scholarly journals The evolution of traditional knowledge: environment shapes medicinal plant use in Nepal

2014 ◽  
Vol 281 (1780) ◽  
pp. 20132768 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Haris Saslis-Lagoudakis ◽  
Julie A. Hawkins ◽  
Simon J. Greenhill ◽  
Colin A. Pendry ◽  
Mark F. Watson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Medicinal Plant ◽  
Ethnic Groups ◽  
Traditional Knowledge ◽  
Geographical Proximity ◽  
Medicinal Uses ◽  
Plant Use ◽  
Local Environments ◽  
Evolutionary Relatedness ◽  
Shared Ancestry ◽  
Medicinal Flora

Traditional knowledge is influenced by ancestry, inter-cultural diffusion and interaction with the natural environment. It is problematic to assess the contributions of these influences independently because closely related ethnic groups may also be geographically close, exposed to similar environments and able to exchange knowledge readily. Medicinal plant use is one of the most important components of traditional knowledge, since plants provide healthcare for up to 80% of the world's population. Here, we assess the significance of ancestry, geographical proximity of cultures and the environment in determining medicinal plant use for 12 ethnic groups in Nepal. Incorporating phylogenetic information to account for plant evolutionary relatedness, we calculate pairwise distances that describe differences in the ethnic groups' medicinal floras and floristic environments. We also determine linguistic relatedness and geographical separation for all pairs of ethnic groups. We show that medicinal uses are most similar when cultures are found in similar floristic environments. The correlation between medicinal flora and floristic environment was positive and strongly significant, in contrast to the effects of shared ancestry and geographical proximity. These findings demonstrate the importance of adaptation to local environments, even at small spatial scale, in shaping traditional knowledge during human cultural evolution.

scholarly journals ­­Medicinal Plant Use and Trade Among the Samburu People in Maralal Town, Kenya

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucy Wamuyu Muithui
Keyword(s):  
Medicinal Plants ◽  
Medicinal Plant ◽  
East African ◽  
Salvadora Persica ◽  
Medicinal Uses ◽  
Plant Parts ◽  
Plant Use ◽  
Arid Shrublands ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Toddalia Asiatica

Abstract Background: The Samburu people have for the longest time used traditional knowledge on medicinal plants to treat diseases both in human and livestock due to the attributed belief of how effective they are. I set out to understand medicinal plant use and trade among the Samburu community in Maralal town. The objectives of this study were to; (1) identify and document the medicinal plants traded, (2) record the medicinal uses of identified plants, (3) document the parts of the plant used and methods of preparation. Method: I conducted market surveys and held in-depth discussions with the traders on what plant parts were used and sold and where they collected and sourced their plants. I also joined collectors in the wild and collected samples for further identification. Results: From the market surveys, a total of 24 plants species from 16 families were traded. Most of the plants were collected from Kirisia Forests Reserve and the arid shrublands within Samburu County. It was noted that Myrsine africana L., Rotheca myricoides (Hochst.) Steane & Mabb., Rhamnus staddo A.Rich., Salvadora persica L. and Toddalia asiatica (L.) Lam were the most popular species with buyers. Most of the plants were used to treat multiple ailments. Stomach related problems and respiratory disorders were some of the commonly treated ailments. Conclusion: It is evident that use and trade of medicinal plant is an important economic activity in Maralal, however; overharvesting plants from the wild has contributed to some species like Osyris lanceolata Hochst. & Steud (East African sandalwood) and M. africana becoming rare and scarce hence the need to establish conservation measures and sustainable exploitation.

An Ethnomedicinal Survey of Indigenous Knowledge on Medicinal Plants in the Traditional Authority Chikowi in Zomba, Malawi

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 225-241 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ibrahim Chikowe ◽  
Moira Mnyenyembe ◽  
Stuart Jere ◽  
Andrew G. Mtewa ◽  
John Mponda ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Medicinal Plants ◽  
Medicinal Plant ◽  
Traditional Knowledge ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Medicinal Plant Species ◽  
Traditional Authority ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
Preparation Methods ◽  
Medicinal Uses ◽  
Traditional Practitioners

Introduction: Medicinal plants and ethnomedicinal studies continue playing a significant role in herbal products development and traditional knowledge conservation. Calls for ethnomedicinal studies have increased recently to unleash the potential in medicinal plants and document verbal traditional knowledge. This study recorded the medicinal plants administered by traditional practitioners in the Traditional Authority Chikowi area of Zomba district in Malawi. Methodology: This cross-sectional study was conducted for 2 weeks in September 2017. Semi-structured questionnaires were administered to traditional medicine practitioners using snowball sampling in the company of botany personnel from the National Herbarium and Botanical Gardens (NHBG). Data collected included plant local names, medicinal uses, parts used, preparation methods and administration methods to clients. Some species were photographed and identified in the field by the NHBG officers. Results: Five traditional practitioners were interviewed. Fifty-nine medicinal plant species belonging to 38 families were used as prophylaxis and treatment for 27 communicable and non-communicable diseases/conditions. Fabaceae family (papilionoideae 11.9%, mimosoideae 5.1%, caesalpinioideae 1.7%) had the largest percentage of species (18.6%). Preparation methods ranged from infusion (38.0%) to cream (2.0%). Of these, 86.0%, 12.0% and 2.0% were administered orally, topically and rectally respectively. Roots were the most used part (60.8%) while the least used was flowers (1.3%). Nearly two-thirds were trees or shrubs (32.2% each). Conclusion: The area has a rich biodiversity of medicinal plant species and knowledge scientists can use as a baseline for identification of plant species, bioactive compounds and preparations with useful medicinal properties.

ETHNOVETERINARY MEDICINAL USES OF SOME MEDICINAL PLANTS ON PNEUMONIA BY THE GUJJAR AND PAHARI TRIBES OF POONCH DISTRICT OF JAMMU AND KASHMIR

2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
JAMIL AHMED KHAN ◽  
RAJINDER PAUL
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Medicinal Plants ◽  
Medicinal Plant ◽  
Natural Resources ◽  
Indigenous People ◽  
Health Care Facilities ◽  
Jammu And Kashmir ◽  
Medicinal Uses ◽  
Modern Health Care ◽  
Care Facilities

Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir is a reservoir of enormous natural resources including the wealth of medicinal plants. The present paper deals with 12 medicinal plant species belonging to 8 genera of angiosperms used on pneumonia in cattle such as cows, sheep, goats and buffaloes in different areas of Poonch district. Due to poverty and nonavailability of modern health care facilities, the indigenous people of the area partially or fully depend on surrounding medicinal plants to cure the different ailments of their cattles. Further research on modern scientific line is necessary to improve their efficacy, safety and validation of the traditional knowledge.

scholarly journals Actualized inventory of medicinal plants used in traditional medicine in Oaxaca, Mexico

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cruz-Pérez Alejandra Lucía ◽  
Barrera-Ramos Jacqueline ◽  
Bernal-Ramírez Luis Alberto ◽  
Bravo-Avilez David ◽  
Rendón-Aguilar Beatriz
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Medicinal Plants ◽  
Ethnic Groups ◽  
Traditional Knowledge ◽  
Original Data ◽  
Risk Category ◽  
Important Species ◽  
Points Of View ◽  
Almost All

Abstract Background Oaxaca is one of the most diverse states in Mexico from biological and cultural points of view. Different ethnic groups living there maintain deep and ancestral traditional knowledge of medicinal plants as well as traditional practices and beliefs about diseases/illnesses and cures. Previous ethnobotanical research in this state has helped document this knowledge, but with the addition of more studies, more records appear. We updated the inventory of medicinal knowledge between the different ethnic groups that inhabit the Oaxacan territory. Methods A database was constructed from two sources: (1) original data from a 3-year project in 84 municipalities of Oaxaca inhabited by eight ethnic groups and (2) different electronic databases. Results Records of 1032 medicinal plants were obtained; 164 families were registered, with Asteraceae, Fabaceae, and Rubiaceae being the most commonly used. A total of 770 species were reported in 14 vegetation types; the most important species came from temperate forests. Only 144 species corresponded to introduced species, and 272 were listed in a risk category. Illnesses of the digestive and genitourinary systems as well as culture-bound syndromes were treated with high numbers of medicinal plants. The Mestizo, Mixe, Mixtec, and Zapotec ethnic groups exhibited the greatest number of recorded medicinal plants. The 17 species that were used among almost all ethnic groups in Oaxaca were also used to cure the highest number of diseases. Discussion Inventories of medicinal plants confirm the persistence of traditional knowledge and reflect the need to recognize and respect this cosmovision. Many species are gathered in wild environments. The most important illnesses or diseases recorded in the present inventory are also mentioned in different studies, suggesting that they are common health problems in the rural communities of Mexico. Conclusions Medicinal plants are essential for ethnic groups in Oaxaca. It is necessary to recognize and understand the complex ancestral processes involved in the human-nature interaction and the role of these processes in the conservation of biodiversity and in the survivorship of ethnic groups that have persisted for centuries. Finally, this study serves as a wake-up call to respect those worldviews.

scholarly journals The Role of Botanical Families in Medicinal Ethnobotany: A Phylogenetic Perspective

Plants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 163
Author(s):  
Airy Gras ◽  
Oriane Hidalgo ◽  
Ugo D’Ambrosio ◽  
Montse Parada ◽  
Teresa Garnatje ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Diversity Indices ◽  
Specific Level ◽  
Medicinal Uses ◽  
The Family ◽  
Family Level ◽  
Phylogenetic Level ◽  
Molecular Phylogenetic ◽  
Quantitative Analyses ◽  
Medicinal Flora

Studies suggesting that medicinal plants are not chosen at random are becoming more common. The goal of this work is to shed light on the role of botanical families in ethnobotany, depicting in a molecular phylogenetic frame the relationships between families and medicinal uses of vascular plants in several Catalan-speaking territories. The simple quantitative analyses for ailments categories and the construction of families and disorders matrix were carried out in this study. A Bayesian approach was used to estimate the over- and underused families in the medicinal flora. Phylogenetically informed analyses were carried out to identify lineages in which there is an overrepresentation of families in a given category of use, i.e., hot nodes. The ethnobotanicity index, at a specific level, was calculated and also adapted to the family level. Two diversity indices to measure the richness of reported taxa within each family were calculated. A total of 47,630 use reports were analysed. These uses are grouped in 120 botanical families. The ethnobotanicity index for this area is 14.44% and the ethnobotanicity index at the family level is 68.21%. The most-reported families are Lamiaceae and Asteraceae and the most reported troubles are disorders of the digestive and nutritional system. Based on the meta-analytic results, indicating hot nodes of useful plants at the phylogenetic level, specific ethnopharmacological research may be suggested, including a phytochemical approach of particularly interesting taxa.

scholarly journals Medicinal plant use of villagers in the Mopani district, Limpopo province, South Africa

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
MA Chauke ◽  
LJ Shai ◽  
MA Mogale ◽  
MP Tshisikhawe ◽  
MP Mokgotho
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Medicinal Plant ◽  
Limpopo Province ◽  
Plant Use

scholarly journals Moral Reciprocity, Ethics of Appropriation of Indigenous Medicinal Plant Knowledge and Associated Biopiracy

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 24-65
Author(s):  
Oscar Agbor Ambang ◽  
Sergio Alloggio ◽  
Roman Tandlich
Keyword(s):  
Medicinal Plant ◽  
Traditional Knowledge ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Scientific Research ◽  
Modern Science ◽  
Developmental Trajectory ◽  
Natural Environments ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Moral Accountability ◽  
Pharmacologically Active

AbstractIntroduction: Although this paper deals mostly with the positive effects of a posthumanist worldview on environmental sustainability, partnership, or moral accountability in science and scientific research, it also promotes a new understanding of our educational practice in higher education. The ideas espoused have the ability to inspire educators at all levels to show students, future researchers or other professions about the importance of a progressive, holistic approach to our environment. We claim that being sensitive and caring for our environment is not only part of our moral and ethical responsibility, it is an inseparable aspect of our environmental education, our environmental intelligence. This paper discusses posthumanist1 reciprocity ethics in the context of traditional knowledge (TK) and the protection of indigenous traditional knowledge from commercial exploitation.Methods: Instances of unethical bioprospecting and biopiracy were common throughout the turn of the 21st century and are discussed using cases in countries such as Cameroon, India, South Africa and Australia, where medicinal plant species were, are still a highly sought-after source of potent, pharmacologically active phytochemicals.Results and discussion: The observed increase in regulations against bioprospecting on indigenous land in these countries as a result of intellectual property monopoly by big pharmaceutical companies is discussed in this paper along the lines of a ‘humanist vs posthumanist’ ontology. Patent exclusivity laws have historically marginalized the proprietary owners of indigenous traditional knowledge, creating a moral and ethical rift between those that seek to exploit this knowledge commercially and those from whom the knowledge originally comes from. This disconnection from nature and natural resources due to a humanistic approach2 to growth and development, often leads to environmental exploitation, exploitation of indigenous people and unsustainable commercial practices. Existing research and bioprospecting ethics that are practiced on indigenous lands must be questioned in their ability to provide mutually beneficial outcomes for all stakeholders.Conclusions: The posthumanist approach to morality and research ethics is discussed in this paper as a possible and practical alternative to humanism along with the potential for posthumanist ethics to be a tool to shape legal frameworks and the policies that protect at-risk communities and their respective natural environments. Our current developmental trajectory as a collective species has us blurring the lines that separate the ‘human’ from the ‘non-human’ elements in our world as humanity grows towards a more technologically advanced but equally environmentally dependent people. Thus, the currently existing systems of ethics that govern the relationship between the ‘human’ and ‘non-human’ must be called into question. This paper aims to illustrate the positive effects of a posthumanist worldview on issues such as environmental sustainability, partnership, moral accountability and reciprocity ethics in the context of modern science and modern scientific research.

scholarly journals Quantitative ethnopharmacological documentation and molecular confirmation of medicinal plants used by the Manobo tribe of Agusan del Sur, Philippines

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Lloyd Granaderos Dapar ◽  
Grecebio Jonathan Duran Alejandro ◽  
Ulrich Meve ◽  
Sigrid Liede-Schumann
Keyword(s):  
Medicinal Plants ◽  
Medicinal Plant ◽  
Plant Genetic Resources ◽  
Traditional Healers ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
Public Healthcare ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Plant Use ◽  
Healthcare Improvement ◽  
Use Categories

Abstract Background Philippines is renowned as one of the species-rich countries and culturally megadiverse in ethnicity worldwide. Ethnomedicinal knowledge of Indigenous Cultural Communities/Indigenous Peoples (ICCs/IPs) is vital for biodiversity conservation and healthcare improvement. This study aims to document the traditional practices, medicinal plant use, and knowledge; to determine the relative importance, consensus, and the extent of all medicinal plants used; and to integrate molecular confirmation to some medicinal plants used by the Agusan Manobo. Methods Quantitative ethnopharmacological data were obtained using semi-structured interviews, group discussions, field observations, and guided field walks with a total of 335 key informants comprising of tribal chieftains, traditional healers, community elders and residents of the community with their traditional medical knowledge. The use categories (UC), use report (UR), fidelity level (FL), and informant consensus factors (ICF) were quantified. The informants' medicinal plant use knowledge and practices were statistically analyzed using the descriptive and inferential statistics Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests. Results A total of 122 medicinal plant species belonging to 108 genera and 51 families, used in 16 use categories, were collected and identified. Integrative molecular approach confirmed 24 species with uncertain identity using multiple universal markers. The highest ICF (0.96) was cited for the category of abnormal signs and symptoms (ASS). The maximum FL values of 100% were found for Carica papaya L., Premna odorata Blanco, Cinnamomum mercadoi S.Vidal, Tinospora crispa (L.) Hook.f. & Thomson, and Ficus concinna (Miq.) Miq. used for the treatment of dengue fever, cough with phlegm, stomach trouble, joint pain, and fracture and dislocation, respectively. The highest UR (1134) and UC (12) was reported for Anodendron borneense (King & Gamble) D.J.Middleton. Statistically, the medicinal plant knowledge among respondents was significantly different ( p <0.001) when grouped according to education, gender, position, occupation, civil status, and age but not significantly different ( p =0.379) when grouped according to location. Conclusion Documenting such traditional knowledge of medicinal plants and practices is highly important for future management and conservation strategies of these plant genetic resources. This quantitative ethnopharmacological study will serve as a future reference not only for more ethnopharmacological documentation but also for further pharmacological studies and public healthcare improvement.

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