Herbs for medicinal baths among the traditional Yao communities of China

Medicinal baths are an important traditional way to prevent and cure common diseases among the traditional Yao communities of Jinping County, Yunnan Province, SW China. Approaches of anthropology, ethnobotany, and participatory rural appraisal (PRA) were used to investigate the herbs used for medicinal baths; and 110 medicinal plant species were found to be used by local people to treat a variety of diseases, such as rheumatic diseases, skin diseases, injuries from falls and gynecopathia. Of these 110 species, 6 (5%) had not been previously identified as having medicinal properties, while 87 (79%) were newly recorded for their use in medicinal baths. These new ethnobotanical and medicinal records are a rich source of further phytochemical, pharmacological, and clinical studies on folk herbs in SW China.     

Ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants used by Hakka in Guangdong, China

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: An ethnobotanical survey was conducted to collect information on the use of medicinal plants by the Hakka living in Guangdong. AIM OF THE STUDY: This investigation was to document valuable knowledge represented by Hakka herbal medicine. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Information was obtained from semi-structured interviews, personal conversations with practitioners, direct observations, and by reviewing studies of Hakka and Cantonese reported in the literature. RESULTS: Our data covered 94 species belonging to 77 genera in 40 families. We found that most species used for medical purposes were for hepatitis (14 species) and skin diseases (12 species). These disorders are prevalent and are primarily treated with medicinal plants. For treatment, the plants were mainly used as teas (Luica, Bugingca and Lopêdca), medicinal baths and soups. The Hakka and non-Hakka people living in Guangdong use different medicinal plants and, in some cases, use the same medicinal plants differently. CONCLUSIONS: The fast disappearance of traditional culture and natural resources due to urbanization and industrialization suggests that unrecorded information may be lost forever. Thus, there is an urgent need both to record this valuable Hakka medicinal knowledge and to encourage its transfer to the next generation.     

Traditional knowledge on medicinal plant of the Karen in northern Thailand: A comparative study

Ethnopharmacological relevance

We studied traditional medicinal plant knowledge among the Karen in northern Thailand.

Aim of the study

To compare traditional medicinal knowledge in 14 Karen villages in northern Thailand and determine culturally important medicinal plant species in each Karen village.

Materials and methods

We interviewed 14 key informants and 438 non-specialist informants about their traditional knowledge of medicinal plants. We tested normality of the data and correlations with distance to the nearest city using Kolmogorov–Smirnov tests and Spearman's rank correlation coefficient. Cluster analysis and cultural importance index (CI) were calculated for the similarity of medicinal plant used and culturally importance medicinal plant species among Karen villages respectively.

Results

In total 379 medicinal plant species were used. Number of medicinal plants used positively correlate with distance to the nearest city. Relatively low similarities of medicinal plant species and different CI values for species among the different areas were found.

Conclusions

Traditional medicinal plants still play an important role in medicinal practice of the Karen. Local environments, availability of medicinal plant and distance between Karen villages and the nearest city affect the amount of traditional medicinal knowledge in each Karen village. The medicinal plants in this study with high CI values might give some useful leads for further biomedical research.     

峨边黑竹沟药用植物资源及可持续利用的研究

目的：查明峨边黑竹沟的药用植物资源,提出可持续利用的原则与措施。方法：实地调查、样方测定及访问评估、标本鉴定与统计分析。结果：阐明了药物资源概况,３ 个物种的确切新疗效,７ 个优势资源物种的分布与藏量域值,１ 种植物农药资源的预示结果与开发前景,３ 种适宜在黑竹沟大量繁育的重要药物的种类提出依据与市场需求景况,７ 种珍稀、濒危药用植物种质资源的种类与分布等。结论：该区共有药用植物约１ ５００ 余种,其中常用中药原植物３００ 余种,民间习用草药或重要原料药原植物约１ ２００ 种;遵循生态经济原则以优势资源开发为主导实行综合性开发;依据生态适宜性原则,培育紧俏药物;采取措施,有效保护珍稀濒危药用植物;利用新资源可望开发出多种药物新产品。     

Plant genetic resources and traditional knowledge on medicinal use of wild shrub and herbaceous plant species in the Etna Regional Park (Eastern Sicily,Italy)

Ethnopharmacological relevance

This paper illustrates the results of a study carried out in the Etna Regional Park (Eastern Sicily, Italy) concerning the traditional knowledge on medicinal use of wild plant species. It contains the results of a quantitative analysis carried out for the first time. A total of 71 wild species are used for medicinal purposes. Two species, Astracantha sicula (Biv.) Greuter and Trifolium phleoides Willd., are little known as medicinal in the Mediterranean area. The main aim of the study was to understand to what extent current knowledge on the medicinal use of plants is still an element of the culture within the elderly population of the Etna Regional Park. A further aim was to identify species not previously reported as medicinal in the Mediterranean area with a potential agricultural interest.

Methodology

The information was obtained using a semi-structured interview format performed on a sample of 196 people over the age of 60 who were considered experts in rural traditions. The plant uses were compared with other medical-ethnobotanical studies carried out in other areas of Sicily, Italy and various other Mediterranean countries. A number of quantitative indices were also used in order to verify the incidence of the species cited in the study within the culture and traditional medicine.

Results

Local communities currently use a total number of 71 wild species (34 families) as remedies for medicinal purposes. Most of the species were used as treatments against metabolic disorders and for general health. The leaves and the aerial parts of plants are the most-used parts of the plant and the most common preparation methods are decoction and direct application of plant parts. Astracantha sicula and Trifolium phleoides have never been documented as a species with medicinal properties in the Mediterranean literature.

Conclusions

Only very few medicinal uses are widely known by all the informants and, on many occasions, a specific medicinal use is cited by only very few people. The quantitative analysis shows that the level of traditional knowledge on medicinal use of plants in the study area is poor, highlighting a considerably advanced state of cultural erosion.     

Ethnobotanical studies on medicinal plants used by the red-headed yao people in Jinping, Yunnan Province, China

Sixty-six medicinal plant species traditionally collected and used by the Red-headed Yao people in Jinping county, Yunnan Province, SW China, were investigated and studied through the approaches of ethnobotany, anthropology and participatory rural appraisal (PRA). Among these plants, 27 species were recorded to have medicinal values for the first time recorded in literature, 23 species were found to have different medicinal functions from those recorded in the literature. Many medicinal herbs are simultaneously wild food plants. The local Yao people take medicinal baths on some special days very common to treat and prevent diseases. The Red-headed Yao medicinal herb doctors have conserved medicinal plants and their habitats over the years. Most of the folk healers are old women, who are concerned about passing on their secrets to the younger generation. They fear that the younger generations have not learned enough about the herbal traditions to keep the practice going. The authors suggest that plants used by the Red-headed Yao people need to be further studied phytochemically and pharmacologically.     

Medicinal and poisonous diversity of the flora of "Cariri Paraibano", Brazil

A survey of the medicinal and poisonous plant diversity in the flora of the Carirí of the State of Paraíba, Brazil, has been made. Medicinal and poisonous properties of 121 plant species belonging to 96 genera and 45 families were recorded. Of these, 119 species belonging 44 families, representing about 98% of the total, are used for medicinal purposes, and five species are considered as poisonous. The Fabaceae (Leguminosae) family has the highest number (16) of medicinal plants diversity in the area, followed by 11 species of Asteraceae and 9 of Solanaceae. Information on these 121 species are presented together with their medicinal uses. This study aims at emphasizing the importance of setting up conservation priorities, and sustained development of various medicinal plants of semi-arid area of Northeast of Brazil.     

Ethnopharmacological Survey of Medicinal Plants in Baotou, Inner Mongolia, China

Objective To document the knowledge and the use of indigenous medicinal plants by traditional healers in Baotou,Inner Mongolia,China.Methods Data were collected from 112 randomly-selected interviewees using semistructured interviews in wild herbal plant collected from 2007 to 2010.The data from the interviewees were analyzed with two quantitative tools.With the informant consensus factor,the information homology was evaluated and with the fidelity level the most important species from the categories were found.Results One hundred and fifty-two species belonging to 112 genera in 48 families with medicinal values were recorded.The reported medicinal plants species were used to treat 63 kinds of diseases.And the medicinal plants in this district possessed significant potentials for their pharmacological activities in the context of ethnopharmacological knowledge,especially in the treatments of gastrointestinal,dermatological,and cardiovascular diseases.Conclusion In this work,152 medicinal plants with their ethnopharmacological information are reported.This study demonstrates that many species play an important role in healing practices among inhabitants from Baotou.More ethnopharmacological information of Mongolian medicinal plants should be gathered and documented in further studies,which is a fundamental step toward developing efficacious natural drugs for various diseases.     

Karen and Lawa medicinal plant use: Uniformity or ethnic divergence?

Ethnopharmacological relevance

We here tease apart the ethnopharmacological knowledge of plants in two Thai villages to determine to which degree the uses are particular to individual ethnic groups and to which degree they are part of a generalized and uniform set of widespread medicinal plants used over a large geographic range. We compared Karen and Lawa knowledge of medicinal plants in the Mae Cheam watershed of northern Thailand, where both ethnic groups have settled and share ecological conditions for resource extraction. We were interested in documenting the degree to which these two ethnic groups use the same or different medicinal plant species. The use of the same plant species by the two groups was considered a sign of uniform and cross-cultural local knowledge, whereas the use of different medicinal plants by each group was considered a sign of culturally specific local knowledge that developed within each ethnic group.

Materials and methods

We inventoried the plant species in different habitats around one Karen village and one Lawa village using stratified vegetation plots and using semi-structured questionnaires we interviewed 67 key informants regarding their use of plants for medicine. We then calculated the Fidelity level FL (FL values near 100% for a species indicate that almost all use reports refer to the same way of using the species, whereas low FL values indicate that a species is used for many different purposes) and cultural importance index CI (the sum of the proportion of informants that mention each of the use categories for a given species) to estimate the variation in medicinal plant use. We used Jaccard's Index JI (This index relates the number of shared species to the total number of species) to analyze the similarity of medicinal plant use between the two villages.

Results

A total of 103 species of medicinal plant species in 87 genera and 41 families were identified and they were used to cure 35 ailments. The FL of the medicinal plant species varied from 10% to 100%, was different for each ailment, and differed between the two ethnic groups. The most important medicinal plant species, those with the highest CI value, were not the same in the two villages. Costus speciosus, which is used to treat urinary infections and wounds in animals, had the highest CI value in the Karen village, whereas Sambucus javanica, which is used to treat wounds, fractures, bloat, and edema in humans, had the highest CI value in the Lawa village. Only 17 medicinal species (16.5%) were shared between the two villages. Methods of preparation and application were significantly different between the two villages, whereas the plant parts used, habit, and route of administration were similar.

Conclusion

Our study demonstrates that ethnic groups that live in the same geographic area can have significantly different traditional knowledge systems for medicinal plants, at least when it comes to the species used and their preparation and medicinal application. We assume that differences in cultural history and background in the two villages led to differences in medicinal plant use, preparation, and application.     

Medicinal plants: an important asset to health care in a region of Central Laos

A field survey of commonly used medicinal plants in the district of Paksan, Bolikhamsai Province in the Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao P.D.R.) indicates that 55 species of plants, belonging to 49 genera in 31 families of vascular plants, are used in day-to-day medical therapy. Lao names along with uses and preparations for remedies are given. Seven species have medicinal uses that overlap with uses reported in the literature. No medicinal uses have been previously reported for 31 of the species collected based on ethnobotanical field interviews, signifying that their uses may be unique to Laos. Nine of the 31 previously unreported species are mentioned as medicinals multiple times, indicating that further research may be warranted.     

Use of medicinal fauna in Mexican traditional medicine

Ethnopharmacological relevance

Mexico has great biodiversity of fauna. The use of fauna with medicinal properties is a common practice since pre-Hispanic times. In the last decade, there has been an interest in ethnozoological studies in Mexico. Therefore, more studies are needed in order to gather information regarding the use of fauna with medicinal properties in México. Ethnozoological studies are necessary in order to discover new medications for human health. This review presents current information in terms of ethnozoological, conservation status, trade, toxicological and pharmacological effects of fauna used for medicinal purposes in Mexican traditional medicine (MTM), based on scientific literature. Future prospects for research with medicinal fauna are discussed.

Materials and methods

Bibliographic investigation was carried out by analyzing recognized books and peer-reviewed papers, consulting worldwide accepted scientific databases from the last five decades. Reports included in this review complied with the three criteria cited as follows: (i) used in Mexican traditional medicine for medicinal and/or magical-religious purposes, (ii) with experimental studies regarding the toxicological or medicinal effects and/or with studies exploring mechanisms of medicinal effects, and (iii) with information obtained from a clear source.

Results

A total of 163 animal species, belonging to 79 families and 4 taxonomic categories, used for medicinal purposes are reported in this review. Medicinal fauna used in MTM come from birds (48), fishes (3), insects (22), mammals (49) and reptiles (41). The most versatile species which had the greatest number of medicinal properties were Mephitis macroura (21 uses), Crotalus atrox (17 uses), Dasypus novemcinctus (13 uses) and Didelphis virginiana (13 uses). However, 14 of the 161 species listed in this review are classified as endangered. Animal species are mainly used for the treatment of inflammatory, respiratory and gastrointestinal diseases. Furthermore, insects and reptiles are the animal groups with more pharmacological studies. Approximately, 11% and 5% of medicinal fauna have been tested in terms of their pharmacological and toxicological effects, respectively.

Conclusion

Despite the use of medicinal fauna in MTM, during centuries, there are a very limited number of scientific studies published on this topic. This review highlights the need to perform pharmacological, toxicological and chemical studies with medicinal fauna used in MTM.     

Studies on pharmaceutical ethnobotany in the region of Turkmen Sahra, north of Iran (Part 1): general results

This paper is the result of ethnobotanical survey on the Turkmens of Golestan and Khorasan Province (Iran) conducted from June 2002 to the end of 2003. Turkmens are traditionally an isolated ethnic group residing in northern parts of Iran. We studied the folk herbal medicine among Turkmens of Iran. Totally, 136 species from 51 families were documented from which 120 species used as medicinal and 84 species mentioned by three or more informants. Information about plant uses is all summarized in Table 1. Some interesting and endemic species have been reported for medicinal uses, also some new uses for common species were documented. Some of these species are good targets for further analysis.     

叶绿体基因组在药用植物鉴定及系统进化研究中的应用

叶绿体是细胞内具有自主遗传信息的重要细胞器,近年来叶绿体基因组已发展成为近缘物种分子标记、揭示植物进化和系统发育关系的有力工具。药用植物是人类赖以生存和发展的自然资源,叶绿体基因组在药用植物研究中的应用价值受到广泛关注。在总结叶绿体基因组结构研究的基础上,现就叶绿体基因组在药用植物物种鉴定、系统进化等方面的应用进行综述,以期为药用植物种质资源的开发和利用提供参考。     

重庆市城口县药用植物资源调查研究

采用第四次全国中药资源普查中野生重点中药资源调查方法——样方调查法,记录品种种类、数量,采集标本及药材,重点品种测量单株重,统计不同代表区域、植被类型、海拔的样方数,普查共记录药用植物品种703 种,重点品种143 种,占重庆市重点品种的74.5%,隶属于71 科,132 属,野生重点品种128 种,栽培重点品种30 种（包括15 种既有野生也有栽培）,其中14 种中药材得到大规模栽培。通过此次普查有助于了解城口县重点药用植物分布情况、生长环境和资源蕴藏量,为中药资源持续发展提供参考。     

茜草科瑶族药品种与标准整理

目的系统整理和分析了茜草科瑶族药材(以下简称"瑶药")的药用品种、基原、药用部位、功效及标准等。方法通过查阅文献及分析的方法对瑶族医药进行考证。结果茜草科瑶药共有22属76种(含变种),涉及47个品种,包括单基原27种、多基原20种、瑶药特有19种,其中5种为常用药(俗称"老班药"),与其他民族交叉用药28种(59.57%),其中33种以全株或全草入药(70.2%),仅13种为各级药材标准所收载,瑶药标准仅收5种,占老班药的4.8%。茜草科瑶药常以功效或药用部位命名,而同一药材名的药用部位和功效均与中药药用部位不尽相同。结论瑶药茜草科药材品种的名称、基原尚不规范,质量标准尚不健全,亟需加强管理。     

A comparison of medicinal plant use in Sardinia and Sicily—De Materia Medica revisited?

Aim of the Study

Written records of oral medical traditions have had significant impact on the development of medicine and the pharmacopoeias. Modern ethnobotanical studies in Europe and the Mediterranean region, however, have so far largely overlooked the richness and accuracy of historic sources and ignored their probable influence on the development of today's local traditional medicines. Here, we explore the common fundament of traditional knowledge for the medicinal plant uses in Sardinia and Sicily by comparing the selection of medicinal species and specific uses with those of Dioscorides’ De Materia Medica.

Materials and methods

We use (i) a quantification of citations for medicinal species mentioned in ethnobotanical studies conducted in Sardinia and Sicily (ii) a comparison of the flora and medicinal flora with a χ²-test (iii) a binomial approach recently introduced into ethnobotany (iv) a comparison of the most frequently used species with the indications cited in Dioscorides’ De Materia Medica (v) and a crosscheck of all mentioned species with their appearance in Berendes’ translation of De Materia Medica.

Results

We identified a core group of 170 medicinal species used on either islands, which accumulate 74% of all citations and are best represented in De Materia Medica. The 15 most frequently used species of both islands demonstrate intriguing parallels for indications with Dioscorides’ work.

Conclusion

The ethnopharmacopoeia of Sicily and Sardinia are shallow stereotypes of the different editions of De Materia Medica and talking of oral tradition in this respect is a contradiction. The medicinal species of Sardinia and Sicily are largely widespread and common species, including many weeds, which are not facing threat of extinction. Therefore, using traditional medicinal practices as an argument for conservation biology or vice versa is not scientifically sound.     

藏族医学药用罂粟科药材品种基原与标准整理

通过查阅藏族医药文献与相关标准,结合实地调查结果,对藏族医学（以下简称藏医学）药用的罂粟科植物的药材品种、基原及质量标准状况进行系统整理,为藏医学药用罂粟科植物的资源合理利用、品种整理及质量标准制定提供参考。结果表明,藏医学药用的罂粟科植物有6属约144种（含种下等级）,主要为高原分布的种类,其中有17种为我国特有种,以紫堇属（97种7变种1亚种）和绿绒蒿属（27种1变种）的种类最多;约涉及20个药材品种,其中有关标准中收载有12个,涉及基原植物30种（含变种）,部分药材的基原存在与其他科属植物交叉的情况。藏医学药用罂粟科植物药材多数为藏药特色品种,具有重要的资源开发利用潜力;多数药材品种存在“名称-基原”不规范、不同地区习用的基原种类差异较大、质量标准缺失或不完善的问题,有待结合现代药学研究开展其品种整理、质量标准制定工作。     

Ethnobotanical study on medicinal plants around Limu Mountains of Hainan Island,China

Aim of the study

The main objectives were to document traditional knowledge on the use of medicinal plants and compare medicinal plant traditions between Li and Hmong living around Limu Mountains of Hainan Island.

Material and methods

Information was obtained from semi-structured interviews, personal conversation and guided fieldtrips with herbalists. Quantitative methods, such as the coefficient of similarity (S), Chi-square analysis and the ‘informant agreement ratio’ were applied for the comparison of medicinal plant tradition between Li and Hmong.

Results

In all, 224 plant species grown in the study areas are still traditionally used for the treatment of various diseases. Euphorbiaceae (17 species), Rubiaceae (16 species), Papilionaceae and Poaceae (11 species, respectively), Verbenaceae (10 species) and Compositae (7 species) are predominant families used by herbalists. The most species were reported to be used for injuries (25.1% of all the medicinal use-reports), digestive system disorders (24.8%), infections/infestations (14.7%) and muscular-skeletal system disorders (12.3%). The coefficient of similarity (29.0%) shows a relatively high overlap of medicinal plants used by Li and Hmong. Using Chi-square analysis, it was found that habit mentions were dependent upon the culture. Infections/infestations, injuries and muscular-skeletal system disorders scored high IAR value and mention in both Li and Hmong communities.

Conclusions

Medicinal plants are of importance to indigenous people around Limu Mountains who still rely on medicinal plants to treat a wide range of illnesses. There is a close relationship of medicinal plant tradition between Li and Hmong who are culturally distinct.     

Traditional plant use in the areas of Monte Vesole and Ascea, Cilento National Park (Campania, Southern Italy)

The present ethnobotanical field study conducted during summer 2003 in two distinct regions of the Cilento National Park (Mt Vesole and Ascea) documents the local use of 90 different plant species for medicinal, food and domestic purposes. Overall, 59 people native to the area were interviewed, and 883 use-reports have been recorded. The scientific names, local names, plant parts used, preparation and administration processes are given and compared with practices in other Italian regions. In total, 63 species are documented as medicinal, 49 as food, and 22 as craft plants. Over 40% of all species are used in more than one category and over half of the food plants are also used for medicinal purposes. In general the recorded species are well known in the traditional phytotherapy of Campania and Italy. However, some uses are unusual and are discussed in detail.     

甘肃省哈思山自然保护区药用植物调查与保护

目的:探明哈思山自然保护区野生药用植物种类及利用情况,为合理开发利用和保护该区域药用植物资源提供参考。方法:结合第四次全国中药资源普查技术方案,通过查阅文献资料、采集区域药用植物标本及走访调查,整理该保护区的野生药用植物种类并进行结果分析。结果:哈思山自然保护区共有药用植物247种7变种,隶属61科161属,野生药用植物种类以多年生草本居多;按药用部位统计全草类种类最多,共124种,占48. 82%,根及根茎类和果实及种子类次之;按中药功效统计清热类药用植物最多,占32. 68%;此外有草麻黄、达乌里秦艽及火烧兰等珍稀濒危野生药用植物8种。结论:哈思山自然保护区药用植物资源丰富,是靖远县及黄土高原区域药用植物资源重要组成部分和保护区域。但药用植物受采挖及虫害等威胁比较严重,资源利用存在盲目性,应得到科学保护和合理开发。