Medicinal Plants of Nicaragua’s Atlantic Coast

This article presents the results of an investigation concerning the use of medicinal plants by the people of Nicaragua’s Atlantic Coast. Participant observation during parts of the years 1986–1991 was complemented by a five-community, 809-household survey in 1990 and a ten-community botanical collection in 1991. This research is the first to attempt to document the diversity and prevalence of medicinal plant use for this region. The appendix lists 152 plants, along with common names, number and ethnicity of informants, and medicinal uses.     

澜沧药用植物资源研究

澜沧药用植物资源丰富。民族民间具有利用当地植物来防病治病的传统实践。本文选取澜沧县文东乡、东回乡、酒井乡作为调查研究对象,应用关键人物访谈、自由列举、参与式调查和相关文献查询等方法,对澜沧县各民族传统使用的药用植物资源进行调查研究。共收集到58种药用植物,分属35科55属,记录了58种药用植物中文名、拉丁名、药用部位、加工方法、主治（功效）等。分析了当地药用植物利用的知识和地方特点。     

中国药用真菌名录及部分名称的修订

近年来,我国对药用真菌的研究和利用越来越重视,相关报道逐年增加。针对有些种类鉴定有误、拉丁学名使用没有严格遵守最新国际植物命名法规、命名人缩写不规范等问题,作者系统考证了我国药用真菌的名称,共收录473种,对每种名称按新近的研究成果和最新命名法规(维也纳法规)进行了订正,对过去的错误报道或不存在的名称进行了修正,将曾报道的、但应作为其他种的同物异名者列在其正名之后,所有名称定名人的缩写全部按国际植物命名法规的要求加以规范化。每种名称之后还列举了该种的主要药用功能或价值,并引证了主要参考文献。     

我国石豆兰属药用植物资源及其保护

描述了石豆兰属15种野生药用植物的分布及其生物学特性、资源现状、药用价值等。石豆兰属药用植物是我国民间常用的中草药,主要分布于我国的华南、西南地区,其中云南、广东、广西分布较多,云南最多,有12种,占我国野生石豆兰属药用资源的80％。不同的种类在各地的资源蕴藏量不同,广东石豆兰、密花石豆兰在广东、广西常见,芳香石豆兰在广东常见。近年来,石豆兰的野生资源被当作药材和观赏花卉遭到滥采乱挖,受到不同程度的破坏。对如何保护与合理利用石豆兰属药用植物资源提出了建议。     

Medicinal plants used by women in Mecca: urban,Muslim and gendered knowledge

Background

This study explores medicinal plant knowledge and use among Muslim women in the city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Ethnobotanical research in the region has focused on rural populations and male herbal healers in cities, and based on these few studies, it is suggested that medicinal plant knowledge may be eroding. Here, we document lay, female knowledge of medicinal plants in an urban centre, interpreting findings in the light of the growing field of urban ethnobotany and gendered knowledge and in an Islamic context.

Methods

Free-listing, structured and semi-structured interviews were used to document the extent of medicinal plant knowledge among 32 Meccan women. Vernacular names, modes of preparation and application, intended therapeutic use and emic toxicological remarks were recorded. Women were asked where they learnt about medicinal plants and if and when they preferred using medicinal plants over biomedical resources. Prior informed consent was always obtained. We compared the list of medicinal plants used by these Meccan women with medicinal plants previously documented in published literature.

Results

One hundred eighteen vernacular names were collected, corresponding to approximately 110 plants, including one algae. Of these, 95 were identified at the species level and 39 (41%) had not been previously cited in Saudi Arabian medicinal plant literature. Almost one half of the plants cited are food and flavouring plants. Meccan women interviewed learn about medicinal plants from their social network, mass media and written sources, and combine biomedical and medicinal plant health care. However, younger women more often prefer biomedical resources and learn from written sources and mass media.

Conclusions

The fairly small number of interviews conducted in this study was sufficient to reveal the singular body of medicinal plant knowledge held by women in Mecca and applied to treat common ailments. Plant availability in local shops and markets and inclusion in religious texts seem to shape the botanical diversity used by the Meccan women interviewed, and the use of foods and spices medicinally could be a global feature of urban ethnobotany. Ethnobotanical knowledge among women in Islamic communities may be changing due to access to mass media and biomedicine. We recognise the lack of documentation of the diversity of medicinal plant knowledge in the Arabian Peninsula and an opportunity to better understand gendered urban and rural knowledge.

     

Quantifying Medicinal Plant Knowledge among Non–Specialist Antanosy Villagers in Southern Madagascar

Quantifying Medicinal Plant Knowledge among Non–Specialist Antanosy Villagers in Southern Madagascar. Medicinal plant knowledge among non–specialist Antanosy villagers of southeastern Madagascar was investigated in a two–stage study. First, free–listing was used to collect the names of medicinal plants most familiar to local people. Data were organized by habitat and frequency into a short list of the 42 most frequently listed plants by habitat. A second group of interviewees were asked to name health conditions that could be treated with plants on the short list. Age, gender, and dwelling proximity to the forest were tested across the general habitat in which medicinal plants were found: in or near the village, in disturbed buffer areas between the village and the forest, or in the forest itself. Neither age nor gender was significant in free–listing. Naming health conditions treated with specific plants showed that knowledge increases with age and that for all but the oldest age group, women knew more plant uses than men. Women knew more plants from the village and buffer areas, and fewer from the forest than men. The proximity of the home to the forest had no influence on medicinal plant knowledge. The non–specialists interviewed named an average of 14 medicinal plants and most knew an average of 37 uses for 9 of the 42 most common medicinal plants. The most common conditions for people knew of plant treatments were stomach ache, babies’ fevers, and several unlisted conditions. Both exotic and endemic plant species were known to the non–specialists indicating that medicinal plant knowledge is being sustained and adapted to changes affecting both the people and their environment.     

Ethnobotanical aspects of some taxa in east Anatolia, Turkey

This paper presents a list of some medicinal plants distributed in the East Anatolia region. The list was prepared during an ethnobotanical survey of the region from 1995 to 2002. East Anatolia has a rich flora due to its variable climate and its many ecological zones. This diversity in flora provides a rich source of medicinal plants that has been long utilized by Anatolian cultures; and hence, accounts for the remarkable accumulation of medicinal folk knowledge for the region. This paper provides information about 71 useful plants grown in the region, 20 of which are reported for the first time. In addition to the scientific names, vernacular names and medicinal uses are given for each plant.     

Notes about the uses of plants by one of the last healers in the Basilicata Region (South Italy)

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: The paper refers to the knowledge and uses of plants and to the linked ritual practices as referred by Matteo (It.'Zi Matteo', En. 'Uncle Matthew'), one of the last elder healers in the Basilicata Region (South Italy). Particular attention is also paid to the uses of 'Vruca' (Tamarix gallica L.) as a medicinal and magical plant used to heal common warts on various parts of the body. METHODS: After obtaining prior informed consent, we collected data through an open interview about the uses of the plants and on the associated ritual practices. For each species, data were collected that included the vernacular names, preparation, plant parts utilized and their method of use. RESULTS: The uses of 52 taxa are described. Among these, 43 are or were employed medicinally, eight as culinary foodstuffs, and 4 for domestic, handicraft or ethnoveterinary uses. Among the major findings: the ritual and magical use of Tamarix gallica L. to heal warts is described in detail; so far, no records of similar use were found in any Italian ethnobotanical studies conducted in southern Italy. CONCLUSION: Phytotherapy in the Basilicata region is practiced by elderly people who resort to medicinal plants for mild illnesses; we interviewed one of those traditional healers who is very experienced in the field, and possesses rich ethno-pharmacological knowledge.     

Ethnobotanical Survey on Traditional Knowledge of Hodgsonia macrocarpa,Xishuangbanna, SW China

Hodgsonia macrocarpa, commonly known as lardfruit, is a perennial woody vine belongs to family Cucurbitaceae. Since the food value of its kernel was reported in the early 20th century, increasing studies have been focused on the introduction and cultivation of the wild populations and chemical analysis of the edible kernel oils. While its ethnobotanical details about local nomenclaetures, gathering techniques, form of consumption and folk resouce management are left unclear. In this study we collected these ethnobotanical data from 8 ethnic groups by conducting field survey in 23 ethnic villages in Xishuangbana. Methods including key informants interview and group discussion were used for recording the traditional medicinal and culinary knowledge of lardfruit. The results show an unexpected diversity of their folk names, which indicate the long history of folk uses. The baked edible kernel is favored by all the 8 ethnic groups. The root, stem, leaf, fruit and seed are widely used as herbal medicine for the treatment of intestinal diseases and skin ailments. The diverse folk names and multiple medicinal uses practice among different ethnic groups indicate that they exploited this plant resource in various perspectives for culture, economic and social reasons.     

Ethnomedicine in Tonga

Local medical practices in this Pacific archipelago are reviewed, the folk taxonomy and medicinal uses of 71 plants are discussed, and the medicinal applications of each species in some other regions of the Pacific are enumerated. Included are the plant parts used, Tongan names, the illnesses, and the preparations of the remedies.     

油瓜的民族植物学研究

油瓜Hodgsonia macrocarpa,葫芦科多年生木质藤本植物。自20世纪初其食用价值被发现以来,各国科学家对其油脂组成、栽培利用进行了广泛研究。而油瓜的民族植物学系统研究则鲜为报道。本文运用关键人物访谈、小组讨论等民族植物学方法对油瓜的传统知识进行深入调查。本研究对西双版纳地区23个村寨的8个民族进行多次野外调查,记录民间传统利用数据,采集凭证标本。调查结果显示,油瓜的民族民间名多样;烤熟后的种仁被各民族所喜食;油瓜的根、茎、叶、果皮、种仁均可入药,主要用于肠道类疾病与皮肤类疾病的治疗。当地名称的多样性反映了各民族认识油瓜角度的差异,各民族间在油瓜食用知识方面较为一致,在药用知识上具在一定的差异。     

Notes on some medicinal plants of Fiji

The uses of 26 medicinal plants found in Namosi Village, Viti Levu are listed. Included are the plant parts used, Namosi names, the illnesses, and the preparations of the remedies.     

Ethnobotanical plant uses in the KwaNibela Peninsula, St Lucia, South Africa

Ethnobotanical field studies were conducted for the first time in the KwaNibela Peninsula of southern Maputaland, KwaZulu-Natal, to document indigenous knowledge about useful plants. The vernacular names and uses of 82 plant species were recorded and compared to published Zulu and Swazi knowledge. Medicines for skin disorders, toothache, wounds, worms, chest and throat ailments, infertility and purgatives are still commonly used. Superstition and divination play a major role in the traditional knowledge system of the people of KwaNibela with 24 plants used for this purpose. Three KwaNibela medicinal plants (Erythroxylum delagoense, Putterlickia verrucosa, and Teclea natalensis) appear to be new records, not previously reported in the general scientific literature. The list also includes 61 novel uses of plants and another 15 new variations on known (published) uses. Ten previously unpublished vernacular names are presented, together with an additional 19 new variants of known names. These new additions to the scientific literature confirm that indigenous knowledge in KwaZulu-Natal is not yet completely recorded.     

植物学与中草药物研究

植物学和医药在科学启蒙时期是合而不分的。东西文化相同。中国古代本草(ancient Chinese materia medica),欧洲中世纪的药物书籍(European medieval herbals),共同证明这件史实。欧洲17—18世纪经典的植物著述,是那个时代医生们业余的工作成果;19世纪亚洲美洲的植物志,以及植物地理知识,基本上是舍弃医药职业从事植物研究之先锋植物学家的成绩。现代植物学知识和方法,更是研究中草药不能缺少而且不可忽略的基础。试举三例说明,职业植物学家如何以正确鉴定和合法命名,解决国际间药物交流问题,并怎样以植物解剖知识澄清药材商品素质混乱情形。凡是能力强工作负责的药用植物学家,都是热心的环境保护者,因为他们工作的地方,既是标本馆实验室,又是野外的大自然;他们确知,自然没有任何取之不尽用之不竭的资源,更没有丰富的药物资源。加之以人们无情地挖掘,任意地采集,无数有药用价值的植物,己遭到不可挽救的毁灭,绝了种!有的也接近灭绝的危运。再看未来,植物学家除了研究植物本体之外,更加上唤起民众爱惜自然植被保护环境的重要职责,并且筛选有利于人畜保健的植物,逐一研究其生境与其成活的环境条件,和农业科学家合作引种驯化,以达成合理利用中草药植物资源的要求。     

贵州毕节地区端午药市的民族药用植物资源研究

对贵州省毕节地区端午节的传统药市进行了初步的民族植物学调查。毕节地区的端午药市出售药物种类繁多,经过2008年至2012年5次的调查,共记录了250多种植物药,其中鉴定整理的药用植物有131种,隶属于55科121属;此文对131种药用植物进行了编目,包括名称、药用部位、用途和用法。此外,还对毕节地区端午药市的可持续发展提出了建议。     

广东惠东莲花山白盆珠药用植物资源分析

通过实地调查和文献查证,确证广东惠东莲花山白盆珠自然保护区内共有940种(含变种)药用植物,隶属于188科578属,包括蕨类植物66种、裸子植物16种和被子植物858种。对区内药用植物习性特点、药用部位和优势科的分析表明,药用植物功能类型以清热解毒为主,占21.56%;珍稀保护植物23种,包括15种兰科植物;莲花山白盆珠药用植物种数比面积为0.07,与邻近的象头山相近,低于鼎湖山、南昆山和罗浮山。此外,文中列出了区内具有较好应用前景的常见药用植物种类及其药用功能和自然生境。     

Asháninka medicinal plants: a case study from the native community of Bajo Quimiriki, Junín, Peru

Background

The Asháninka Native Community Bajo Quimiriki, District Pichanaki, Junín, Peru, is located only 4 km from a larger urban area and is dissected by a major road. Therefore the loss of traditional knowledge is a main concern of the local headman and inhabitants. The present study assesses the state of traditional medicinal plant knowledge in the community and compares the local pharmacopoeia with the one from a related ethnic group.

Methods

Fieldwork was conducted between July and September 2007. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, collection of medicinal plants in the homegardens, forest walks, a walk along the river banks, participant observation, informal conversation, cross check through voucher specimens and a focus group interview with children.

Results

Four-hundred and two medicinal plants, mainly herbs, were indicated by the informants. The most important families in terms of taxa were Asteraceae, Araceae, Rubiaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Solanaceae and Piperaceae. Eighty-four percent of the medicinal plants were wild and 63% were collected from the forest. Exotics accounted to only 2% of the medicinal plants. Problems related to the dermal system, digestive system, and cultural belief system represented 57% of all the medicinal applications. Some traditional healers received non-indigenous customers, using their knowledge as a source of income. Age and gender were significantly correlated to medicinal plant knowledge. Children knew the medicinal plants almost exclusively by their Spanish names. Sixteen percent of the medicinal plants found in this community were also reported among the Yanesha of the Pasco Region.

Conclusions

Despite the vicinity to a city, knowledge on medicinal plants and cultural beliefs are still abundant in this Asháninka Native Community and the medicinal plants are still available in the surroundings. Nevertheless, the use of Spanish names for the medicinal plants and the shift of healing practices towards a source of income with mainly non-indigenous customers, are signs of acculturation. Future studies on quantification of the use of medicinal plants, dynamics of transmission of ethno-medicinal knowledge to the young generations and comparison with available pharmacological data on the most promising medicinal plants are suggested.