Tapping the biological and chemical diversity of North America`s native medicinal and food plants

植物代谢物对全球生态系统和经济至关重要，可维持食物链并形成共同进化关系，同时为人类的各种工业和文化目的服务。在加拿大，尽管我们拥有独特的生物多样性和丰富的土著知识，但我们的本土植物仍然令人惊讶地未被开发和开发，以造福社会。与此同时，加拿大人消费大量的植物性食品和天然健康产品（NHP），其化学，药理学和潜在的风险/益处研究甚少。为了解决这些差距，我的计划研究植物化学品的多样性和功能特性，重点是对人类和植物健康的潜在影响。通过将植物化学与生物活性（治疗和毒性作用）联系起来的统一科学重点，我们整合了民族植物学，分析化学和药理学的方法，以了解化学复杂性/变异性如何与生物活性，人类应用和生态相互作用相关。我们与跨部门的利益相关者合作，帮助指导和转化我们的研究为健全的产品，干预措施，政策和法规，以造福加拿大人和我们的环境。文化关键物种的民族药理学（CKS）CKS概念承认物种，有助于文化的食物，材料，药物，以及语言，仪式和教学。在美洲，很少有植物CKS已被确定，更少有科学研究。我们将研究北美最具文化意义的两种药用植物群--菊科植物和蒿属植物的化学和生物活性。大麻和其他植物中的植物大麻素直到最近，大麻中的THC是已知与内源性大麻素系统（ECS）相互作用的唯一天然产物。基于大麻和其他植物中的植物化学物质激活ECS的证据，我们研究了纯植物大麻素与化学多样性/复杂植物产品（即人们消费的产品）相比的药理学。我们还研究了植物在哪里以及为什么产生植物大麻素，以及这些化合物如何有助于植物生态生理学。加拿大野生浆果对于人类和食草动物来说，小肉质水果（“浆果”）的化学性质决定了它们的适口性，营养价值和毒性。对于植物来说，浆果化学通过保护发育中的种子、吸引种子传播者和确保种子发芽来影响繁殖成功。在加拿大，浆果植物主宰着许多生态系统，对土著文化做出了不可估量的贡献，但许多植物在科学上被忽视了。我们整合本土和科学知识，以确定感兴趣的浆果种类，然后通过水果发育测量营养（糖，维生素）和植物化学物质（色素，多酚抗氧化剂，毒素）。虽然化学变化将为植物繁殖策略提供信息，但相同的数据将确定用于社区和农业倡议的物种。

Plant metabolites are vital to global ecosystems and economies, sustaining food chains and shaping co-evolutionary relationships while serving diverse human industrial and cultural purposes. In Canada, despite our unique biodiversity and rich Indigenous knowledge, our native plants remain surprisingly under-explored and -developed for societal benefit. At the same time, Canadians consume a myriad of plant-based foods and natural health products (NHP), for which their chemistry, pharmacology, and potential risks/benefits are poorly studied. To address these gaps, my program studies the diversity and functional properties of plant chemicals, focusing on potential impacts on humans and plant health. With a unifying scientific focus linking plant chemistry to bioactivity (therapeutic and toxic effects), we integrate methods in ethnobotany, analytical chemistry and pharmacology to learn how chemical complexity/variability relates to bioactivity, human applications, and ecological interactions. We collaborate with inter-sectoral stakeholders to help guide and translate our research into sound products, interventions, policies and regulations to benefit Canadians and our environment. Ethnopharmacology of Cultural Keystone Species (CKS) The CKS concept recognizes species that contribute to culture as foods, materials, and medicines, and in language, ceremonies and teachings. In the Americas, few plant CKS have been identified and fewer have been studied scientifically. We will study the chemistry and bioactivity of 2 of North America's most culturally significant medicinal plant groups, Achillea (yarrow) and Artemisia (sagebrush). Phytocannabinoids in cannabis and other plants Until recently, THC from cannabis was the only natural product known to interact with the endocannabinoid system (ECS). Building on evidence that phytochemicals in cannabis and other plants activate the ECS, we study the pharmacology of pure phytocannabinoids compared to chemically diverse/complex plant products (i.e. what people consumer). We also study where and why plants produce phytocannabinoids, and how these compounds contribute to plant ecophysiology. Wild berries of Canada For humans and herbivores, the chemistry of small fleshy fruits ("berries") determines their palatability, nutritional value, and toxicity. For plants, berry chemistry impacts reproductive success by protecting developing seeds, attracting seed dispersers, and ensuring seed germination. In Canada, berry plants dominate many ecosystems and contribute immeasurably to Indigenous cultures but many have been overlooked scientifically. We integrate Indigenous and scientific knowledge to identify berry species of interest then measure nutrient (sugars, vitamins) and phytochemicals (pigments, polyphenol antioxidants, toxins) through fruit development. While changes in chemistry will inform plant reproductive strategy, the same data will identify species for use in community-based and agricultural initiatives.