Application of molecular markers in the study of genetic diversity of ethnomedicinal plants: A systematic mapping of genotype-to-culture intersections

Abstract

Background: Ethnomedicinal plants are biocultural resources whose identities, collection places, preparation practices, and therapeutic meanings are maintained within traditional knowledge systems. This review evaluates how molecular markers complement taxonomic, chemical, historical, and ethnographic evidence in authenticating materials, assessing genetic diversity, tracing place-based resources, and safeguarding medicinal knowledge.

Methods: We conducted a systematic evidence-mapping review of literature published from January 1980 to May 2026. CNKI, Wanfang Data, and PubMed were used for reproducible quantitative retrieval; Web of Science Core Collection and Google Scholar supported citation tracing and cross-checking. The counted databases yielded 4527 records. After removing 718 duplicates, 3809 records were screened, 1892 were retained at title/abstract stage, 61 full texts were assessed, and 55 sources entered qualitative synthesis.

Results: Molecular approaches progressed from fragment markers and standardized barcodes to genome-wide SNPs, organelle genomes, pangenomes, ancient DNA, and metabarcoding. Applications expanded from authentication to provenance, germplasm stewardship, functional variation, and market surveillance. Their ethnobotanical value was greatest when molecular data were linked to vouchers, vernacular names, preparation histories, chemical profiles, archaeological contexts, and knowledge holders.

Conclusions: Molecular markers provide reproducible evidence for plant identity and diversity, but do not independently establish therapeutic efficacy, cultural meaning, or historical use. Culturally annotated reference libraries, community-engaged interpretation, functional markers, and integrated genomic-metabolomic frameworks are priorities for biocultural conservation and transparent herbal supply chains.

Keywords: Molecular markers; Ethnomedicinal plants; Genetic diversity; DNA barcoding; DNA metabarcoding; Ancient DNA; Biocultural conservation