Diversity and Traditional Knowledge of Textile Dyeing Plants in Northeastern Thailand

The objective of this study was to document the traditional knowledge of plants used for textile dyeing by the Tai-Lao ethnic group in Roi Et province in northeastern Thailand. Traditional knowledge of plants used for textile dyeing is disappearing because of modernization including new lifestyles, urbanization, and the introduction of synthetic colors. Textile dyeing with local plants, however, is experiencing a revival connected to ecotourism and global interest in natural products. To exploit that potential, it is important to preserve the local knowledge related to textile dyeing. We interviewed 60 Tai-Lao informants in 15 villages and 9 districts about their dyeing traditions and the species used through individual semi-structured and focus groups interviews. A total of 56 species in 50 genera and 31 families were used for dyeing cotton and silks; most species belonged to Fabaceae (11 spp., 19%) and Anacardiaceae (5 spp., 9%). Trees (36 spp., 65%) were the best represented life form among the dye plants, followed by shrubs and herbs (8 spp., 16% each), and climbers (4 spp., 7%). Bark was the plant part most commonly used for dyeing (25 spp., 42%) followed by leaves (12 spp., 20%), and fruits (9 spp., 15%). Home gardens were the most common habitat of dye plant (30 spp., 53%) followed by community forests (16 spp., 28%). Indigofera tinctoria L. and Pterocarpus indicus Willd. were the most important dye plant species of the Tai-Lao ethnic group as demonstrated by their high use value index (UV = 0.60). Blue/indigo-blue was the color most informants had common knowledge about with an informant consensus factor (ICF) of 0.92 followed by black with ICF = 0.84. Ten different colors were obtained from the 56 plant species. Brown/pale-brown/golden-brown was the color obtained from most dye plant species (14 spp., 25%) followed by green/pale-green/dark-green (13 spp., 23%). Nine different kinds of mordants were used in the dyeing, including alum, chrome (potassium dichromate; K₂Cr₂O₇), copper sulfate (CuSO₄), iron oxide (Fe₂O₃), tamarind juice (tartaric acid), salt (NaCl), lime (calcium oxide; CaO), ash (potassium hydroxide; KOH), and mud. Among the 56 species used for textile dyeing, three are on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, including: Dipterocarpus alatus Roxb. & G.Don, Dipterocarpus obtusifolius Teijsm. ex Miq., and Pterocarpus indicus Willd. Documenting these and other species used for textile dyeing will provide additional arguments for their conservation. It will also help to secure the reappearing tradition of textile dyeing with local plants, and hence support the cultural integrity of the Tai-Lao communities, and serve as an example for other communities in Thailand and elsewhere for preserving their traditional knowledge.     

Cross-cultural Comparison of Medicinal Plants Used to Treat Infections in Northern Thailand

Economic Botany - Drug resistance in pathogenic microorganisms threatens both human and animal health. This has prompted the search for new antimicrobial drugs, including the ones from...     

苹果蓟属,东南亚大陆菊科一新归化属

该文报道了在泰国北部和中国西南部的菊科一个新归化属——苹果蓟属(Centratherum Cass.)。依据所采集的标本,详细描述了该属在东南亚大陆的唯一代表亚种苹果蓟 [Centratherum punctatum Cass. Subsp. fruticosum(S. Vidal)K. Kirkman ex Shih H. Chen, M. J. Wu & S. M. Li],并配以插图。苹果蓟与其所在属的其他种的区别在于该亚种叶片菱形至椭圆形,叶缘具不规则锯齿,先端微尖,总苞片基部硬化,先端无芒。文中还提供了苹果蓟的分布图,并讨论了其可能的传播途径。     

Karen Homegardens: Characteristics,Functions, and Species Diversity

Diversity is one of the most important traits of homegardens and contributes to maintaining their functions. Here, we investigated the diversity, characteristics, and functions of 75 Karen homegardens from four villages in Chiang Mai and Tak provinces in northern Thailand. In each homegarden, all used plant species were registered and classified according to their main use. The diversity and richness in each homegarden was estimated and the stratification of plants in horizontal zones was investigated. A total 268 plant species were recorded, ranging from 100 to 146 species in each of the four villages. These plants were mostly kept in the homegarden yard or along their boundaries. The most common species were mango (Mangifera indica L.), jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam.), guava (Psidium guajava L.), and taro Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott. Besides these species, most plants differed from one village to another. Distance between the homegardens was important; homegardens in the same village were more similar than those in different villages. However, beyond the individual level, the distances alone could not be used to determine similarity. Despite the variation of species found in homegardens, the function and horizontal stratification of the Karen homegardens shared many traits. They satisfied both physical and aesthetic needs to the Karen people as witnessed by the high proportion of food and ornamental species. The reverse effects of urbanization (we used the distance from the nearest urban area as a proxy) on the diversity of ornamental species was also observed. In general, Karen homegardens had high richness and diversity which directly benefited the conservation of plant species. This diversity promotes food security at the household and community levels.     

Ethnochemometric of plants traditionally utilised as local detergents in the forest dependent culture

The purpose of this study is to access the existing awareness of nearly forgotten Thai detergent plants by the use of chemometrics tool. A Northern Thai forest dependent community was chosen as it played vital role on knowledge retaining of plant utilisations. For initial perception, ethnobotanical survey was conducted to determine usage of plants by the community. Then the utilised plant parts were screened for phytochemicals and their relationships with the defined cleansing terms (viz., shampoo, scrub, detergent, soap, scent and spiritual) were analysed by Principal Component Analysis (PCA). From the results, the most cited plants as known, used and found were Acacia concinna, Clitoria ternetea, Oryza sativa and Citrus hystrix. Biometric analyses advised that knowledge of detergent plant utilisation was well preserved at all age ranges and it was not variable with genders. Cluster analysis described that term ‘spiritual’ was not narrated with cleansing properties. For phytochemical analysis, plant extracts showed positive variable of bioactive ingredients and the main compounds in the extracts was saponins. These findings confirmed that the knowledge of indigenous plant utilisation was reserved by the forest dependent community and the information is beneficial toward local plant conservation movement.