These plants were used for medicinal and non-medicinal purposes. The most commonly used parts were fruits, leaves, aerial parts and gums. The most common methods of preparation were decoction, infusion and poultice.Conclusion: To our knowledge, this paper represents a comprehensive literature search of ethnobotanical uses of Apiaceae reported from Iran. This study highlights the rich traditional knowledge of this family that has remained in Iran. However, most of this knowledge survive only as memories from the past in the minds of the elderly, and will probably vanish in a few decades. Thus, we compiled these scattered data together in a single document for the next scientific works with ethnobotanical interests.

The Apiaceae family includes some of the most known medicinal, food and spice species in the world some of which have been used by humans since antiquity. Local people in different regions use many species of the family but the information regarding their uses is scattered. Traditionally used species are good candidates for bioprospecting. Combining traditional uses with phylogenetic data helps in selecting species for bioprospecting. In the present study, an ethnobotanical literature review was conducted to outline a comprehensive overview of the ethnobotanical importance of the family in Iran. To highlight the most ethnobotanically used groups in the family, ethnobotanical data were overlapped with generic phylogeny tree of the subfamily Apioideae. In total, 72 species (17. 27%) from 42 genera (33. 87%) were found to have ethnobotanical uses. Main uses of the family members were medicinal purposes (67. 30%) followed by culinary (25%) and ethnoveterinary (11. 11%) uses. Two categories of potential species groups for further bioprospecting investigations have been identified based on the phylogenetic analysis. Based on the findings of the present study, phylogenetic analysis can help in identifying potential groups for bioprospecting studies. More rigorous phylogenetic analysis that combines chemotaxonomy data, ethnomedicinal data and phylogenetic data are necessary to pinpoint exact lineages for specific medicinal properties.

Objective: The genus Ferula L. includes perennial flowering plants belonging to the Apiaceae family. This genus is a rich source of biologically active phytochemicals such as sulfur-containing derivatives, coumarins, sesquiterpenes, sesquiterpene lactones, sesquiterpene coumarins, glucuronic acid, galactose, arabinose, rhamnose, and daucane esters. Over the last decade, considerable attention has been paid to biological activities of these compounds; it is assumed that the most prominent biological features of the genus Ferula are their cytotoxic effects. This article discusses cytotoxic activity of the genus Ferula and their important compounds. Materials and Methods: In this mini-review article, papers published from 1990 to April 2016 were included and the following information was discussed; cytotoxic activity of the genus Ferula and their important compounds, the type of cell line used in vitro, concentrations of the extracts/active compound that were used, and the underlying mechanisms of action through which Ferula-related chemicals induced cytotoxicity. In addition, we explained different mechanisms of action through which the active constituents isolated from Ferula, could decrease cellular growth. Conclusion: It is highly recommended that potent and effective compounds that were isolated from Ferula plants and found to be appropriate as adjuvant therapy for certain diseases, should be identified. Also, the versatile biological activities of sesquiterpene coumarins suggest them as promising agents with a broad range of biological applications to be used in the future.