Ethnobotany, Nutritional Traits, and Healthy Properties of Some Halophytes Used as Greens in the Mediterranean Basin

The Mediterranean basin is extraordinarily rich in wild edible species includinghalophytes, which grow on shoreline, while some species, typically of thehinterland, grow well under saline conditions anyway. This chapter aims todescribe ethnobotany, chemical composition, and healthy properties of somemost important edible halophyte species of the Mediterranean Basin, in orderto highlight their potential key role in human diet and utilization. The ancient useof wild halophyte species for both food and ethnomedicinal purposes suggestshigh potentialities for the halophytes of the Mediterranean Basin, translating inan exploitation by food industry toward the production of novel products withfunctional and health beneficial properties. However, further research is neededregarding several aspects such as the evaluation of several ecotypes for eachspecies and different growing techniques, the improvement of ecotypes throughbreeding programs, the assessment of the nutritional traits, clinical trials toidentify the mechanisms of human health effects, and the optimal consumptionon a daily basis, both to determine the daily intake of healthy compounds andto exclude possible toxicity effects. Therefore, an interdisciplinary approach isnecessary for valorizing halophytes in the Mediterranean Basin, highlighting thegreat importance of the ethnobotany.