Journal profile · Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Fitoterapia
ISSN 0367-326X · eISSN 1873-6971 · Elsevier · NETHERLANDS · Bimonthly · Founded 1947
Fitoterapia: CAS Zone 3 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.88; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,950; median 93 days to acceptance (135 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: about 75%; 637 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Fitoterapia is published by Elsevier and is in Zone 3 of Medicine in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Natural product bioactivities and synthesis, Phytochemistry and Biological Activities and Essential Oils and Antimicrobial Activity, together about 36.6% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The Journal for the Study of Medicinal PlantsA Q1-ranked journal in the category of 'Agricultural and Biological Sciences' (Scopus).Fitoterapia is a Journal dedicated to medicinal plants and fungi and to the bioactive natural products produced by these organisms. It publishes original contributions in six major areas:Chemical characterization of active ingredients of medicinal plants and fungi, including their endophytes Innovative analytical approaches for dereplication and standardization of bioactive extracts and metabolites from plant resources Identification of bioactivity in plant and fungal extracts and in their constituents Identification of biological targets and mechanism of activity of plant and fungal extracts Production and genomic characterization of medicinal plants biomass Critical reviews of the composition, history, clinical and legal status of medicinal plants, and accounts on topical issues. Publication requirementsWestern Blots. Manuscripts reporting Western Blots must include original uncropped traces in triplicate as Supplementary Material. Images should be of good resolution.NMR data. Manuscripts reporting the structure elucidation of new compounds must include copies of MS and 1D and 2D NMR spectra as Supplementary Material. Fitoterapia strongly encourages Authors to deposit raw NMR data files (FID and 2D serial files) for new compounds in a publicly accessible data depository. Reviews. For review article submissions, Authors are required to provide evidence of their expertise and research experience in the specific field. Contributions reporting the following are NOT considered for publication: Activity data on crude extracts that have not been characterized by qualitative (and preferably quantitative) analysis of their individual constituents (LC/MS, or isolation followed by NMR). Data on the extract composition simply taken from literature or from previous studies are not acceptable. Characterization of only a few constituents is generally considered too partial. Studies on the bioactivity of pure compounds purchased or obtained by Authors without any study or relationship with the producing organism. Unexceptional and predictable bioactivity (e.g. antioxidant and mild antimicrobial properties of phenolics or of essential oils). Uncritical ethnopharmacological investigations, where a list of plants and their use are simply recorded. Genomic, transcriptomic and pharmacological studies without convincing wet lab experiments, or with little correlation to bioactive natural compounds.Studies based exclusively or mainly on computational/theoretical investigations without adequate experimental support.In addition, the following immediate rejection criteria apply: RULE 1: The manuscript does not fall into any of the areas of interest of the Journal (e.g. investigation on extracts obtained from animal sources) RULE 2: The manuscript is too preliminary, reporting e.g. activity data without comparison to a reference, or without a positive control. RULE 3: The botanical source is not clearly identified (with scientific Latin names), authenticated, and documented (voucher). RULE 4: Lack of the required supporting material (see publication requirements). RULE 5: Bioactivity is not relevant to in vivo situations. RULE 6: Reviews on topics already covered in the recent literature. RULE 7: Bibliometric or patentometric reviews.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Editor-in-chief Orazio Taglialatela-ScafatiPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 21 in mainland China (about 34%); most named Mainland China 21, Italy 8, Germany 6, United States 4, United Kingdom 2 (61 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Natural product bioactivities and synthesisBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology15.5%
- Phytochemistry and Biological ActivitiesAgricultural and Biological Sciences14.5%
- Essential Oils and Antimicrobial ActivityAgricultural and Biological Sciences6.6%
- Phytochemical compounds biological activitiesBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.6%
- Traditional and Medicinal Uses of AnnonaceaeBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.5%
- Phytochemicals and Antioxidant ActivitiesMedicine3.9%
- Fungal Biology and ApplicationsMedicine3.8%
- Microbial Natural Products and BiosynthesisMedicine3.7%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Medicine Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Chemistry, Medicinal | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Pharmacology & Pharmacy | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Chemistry, Medicinal | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Pharmacology & Pharmacy | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Medicine Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Chemistry, Medicinal | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Pharmacology & Pharmacy | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Editions, and major and minor categories, are shown separately and never merged into one zone; check which edition your institution uses before you submit or report.
Metrics
Impact metrics and publication volume
Impact
- Impact factor
- 2.88LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 2.9Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 3.9LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 3.9Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.51LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.9LetPub ·
- h-index
- 90LetPub ·
- h-index
- 147OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 4,509OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 3OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 6.9%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 8.69%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 581LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 7,780 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 368 | 50 | 94 |
| 2025 | 637 | 98 | 1,502 |
| 2024 | 488 | 93 | 2,889 |
| 2023 | 312 | 38 | 2,636 |
| 2022 | 234 | 21 | 2,195 |
| 2021 | 227 | 31 | 3,201 |
Sources count differently and were observed at different times, so each source's own value is kept; "publisher" marks figures from the journal's website.
Review & acceptance
Review time and acceptance
Review time from article dates manuscript dates registered with PubMed · to
93 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 72 days – 122 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 1 days (135 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 95 days
- Sample
- 135 articles with submission and acceptance dates (1,122 in the window); the latest was accepted on
Only articles that were accepted and published are counted, not the time spent on rejected manuscripts, so this usually runs longer than a publisher's "time to first decision".
Other sources
- Average review time (community reports)
- about 1 monthLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- 75%LetPub ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 88 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 2 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Single anonymous peer reviewPublisher website
Community reports come from authors' own submissions (confidence 0.5) and are not a promise from the journal; for publisher figures, the journal's own definitions apply.
Fees & open access
APC and open-access policy
Hybrid open accessLetPub
A subscription journal in which authors can pay to publish their article open access.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 3,950 / EUR 3,700 / GBP 3,160 / JPY 489,920 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 3,860 | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Submission
Article types and submission policies (journal website)
What to prepare4 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Reference style
- Numbered, in order of citation
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
- Cover letter
- Required
Article types accepted8
- book reviewThe journal accepts Reviews, Research papers and Book Reviews.Review Article: Author Research Background Information For review article submissions, authors are…Length not stated
- book reviewsThe journal accepts Reviews, Research papers and Book Reviews.Length not stated
- letterThe journal accepts Reviews, Research papers and Book Reviews.Review Article: Author Research Background Information For review article submissions, authors are…Length not stated
- research paperThe journal accepts Reviews, Research papers and Book Reviews.Review Article: Author Research Background Information For review article submissions, authors are…Length not stated
- research papersThe journal accepts Reviews, Research papers and Book Reviews.Length not stated
- reviewThe journal accepts Reviews, Research papers and Book Reviews.Review Article: Author Research Background Information For review article submissions, authors are…Length not stated
- review articleThe journal accepts Reviews, Research papers and Book Reviews.Review Article: Author Research Background Information For review article submissions, authors are…Length not stated
- reviewsThe journal accepts Reviews, Research papers and Book Reviews.Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints
- AI use Declaration of generative AI use
Authors must declare the use of generative AI tools in the manuscript preparation process upon submission of the paper.Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies (“AI tools”) have been rapidly adopted in research and scholarly publishing, offering significant benefits while requiring clear standards for responsible and transparent use.Authors preparing a manuscript for this journal may use AI tool…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Group authorship
Group authorship refers to the attribution of an article to a defined and named group of authors whose members have contributed to the work. Examples include research consortia, clinical trial groups, collaborative networks, task forces or working groups, expert panels or consensus groups, and participatory research groups. Group authorship must be declared on the title page at submission. When av…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Declaration of competing interests
All authors must disclose any financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence or bias their work. Examples of potential competing interests include:EmploymentConsultanciesStock ownershipHonorariaPaid expert testimonyPatent applications or registrationsGrants or any other fundingAffiliation with the journal as an Editor or Advisory Board …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright License options
Authors will be offered open access user license options which will determine how you, and third parties, can reuse your open access article. We advise that you review these options and any funding body license requirements before selecting a license option.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access
We refer you to our open access information page to learn about open access options for this journal.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review
single anonymized review process Model summary
This journal follows a single anonymized review process. Your submission will initially be assessed by our editors. If your submission is deemed suitable, it will typically be sent to be reviewed by a minimum of two reviewers for an independent expert assessment of the scientific quality. The decision as to whether your article is accepted or rejected for publication will be made by our editors.Re…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprints
Preprint sharingAuthors may share preprints in line with Elsevier's article sharing policy. Sharing preprints, such as on a preprint server, will not count as prior publication.We advise you to read our policy on multiple, redundant or concurrent publication. In support of Open Science, this journal offers its authors a free preprint posting service on SSRN, Elsevier’s preprint and early research …
Source ↗Publisher website ·
Excerpts are quoted from the journal's website; "model summary" lines are written by Workers AI and checked against the text. The journal's website is authoritative.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Elsevier
- Country or region
- NETHERLANDS
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Bimonthly
- Founded
- 1947
- ISSN
- 0367-326X
- Electronic ISSN
- 1873-6971
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Fitoterapia
What CAS zone is Fitoterapia in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Fitoterapia is in Zone 3 of Medicine, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Chemistry, Medicinal / Pharmacology & Pharmacy. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 4 of Medicine. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Fitoterapia?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.88; CiteScore 3.9, h-index 147.
How long does peer review take at Fitoterapia?
Based on the dates recorded on 135 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 93 days (interquartile range 72–122 days); authors report an average review time of about 1 month; the community-reported acceptance is “about 75%”. Article statistics cover accepted papers only, publisher figures follow the journal's own definitions, and community reports come from authors' own submissions; none is a promise from the journal.
What are the manuscript requirements of Fitoterapia?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Reference style: Numbered, in order of citation; Suggested reviewers: Optional; Cover letter: Required. A model extracted these from the author guidelines and each was checked against the text; check the latest version on the journal's website before submitting.
Where are the editorial board members of Fitoterapia based?
Of the 61 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 21 (about 34%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Mainland China (21), Italy (8) and Germany (6). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Fitoterapia?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Fitoterapia is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Fitoterapia open access, and what is the APC?
Fitoterapia is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,950.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, OpenAlex; every figure is tagged with its source and the date it was observed, and conflicting values are kept per source. LetPub source page: view ↗ (archived 2026-08-26). Last updated: .