Ethnopharmacological Studies of Medicinal plants Used by Ethnic Groups in Bardsir Region, Kerman Province

Ethnobotanical studies try to gather indigenous cultures plant knowledge from different regions and tribes all over the world. This study aimed at obtaining, documenting and analyzing medicinal plants used by some ethnic groups in Bardsir region, Kerman province, Iran. Data collection was done through face-to-face interviews, and finally, 120 questionnaires were filled out. Based on the local knowledge, the data collection was analyzed using quantitative values including family importance value (FIV), relative frequency of citation (RFC), fidelity level (FL), use-value index (UV), and factor of informant consensus (FIC). In this study, 47 medicinal plants were recorded belonging to 22 families. The results expressed the highest FIV belonged to Lamiaceae (57%) family. The hemicryptophytes (49%) were also regarded as the most common life forms of the used species. In the current study, the highest RFCs and UV indices belonged to Urtica urens L. 0.21, and 0.39, respectively. Achillea santolinoides subsp. wilhelmsii (K.Koch) Greuter, and Teucrium polium L. had the maximum percentage of FL for treating digestive system disorders. In the present study, the highest indices belonged to U. urens, A. santolinoides subsp. wilhelmsii and T. polium; thus, it is recommended conducting further in vitro and in vivo pharmacological studies on the mentioned species.

Designing a Framework of Ethnomedicinal Plant Knowledge Integration Using OSS

Indigenous knowledge refers to the knowledge, innovations, and practices of indigenous communities. Ethnic groups are repository knowledge of herbal medicine. Many indigenous people use several plants for medicinal preparations, and these medicines are known as ethnomedicine. It has developed from experience gained over centuries. Species of ethnomedicinal plants are threatened in most of nations due to overexploitation, habitat loss, destructive harvesting techniques, unsustainable trade, and deforestation. Documented indigenous knowledge on ethnomedicine forms part of the documentary heritage of the nation. The chapter will provide a framework for design an information retrieval system for ethnomedicine or knowledge on medicinal plants that are used to manage human ailments. The framework will be prepared, established on the open source software (OSS), and is appropriate not only for documentation but also beneficial for retrieving domain-specific knowledge. The model provides a framework for resource integration digitally using Greenstone Digital Library (GSDL) software.

Importance of the Indigenous Plant Knowledge: Study of Selected Plant Species Culturally Used by the Karbi Community of Karbi Anglong District, North-East India

The North-East region in India is recognized as a major hotspot of biodiversity with a vast range of flora and fauna. The region extends from the plain areas such as the Barak-Brahmaputra Valley of Assam to the mountainous regions of Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh. The population in the region is just as diverse as its biodiversity with people residing in plain areas as well as in the hilly and mountainous areas. The vast forest area and availability of forest resources provide food, medicine, and, to some extent, livelihood for the different Indigenous people residing in the region; and hence their dependency and relationship with forest resources are tight knitted. The Karbi tribe is an ethnic community residing in the Karbi Anglong district in Assam state of the NE region. Their knowledge of forest resources, familiarity with the intricacies associated with it, utilization of various plants is found in the natural habitats for everyday purposes along with owning small and micro-farms have made them quite adaptable to the hilly environment. In the past, the Karbis mainly resided in the mountainous and hilly areas; but to access better facilities, most of the people have migrated and settled in the plains. The era of connectivity and urbanization has affected the forest areas that have gradually led to the loss of plants in their wild natural habitat, some of which hold a significant cultural identity and religious beliefs. In the present day, the younger generation has shifted from old ties and traditions, which might have contributed to the loss of knowledge about plants used for various purposes and certain Indigenous practices.

People and Plants in Nunatsiavut (Labrador, Canada): Examining Plants as a Foundational Aspect of Culture in the Subarctic

This paper emphasizes the cultural value of plants in Nunatsiavut (Labrador, Canada), a self–governing Inuit region in the Subarctic. Via interviews with community members, we describe the links between plant usage and culture to understand the direct ways that plants are utilized for food, construction, gardening, and medicine, and to then link these uses to deeper cultural significance among three communities in Nunatsiavut (Hopedale, Postville, and Rigolet). Many plants were common amongst communities with a total of 66 taxa identified. About 75% of taxa were reported in at least two communities, corresponding to 95% of all responses. Edible plants were the most common reported usage, with emphasis on berry–producing taxa such as blueberry shrubs. Our study shows that a diversity of plants (i) support cultural activities; (ii) act as markers for historical events; (iii) highlight intergenerational exchange and valuing of plant knowledge; (iv) express the deep awareness that people have for their local environment; and (v) a medium for the expression of traditional values. The similarities in the plant responses among the communities suggest a shared body of plant knowledge. Our study supports the great cultural importance of plants in northern communities.

The Role of Traditional Plant Knowledge in the Fight Against Infectious Diseases: A Meta-Analytic Study in the Catalan Linguistic Area

Infectious diseases represent, as a group, the main cause of mortality in the world. The most important reasons are multidrug-resistant pathogens, the rapid spread of emerging diseases aggravated by globalization, and the extended reach of tropical and vector-borne diseases resulting from continued climate change. Given the increase in these diseases and the limited effectiveness of antibiotics, traditional knowledge can constitute a useful tool to address these new health challenges. The aim of this work is to analyze extensively the available ethnobotanical data linked to infections and infestations in the Catalan linguistic area, with the intention of depicting the panorama of the folk use of herbal products to address the quoted ailments, preserving the popular plant knowledge and management data. The meta-analytic work performed in the present study covers 29 research studies belonging to different regions throughout the Catalan linguistic area. The medicinal ethnoflora to treat infections and infestations in the Catalan linguistic area includes 326 taxa belonging to 78 botanical families of vascular plants. The informant consensus factor (FIC) was 0.92, and the ethnobotanicity index (EI) was 7.26%. Artemisia absinthium (10.98%; 0.37) and Thymus vulgaris (8.06%; 0.27) are the most quoted taxa and have the highest values of the cultural importance index. The most reported use was antihelminthic (30.15%), followed by internal antiseptic (19.43%) and antipyretic (13.69%). The medicinal importance index shows the relevance of the antihelminthic use (14.23) and also the use against measles (10.19). The information is coincidental with at least one of the comprehensive pharmacological literature sources checked for 47.42% of ethnobotanical uses. These results, centered on the plants used to treat infection and infestation diseases, are the first step toward selecting some of the most interesting species to develop phytochemical and pharmacological studies and suggesting an alternative regarding how to face the health emergency involving the expansion of infectious diseases, based on local and traditional knowledge.

Medicines in the Kitchen: Gender Roles Shape Ethnobotanical Knowledge in Marrakshi Households

Differences in gendered knowledge about plants are contingent on specific cultural domains. Yet the boundaries between these domains, for example food and medicine, are sometimes blurred, and it is unclear if and how gender plays a role in creating a continuum between them. Here, we present an in-depth evaluation of the links between gender, medicinal plant knowledge, and culinary culture in Marrakech, Morocco. We interviewed 30 women and 27 men with different socio-demographic characteristics and evaluated how gender and cooking frequency shape their food and medicinal plant knowledge. We documented 171 ethno-taxa used in Marrakshi households as food, medicine, or both, corresponding to 148 botanical taxa and three mixtures. While no clear differences appear in food plant knowledge by gender, women have a three-fold greater knowledge of medicinal plants, as well as plants with both uses as food and medicine. Women’s medicinal and food plant knowledge increases with their reported frequency of cooking, whereas the opposite trend is observed among men. Men who cook more are often single, have university-level degrees, and may be isolated from the channels of knowledge transmission. This demonstrates that the profound relations between the culinary and health domains are mediated through gender.