CONICET | Buscador de Institutos y Recursos Humanos

Ethnopharmacological relevance: Patagonia is the southernmost part of the South American continent includingChile and Argentina. Berries and wild fruits have been gathered by the native Patagonians as food and medicinefor over 14,000 years. The economic potential of the native berries as health promoting and relevant sources ofbioactive substances has become apparent with several studies in the last decades.Aim of study: This work aims to provide an insight into the ethnohistorical records of wild edible fruits fromPatagonia starting with the archeobotanical studies to the contemporary use of the resources. The chemical andbioactivity studies on the native fruits are presented and discussed.Methodology: A search of electronic databases including Scopus, Scielo, Google Scholar, PubMed, ScienceDirectand SciFinder, as well as hand-search was carried out to perform an integrative review on the native Patagonianberries.Results: The use of native berries as food and medicine by the ancient hunter-gatherer societies can be tracedback to the early occupation of Patagonia. The same species used in prehistoric times are still used as food by thecontemporary population in this area. Chemical and bioactivity studies have reported remarkable activities inseveral of the native berries, including calafate (Berberis spp.), native strawberry (Fragaria chiloensis), currants(Ribes spp.), Patagonian raspberries (Rubus spp.) and maqui (Aristotelia chilensis) fruits. The increasing demandfor maqui and calafate led to the selection of varieties for commercial production. The fruit constituents showstrong antioxidant and inhibitory effect towards enzymes associated with metabolic syndrome, including α-amylase, α-glucosidase and lipase. Some berry constituents exert anti-inflammatory effects in vitro. The phytochemicalsidentified include a wide array of phenolics of different structural skeletons. Changes in compositionand bioactivity after simulated gastric and intestinal digestion, as well as colonic fermentation, have been reportedin some Patagonian species.Conclusions: Patagonian berries are a relevant source of bioactive compounds with several health promotingproperties. The long tradition of use and the interest of the population for their consumption has led to thedevelopment of some of this fruits as new potential crops.The ethnobotanical evidence shows a shared knowledge among the different indigenous communities onplant uses according to the local resources, and an integration of the ancient knowledge into the contemporarysociety. Other species are being investigated to get a more complete picture of the food and medicinal plantsfrom Patagonia.