Ethnobotanical Survey of Medicinal Plants at Periodic Markets of Autonomous County of Gongcheng Yao in Guangxi

Gongcheng is the second largest county in Guangxi with about 163000 Yao population. Periodic Markets are important places for trading of medicinal plants harvested by Gongcheng Yao villagers. The study aimed to look into the marked traded medicinal plants that are used by local people for curing various ailments. Ethnobotanical market survey methods, interviews, Participatory Action Research (PAR) and field visits were planned to elicit information on the uses of various medicinal plants. It was found that 71 plant species in the market which belong to 41 families are commonly used by local people for curing various diseases, all species are wild plants. A total of 133 records of medical uses in 52 herbal recipes for the treatment some common diseases. In most of the recipes recorded, digestion diseases, respiratory system diseases, infectious diseases,rheumatological diseases and surgery are used. The traditional knowledge about the number of medicinal plants available in that area and used by interviewees was positively correlated with the threats on medicinal plants in the wild habitats of the research area, which indicating that the diversity of wild medicinal plants and the associated traditional knowledge trends to disappear in the area.     

广西恭城瑶族集市药用植物的民族植物学调查

采用民族植物学的研究方法和手段,对恭城瑶族境内周期性集市药用植物及相关的传统知识进行了调查。主要研究结果如下：恭城瑶族民众与野生药用植物的关系极为密切,研究地区集市中常见药用植物71种,均为野生植物,常用于治疗肠胃、呼吸道、感染、风湿和外伤等疾病。在调查地区的野生药用植物资源及相关的传统知识面临着新的威胁,亟待采取必要的措施予以保护。     

Sustainable Utilization and Economic Development of Some Plant Resources in Northern Pakistan

Overshadowed by the vast impact that habitat loss has on targeted plant species survival, it is easy to overlook the fact that utilization and harvesting of species can often result in their genetic depletion and in an often rapid downward trend of their population status. In this regard an ethnobotanical study on the medicinal plants of Shawar valley, District Swat was conducted with the aims to document medicinal plants and to examine the current status of the medicinal plants trade as well as the market chain starting from collectors to consumers. The survey reported 50 species of plants belonging to 33 families as ethnomedicinally important. These species were used as crud drugs by the local people and folk-lore for treating diseases in traditional system of medicine. The detailed local uses, recipe preparation along with their local names and diseases treated were recorded for each species.Market survey revealed that the structure of medicinal plant trade is complex and heterogeneous, involving many players. The collectors are often not aware of the high market prices and medicinal values, and most of the collected material is sold to local middlemen at a very low price. There was an increase of 3 to 5 folds in prices from collectors to the national market.Recommendations were given in the spheres of training sustainable harvesting and post harvesting of wild medicinal plant resources, trade monitoring, equitable sharing of benefits of wild resources, improved control on harvesting and trade for the conservation of resources, enhancement of cultivation efforts, future research into trade in wild harvested plants, community participation in natural resource management and value addition in the herbal products to maximize the benefits.     

Aromatic,Medicinal Plants and Vulnerability of Traditional Herbal Knowledge in a Berber Community of the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco

This article compliments the S18 session (transmission of traditional ecological knowledge and conservation of medicinal plants) at the 13th International Congress of Ethnobiology (ISE) in Montpellier, France (May 2012). The aim of the article is to provide an insight into the livelihoods of a Berber community, a village of the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco, of the local biodiversity and most importantly, the prevalent use of medicinal plants for primary health care. It seeks to demonstrate the value of traditional ecological and herbal knowledge for the subsistence of the community and emphasises the vital role that family and community connections play for the transmission of traditional herbal knowledge within the community.     

Aromatic,Medicinal Plants and Vulnerability of Traditional Herbal Knowledge in a Berber Community of the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco

This article compliments the S18 session (transmission of traditional ecological knowledge and conservation of medicinal plants) at the 13th International Congress of Ethnobiology (ISE) in Montpellier, France (May 2012). The aim of the article is to provide an insight into the livelihoods of a Berber community, a village of the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco, of the local biodiversity and most importantly, the prevalent use of medicinal plants for primary health care. It seeks to demonstrate the value of traditional ecological and herbal knowledge for the subsistence of the community and emphasises the vital role that family and community connections play for the transmission of traditional herbal knowledge within the community.     

Nigella sativa L.: Uses in traditional and contemporary medicines – An overview

There are several wild and cultivated plants that offer excellent opportunities for being used as herbal and therapeutic agents. The identification of medicinal properties of plants and their effectiveness in treating diseases are important components in medicinal plant research and this can pave ways for further improvements in traditional drug use. Climatic conditions and phytogeography in Pakistan are ideal for naturally occurring diverse flora and managed cultivation of hundreds of plants of medicinal significance. Nigella sativa commonly known as the black seed is an important medicinal plant that has been widely used as a multipurpose medicinal agent in different countries since old times. The plant is abundantly cultivated in Pakistan for uses as condiment and medicines. It possesses important classes of bioactive compounds among which thymoquinone has attracted significant attention from the scientific community because of its active role in treating a diverse spectrum of diseases. The black seeds are used for reducing adverse effects of arthritis, asthma, inflammation, liver and gastro disorders besides their potential role in diabetes and cancers. The focus of this review is to highlight the medicinal significance of N. sativa in traditional medicine and opportunities for exploitation in contemporary medicine.     

湖南蓝山县端午药市的瑶药调查

中国南方一些少数民族地区民间“端午药市”流传至今,体现了民族医药的独具特色及其深远影响。为了解瑶族端午药市交易现状和发掘民族医药传统知识,采用民族植物学等方法对湖南省蓝山县端午药市进行调查,完成包括基原、地方名、药用部位、用途和用法、出现频度等内容的药用植物编目。结果表明:蓝山县端午药市药用植物种类丰富,共收集鉴定103科 222属262种,药用植物种类广泛分布于各科和各属中,其中种类较多的科有五加科(11种)、茜草科(11种)、菊科(11种)、百合科(10种)、唇形科(9种)、蝶形花科(8种)、芸香科(7种)。药市药浴植物畅销且种类多样,达94种,占总数的35.9%,体现瑶族在治疗疾病上以预防保健为主的理念。经统计药市上均未被国家药典和地方标准收录的药用植物有131种,占总数的50.2%,成为发掘新药源、新用途的潜在资源。对端午药市售药者年龄的调查发现,售药者的年龄主要集中在50～59岁间,占总人数的67%,40岁以下的仅占总人数的3%,可见民族药用传统知识的传承存在传承人老龄化、潜在传承人数量锐减的现象。此外,还对药市交易药用植物的种类组成和民族药用特色进行分析,探讨了端午药市对药用传统知识保护与传承的影响,并对蓝山端午药市的可持续发展提出了建议。     

Diversity of Medicinal Plants among Different Forest-use Types of the Pakistani Himalaya

Diversity of Medicinal Plants among Different Forest-use Types of the Pakistani Himalaya Medicinal plants collected in Himalayan forests play a vital role in the livelihoods of regional rural societies and are also increasingly recognized at the international level. However, these forests are being heavily transformed by logging. Here we ask how forest transformation influences the diversity and composition of medicinal plants in northwestern Pakistan, where we studied old-growth forests, forests degraded by logging, and regrowth forests. First, an approximate map indicating these forest types was established and then 15 study plots per forest type were randomly selected. We found a total of 59 medicinal plant species consisting of herbs and ferns, most of which occurred in the old-growth forest. Species number was lowest in forest degraded by logging and intermediate in regrowth forest. The most valuable economic species, including six Himalayan endemics, occurred almost exclusively in old-growth forest. Species composition and abundance of forest degraded by logging differed markedly from that of old-growth forest, while regrowth forest was more similar to old-growth forest. The density of medicinal plants positively correlated with tree canopy cover in old-growth forest and negatively in degraded forest, which indicates that species adapted to open conditions dominate in logged forest. Thus, old-growth forests are important as refuge for vulnerable endemics. Forest degraded by logging has the lowest diversity of relatively common medicinal plants. Forest regrowth may foster the reappearance of certain medicinal species valuable to local livelihoods and as such promote acceptance of forest expansion and medicinal plants conservation in the region.     

Use, exploitation and prospects for conservation: people and plant biodiversity of Naltar Valley, northwestern Karakorums, Pakistan

Very little research has been conducted in the Himalayan and Karakorum Highlands of northern Pakistan on the aspects of biodiversity and conservation. The present research was carried out within the scope of the Pakistan–German Research Project, Culture Area Karakorum which aims to highlight the Problems and Prospects of High-Mountain Research in northern Pakistan. Naltar Valley, IUCN Management Category no. 4, located in the western Karakorums, is a remote area with difficult access. The current venture is two-fold; first, it describes the floral biodiversity of this remote area in northern Pakistan and second, discusses its exploitation by various entities with certain management implications to follow. Collection of species, their preservation and dialogue with the local, rural communities offered information on the plant biodiversity, providing the first extensive list of flora at the primary-valley level including their altitude range, habit and month of occurrence. In total, 153 plant species belonging to 38 families and 113 genera have been recorded after extensive field research in the area. Dominance has been observed for Asteraceae, Polygonaceae, Saxifragaceae and Rosaceae. Twenty-four plant species from Naltar emerged as ethnobotanically important for local medicinal uses and some commercial uses. Indeed, Thymus serpyllum, Gentiana tianshanica, Stellaria graminea, Geranium wallichianum and Capparris spinosa are the most important medicinal plants and their demand has increased, leading to over-exploitation. Cedrus deodara has completely disappeared from Naltar and Willow Salix sp. has almost been eradicated, except in the sub-alpine belts. The diversity of plant species within this remote area is very important for its obvious contribution to a sound mountain ecosystem. Prior to the present venture, not much was known about the floral aspects of this mountainous region of northern Pakistan. Many species are new additions to the plant list in this area. The species are distributed within the altitude range of 1,700–4,000 m and above, and are further explored for their ethnobotanical uses. It is recorded that some species are extensively used by the indigenous communities, some plant collectors from the lowlands and foreigners as well. Extensive grazing, uprooting of plants and soil-slope erosion intensify the environmental problems. A few species are further used for curing diseases through direct usage or marketing in the lowlands. Unfortunately, due to minor local conflicts, the area has been given low priority for its inclusion in the development and conservation programmes going on in other parts of these mountains. On the other hand, hospitable populations have a greater potential for the success of conservation and the wise usage of programmes. Concerted efforts are required to broaden our understanding of the dynamics of floral values as well as local concepts in this remote part of the world, and to check species decline. For sustainable use, in situ and ex situ conservation, controlled harvesting and aforestation may be the solution. Further extensive field conservation/management research is needed.     

贵州凯里药市的侗族药用植物

凯里药市最初由当地少数民族自发组织,药市中不仅有大量的苗族传统药用植物,而且侗族传统药用植物十分丰富,为了掌握该药市侗族药用植物的现状,该研究运用民族植物学和植物分类学等方法于2014—2017年对凯里药市交易的侗族药用植物进行了6次详细调查。结果表明:该药市出售的侗族药用植物种类较多,共有65科100属111种,其中以广义百合科(Liliaceae)植物(6种,5.4%)为主,其次为伞形科(Umbelliferae)、菊科(Compositae)、天南星科(Araceae)植物(各5种,各占4.5%),再次为苦苣苔科(Gesneriaceae)植物(4种,3.6%)。从植物生活型来看,草本占有绝对优势,共有88种,占79.3%;用药部位具有多样化,但全草类药材占总数的一半。该研究还对药市中侗族和苗族交易的药用植物进行了比较分析,得出凯里药市交易的侗族药材具有独特的地域性和民族性,尤以治疗风湿关节、跌打损伤等常见疾病为主,并对凯里药市的可持续发展提出了建议。     

Quantitative ethnobotany of medicinal plants uses in the Jhelum valley,Azad Kashmir,Pakistan

Indigenous knowledge provides information on phytotherapeutic potential of medicinal plants for basic health care mangements in local communinites. The present study was aimed to document folklore knowledge of ethnic communities, who are practicing the herbal medicines in the Jhelum valley (District Hattian), Azad Kashmir, Pakistan. The information regarding folklore use of plants was collected from local communities through informed consent semi- structured interviews from 152 key informants. The ethnobotanical data were quantitatively analyzed using indices of use value (UV), relative frequency citation (RFC) and Informant census factor (ICF). A total of 113 medicinal plant species belong to 52 families were documented in the local communites of Jhelum Valley. The Asteraceae and Polygonaceae were the dominant plant families. The plant species hold potential folklore uses against hepatitis, stomach and respiratory problems, tooth ache, skin ailments and tumor treatment. The whole plants (32.52%), leaves ((21.14%)) were highly consumed plant parts and decoction (22.99%), powder form (18.39%) and infusion (13.79%) was the commonly used method for herbal formulation. The species with maximum use value was Beberis lyceum (0.80) and Valeriana jatamansi (0.60). The highest ICF value was obtained for disease catergories that is ear pain (1.00) followed by heaptic disorder (0.94) and urinary system disorders (0.89). The lowest ICF value was recored for nervous system disorders (0.44). The present study disclosed that traditional knowledge of medicinal plants is still widespread in ethnic people, but gradually decline in youngers. Documentation of newly documented plant species with their folklore uses shall uphold further phytochemical and pharmacological studies.     

云南高黎贡山怒族对植物传统利用的初步研究

采用民族生物学和文化人类学等方法,广泛调查和研究了云南西北部高黎贡山地区怒族对植物的传统利用形式。结果表明：怒族对植物的传统利用主要表现在食用、药用、观赏、宗教祟拜和文化利用等方面。讨论了怒族的传统文化在当地植物多样性利用和管理中的作用和意义,并探讨了在植物多样性管理中传统管理和现代管理之间的关系以及在我国利用文化多样性进行自然生态环境保护的可能性、必要性和可行性。此外,面对优秀的传统文化知识和文化多样性逐渐消失的现实,作者建议加以拯救和广泛的研究。     

Unsustainable collection and unfair trade? Uncovering and assessing assumptions regarding Central Himalayan medicinal plant conservation

The trade in medicinal plants for herbal remedies is large and probably increasing. The trade has attracted the attention of scientists and development planners interested in the impact on plant populations and the potential to improve rural livelihoods through community based management and conservation. This has resulted in a large number of publications and development activities, ranging from small NGO projects to new government policies. Through a review of 119 references from Nepal, 4 common assumptions regarding the medicinal plant collection and trade have been identified: I. The commercial medicinal plant resource base is becoming ever more degraded as a consequence of collection; II. The medicinal plants are an open-access resource; III. Cultivation can contribute to conservation of commercially collected medicinal plant species; and IV. Medicinal plant harvesters are cheated by middlemen. The frequency of the assumptions is documented, their empirical support is evaluated, and the consequences of their presence for conservation and rural livelihoods are discussed. It is concluded that the empirical backing for the assumptions is weak, and that some reviewed references use logically flawed argumentation. It is argued that the assumptions are leading to misguided conservation efforts, and an inclusive approach to conservation of commercial central Himalayan medicinal plant species is briefly outlined. Electronic Supplementary Material Supplementary material is available in the online version of this article at and is accessible for authorized users.     

Ecological Characteristics of Plants of Harboi Rangeland, Kalat, Pakistan

The Harboi rangeland, Kalat, Pakistan, covers an area of 22 351 hectares and it lies between 29°N and 66°45' to 67°E. It was declared as Protected Forest since January 1967 (Fig.1). The study area has rugged mountainous limestone and conglomerates with many small valleys and dry ravines. The altitude varies from 2 900 to 3 300 m. The area is under heavy grazing and human pressure due to lopping and uprooting of plants for fuel, forage and medicinal purposes. The climate is of dry tempe…     

Small ruminant feed systems: perceptions and practices in the transitional zone of Ghana

Background

Medicinal plants are used by 80% of people from developing countries to fulfill their primary health needs, occupying a key position on plant research and medicine. Taking into account that, besides their pharmaceutical importance, these plants contribute greatly to ecosystems' stability, a continuous documentation and preservation of traditional knowledge is a priority. The objective of this study was to organize a database of medicinal plants including their applications and associated procedures in Canhane village, district of Massingir, province of Gaza, Mozambique.

Methods

In order to gather information about indigenous medicinal plants and to maximize the collection of local knowledge, eleven informants were selected taking into account the dimension of the site and the fact that the vegetation presents a great homogeneity. The data were collected through intensive structured and semi-structured interviews performed during field research. Taxonomical identification of plant species was based on field observations and herbarium collections.

Results

A total of 53 plant species have been reported, which were used to treat 50 different human health problems. More than half of the species were used for stomach and intestine related disturbances (including major diseases such as diarrhea and dysentery). Additionally, four species with therapeutic applications were reported for the first time, whose potential can further be exploited. The great majority of the identified species was also associated with beliefs and myths and/or used as food. In general, the community was conscientious and motivated about conservational issues and has adopted measures for the rational use of medicinal plants.

Conclusions

The ethnomedicinal use of plant species was documented in the Canhane village. The local community had a rich ethnobotanical knowledge and adopted sound management conservation practices. The data compiled in this study show the social importance of the surveyed plants being a contribution to the documentation of PGR at the national and regional level.     

Eat your orchid and have it too: a potentially new conservation formula for Chinese epiphytic medicinal orchids

About a quarter of Chinese wild orchid species are used in traditional medicine or as health food supplements. The market demand for some species, such as those in the epiphytic genus Dendrobium, has diminished many wild populations to local extinction or dangerously small numbers. Conservation of these heavily exploited orchids currently relies on a two-pronged approach: establishing nature reserves and encouraging massive commercial cultivation in artificial settings. We argue that these measures are not sufficient to restore or maintain healthy wild populations, and augmentation and reintroduction of these species in natural forests are needed. We argue for an unconventional reintroduction approach, in which populations planted in natural forests are allowed to be sustainably harvested (restoration-friendly cultivation). Because Dendrobium orchids are epiphytic, restoration-friendly cultivation of these species will not be at the expenses of other native plants. In addition, market premiums on wild-collected medicinal plants will generate incentives for farmers who participate in restoration-friendly cultivation to preserve natural forests. With proper policy and oversight, the restoration-friendly cultivation of medicinal Dendrobium orchids will facilitate the conservation of these threatened species, encourage protection of natural forests, and benefit marginalized rural communities. Adding this restoration-friendly cultivation into the current mix of conservation approaches has the potential to turn deeply-entrenched traditional uses of orchids from a conservation challenge to a conservation success.     

Evaluation of mycotoxins,mycobiota, and toxigenic fungi in selected medicinal plants of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,Pakistan

Medicinal plants are used worldwide to treat a variety of ailments. Due to the provenance of medicinal plants, they are subjected to contamination by moulds, which may be responsible for spoilage and production of mycotoxins. The investigation was designed to throw light on mycological and mycotoxicological status of some medicinal plants from Pakistan and the result showed 30 % and 26.7 % samples were contaminated with aflatoxins and ochratoxin A, respectively. Mould contamination was present in 90 % samples, of which 70 % exceeded the permissible limits. Opium poppy, licorice root, and Indian rennet were most contaminated samples. The predominant moulds found were Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus parasiticus, and Penicillium spp. and 31 % of the 47 isolates tested were found to be toxigenic. The findings indicate that the contamination in the medicinal plants may contribute to adverse human health problems. This information would prove helpful for regulatory agencies to establish limits for these contaminants in medicinal plants and will explore ways for export of herbal products to countries where more stringent permissible limits of mycotoxins exist. The study is first of its kind in the country reporting natural occurrence of mycotoxins in medicinal plants in Pakistan.     

Yao herbal medicinal market during the Dragon Boat Festival in Jianghua County,China

Background

The traditional medicinal markets held during the Dragon Boat Festival are common and important in China’s countryside. In Jianghua, a Yao autonomous county in Hunan Province in China, the medicinal market also plays an important role for the application, conservation, and communication of traditional Yao medicinal knowledge.

Methods

During the Dragon Boat Festival in 2016 and 2017, ethnobotanical surveys and inventories were conducted in the medicinal market of Jianghua County, and voucher plant specimens were collected, identified, and deposited in a herbarium. Quantitative analysis included measurement of frequency of occurrence for species in the marketplace and the relative importance index for the number of uses for a given species.

Results

A total of 306 plant species (249 genera, 113 families) and their related information about the medicinal market were collected. Some major findings include the following: (1) Using the whole plant as medicine is more common than other medicinal plant parts; (2) treating rheumatism and clearing inner heat are the most frequent medicinal uses; and (3) taking a medicinal bath is the most frequent modality to administer the traditional medicine. The frequency of occurrence and the relative importance index of some medicinal plants were analyzed, as well as the demographics and the number of stalls and the status of traditional Yao medicinal knowledge in Jianghua. Based on the investigation, suggestions were proposed for better protecting the medicinal market and preserving traditional medicinal knowledge in Jianghua County.

Conclusion

The medicinal market during the Dragon Boat Festival in Jianghua County possesses an important cultural value and helps to conserve the traditional Yao medicinal knowledge. The medicinal plants sold at the market showed great diversity and unique local characteristics. The medicinal market is facing some challenges in such a rapidly developing era. Cultivation of young healers and maintaining the local biodiversity might be the key solutions for the development of local medicinal market and local Yao medicinal knowledge.

     

Could EU herbal monographs contribute to Malta’s treatment armamentarium?

Ten years have passed since Directive 2004/24/EC regulating herbal medicinal products across the EU were published. The directive created the Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products within the European Medicines Agency whose remit includes the creation and publishing of official EU monographs on herbal medicinal products. These monographs include the official uses of the products and their evidence for efficacy and safety. To this effect, we are interested in analysing the potential impact herbal product EU monographs could have on the therapeutic treatment options available for prescribers in Malta. Therefore our aim was two-fold. First, to rationalise the spread of indications of the herbal substances listed in the community herbal monograph inventory and subsequently determine if these herbal substances could potentially contribute to the treatment options available in our local scenario (Malta). 128 EU monographs were analysed resulting in a total of 230 indications which subsequently codified into 42 unique ATC codes. The Malta Medicines List contains 1456 unique ATC codes. Comparative analysis of the Malta Medicines List revealed that the 21 therapeutic areas had 4 or less pharmaceutically used substances (5th level ATC codes) registered and therefore in our opinion are areas with limited therapeutic choice. The following 4 therapeutic areas, A05 bile and liver therapy, A13 tonics, A15 appetite stimulants and D03 preparations for treatment of wounds and ulcers, could potentially benefit from the registration of herbal medicinal products according to the EU herbal monographs. If such registration is effected the aforementioned areas would no longer be considered limited because more than 4 therapeutic choices would be available to prescribers. This study is the first study across the EU to analyse the potential impact of published EU herbal monographs on therapeutic coverage in an EU member state and confirms the notion that herbal products could potentially increase the treatment options available in areas where few medical products have been registered due to Malta's small market size.