Ethnobotany and ecology of plants for reproductive health unesco mab young scientists research award 2008, gertrude l. A special emphasis is placed on ethnoveterinary medicine, because of its importance in the nagarkoodal area. The use of historical documents is of utmost importance for the accession of information that highlights the past relationships between human. Ethnobotany journal of ethnobotany international journal.
The term ethnobotany was first used by harshberger in 1895, to the study of plants used by primitive and aboriginal people. Measuring the importance of plants and vegetation to people is a central concern in quantitative ethnobotany. Ethnobotany is the study of the relationship between people and plants. Ethnobotany is the study of how people of a particular culture and region make use of indigenous native plants. Importance indices in ethnobotany article pdf available in ethnobotany research and applications 5. Importance indices in ethnobotany bruce hoffman and timothy gallaher. Importance indices in ethnobotany ethnobotany research and. From ethno, the study of people, and botany, the study of plants. Richard spruce may be faulted for overlooking important plant uses, but he still made significant contributions to amazonian ethnobotany. In recent years, the discipline of ethnobotany has become increasingly associated with the search for new medicines and other products from plants. How is indigenous and local knowledge in ethnobotanical research. Maya ethnobotany 2 complete inventory of plants maya ethnobotany 3 complete inventory of plants there are plenty of other lists of all maya whatever else, but for one single resource, which lists all plants. Unesco eolss sample chapters economic botany ethnobotany and economic botany. The term quantitative ethnobotany is defined in these works as the application of quantitative techniques to direct analysis of contemporary plant use data.
Ethnobotany is the study of the relationships that exist between indigenous cultures and local flora. The aim of this study was to document the medicinal uses of local plants and to develop an ethnobotanical inventory of the species diversity. This book is the basic introduction to the field, showing how botany, anthropology, ecology, economics and linguistics are all employed in the techniques and methods involved. Aug 01, 1998 an extraordinary compilation of the plants used by north american native peoples for medicine, food, fiber, dye, and a host of other things. Such partnerships could work to the benefit of all parties involved. The following videos are intended to serve as educational modules of different topics in ethnobotany, ethnoecology and ethnobiological conservation. Ethnobotany deals with the direct relationship of plants with man. Ethnobotanical definition of ethnobotanical by medical. Apr 16, 2014 this paper represents the first ethnobotanical study in chail valley of district swatpakistan and provides significant information on medicinal plants use among the tribal people of the area.
Ethnobotanicalbased selection of plants has gained in popularity as a means to identify which plants of the estimated 250,000500,000 existing species contain relevant compounds for exploitation. Ethnobotanical study of wild food plants used by rice. Introduction ethnobotany is the study of the interaction between plants and people, with a particular emphasis on traditional tribal cultures. Students will become familiar with different native american and pioneer uses of various plants. Rudimentary drugs derived from plants used in folk medicines have been found to be beneficial. Ethnobotany basella alba is an underutilized plant with great potential olgorite, 2006.
Because plants are the basis of all material cultures, preservation of ethnobotanical knowledge, like the preservation of language, is a requisite for the safekeeping of cultures. A study of the variation in traditional knowledge in and. According to the world health organization who about. Quantitative ethnobotany or quantification in ethnobotany. Ethnobotanical documentation of traditional knowledge about. Ask learners which plant and use was most interesting to them. Request pdf ethnobotany and its role in drug development the botanical collections of early explorers and the later ethnobotany have played important roles in the development of new drugs for. This study involved different fields such as environmental history, cultural and political ecology, anthropology. Rudimentary drugs derived from plants used in folk medicines have been found to be beneficial in the treatment of many illnesses, both physical and mental. Heneidy and others published the ethnobotanical importance and conservation value of native plants in. The secondary socialization is achieved from the age of 67 now under the new education law, from 5 years and adolescents has to. Freelisting is a method that documents all or many of the plants or uses.
In present study, semistructured interviews with 142. Ethnobotany 203 one example of the value to conservation of ethnobotanical knowledge of the natives lies in the study of their acquaintance with the properties of bioactive plants and their numerous subspecific variants or ecotypes. Basella alba is a very popular vegetable in many coastal communities of southern nigeria and is one of the chief sources of the major ingredients in the northern and northeastern foods. The importance of ethnobotany in environmental conservation. Ethnobotany, science, history, social studies objective. Bennett encyclopedia of life support systemseolss local plant knowledge. Ecosystem services for poverty alleviation initiative, which documents the. People and plants working paper 6, june 1999 quantitative ethnobotany m. Pdf measuring the importance of plants and vegetation to people is a central concern in quantitative ethnobotany. Ethnobotany and its role in drug development request pdf. The sonoran desert has many different kinds of plants nearly 2500 species. The results gathered in this research showed the importance of plant knowledge. Ethnobotany, indigenous knowledge, aliments, medicinal plants, tabia gemad, healers 1.
Pdf importance indices in ethnobotany timothy gallaher. This subset of ethnobotany is referred to as medical ethnobotany. Low growing, spreading prostrate shrub or small tree to 18 in. Ethnobotany is an integrative, multidisciplinary field of learning. This paper represents the first ethnobotanical study in chail valley of district swatpakistan and provides significant information on medicinal plants use among the tribal people of the area. Lykke 1 abstract quantitative ethnobotany applications of multivariate and statistical analyses in ethnobotany photo 1. Ethnobotany is the study of a regions plants and their practical uses through the traditional. In fact, medicine and botany have always had close ties.
Thank you, ulysses, for your past, present, and future contributions and for your efforts and challenges. The study of the interaction between plants and humans is ethnobotany. In view of the many fastdeveloping specific subdivisions of this interdisciplinary field, it seems necessary to adopt a wider definition. These videos were made for public educational use, please disseminate freely by linking to this page, or the individual pages within.
Applied ethnobotany people, wild plant use and conservation anthony b cunningham earthscan publications ltd, london and sterling, va applied ethnobotany 2011 04122000 05. An ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants in high. The term quantitative ethnobotany appears for the first time in balee 1987 in an article published in a brazilian journal, and was mentioned in that same. The study of useful plants is an ancient discipline, but the term ethnobotany to indicate a separate and distinct branch of the natural sciences did not come into use until 1895. Ethnobotany is regarded as the study of relationship between plants and humans. When planning how to incorporate ethnobotany into a restoration site, it would be very wise to collaborate with local native groups. Their sacred, healing, and hallucinogenic powers by r. Ethnobotany of natural products encyclopedia of life. Introduction to ethnobotany online biology courses arts. Botany, in turn, originated in part from an interest in finding plants to help fight illness. Although techniques of ethnobotanical research will differ according to the kind and condition of. Balick university of hawaii press honolulu the new york botanical garden balick db 3 111708 1. Aug 03, 2016 ethnobotany ethnobotany as an interdisciplinary science is, therefore, in a position to contribute to development of the wealth of traditional knowledge of the indigenous people concerning their natural systems and environment, their knowledge on utilization and maintenance of plant resources on a longterm basis without damaging or destroying.
In view of the many fastdeveloping specific subdivisions of this interdisciplinary field, it. Bennett encyclopedia of life support systemseolss observations. An extraordinary compilation of the plants used by north american native peoples for medicine, food, fiber, dye, and a host of other things. Plants have provided people with most of their needs for thousands of years. Moerman has devoted 25 years to the task of gathering together the accumulated ethnobotanical knowledge on more than 4000 plants. Many of todays drugs have been derived from plant sources. A new guinea example borut telllan1 department ofanthropology research school of pacifu studies australian national university winter 1988 a6stract,medicinalplants are known allover the world, they are indispensable as ingredients of many important modem drugs and are sources for the imitation. Ethnobotany of pohnpei plants, people, and island culture compiled and edited by michael j. An ethnobotanist thus strives to document the local customs involving the practical uses of local flora for many aspects of life, such as plants as medicines, foods, intoxicants and clothing. It is an interdisciplinary subject which can also include elements of anthropology, human geography, biological conservation, pharmacology and nutrition. Print the ethnobotany bingo cards from the gen resource cd. A manual of ethnobotany proceedings of the training course and workshop on ethnobotany, held at lucknow, 1015 march, 1986 editor s. This requires reflecting on the relevance and current importance of.
The research was designed from the perspective of ethnobotany, the scientific. Ethnobotany introduction ethnobotany in general ethnobotany is not a pure science, it is a multidisciplinary approach on the boundary of botany, genetics, evolution, history, anthropology and sociology it may be taught in strikingly different ways, and each ethnobotany course is different we will concentrate on plant uses along with. Once authors papers have been accepted for publication, then the accepted paper will be freely available to everyone through cloud journals online platform. Furthermore, it situates the current research in the literature on ethnobotany. Ethnobotanists estimate that native people used 750 of these for food, fiber. Relative cultural importance rci indices such as the use values developed by prance et al. Harsberger in 1896 and was considered as the art of collection of useful plants by a group of people and the description of the uses of plants. Quantitative ethnobotany in south america forestdwelling peoples often claim that most, and perhaps all, plants in their environment have a use. Moerman has devoted 25 years to the task of gathering together the accumulated. Bohrer southwest ethnobotanical enterprises 220 new mexico drive portales, nm 88 summer 1986 abstract. Pdf importance indices in ethnobotany researchgate. The ethnobotany of chaya cnidoscolus aconitifolius ssp. Ethnobotany is the study of a regions plants and their practical uses through the traditional knowledge of a local culture and people.
Ethnobotany, systematic study of the botanical knowledge of a social group and its use of locally available plants in foods, medicines, clothing, or religious rituals. Ten important questionsissues for ethnobotanical research scielo. In the past, ethnobotany has emphasized on the relationships and interactions between plants and people in traditional tribal or nonwestern cultures. An ethnobotanist thus strives to document the local customs involving the practical uses of local flora for many aspects of life, such as.
Ethnobotany has its roots in botany, the study of plants. Ethnobotany for the homeschool shaman this is a wikipedia book, a collection of wikipedia articles that can be easily saved, imported by an external electronic rendering service, and ordered as a printed book. Case studies will be presented to examine the various categories of plant use, the importance of traditional knowledge to western culture, and the role of plant conservation and cultural sustainability. What links here related changes upload file special pages permanent link. Ethnobotany ethnobotany as an interdisciplinary science is, therefore, in a position to contribute to development of the wealth of traditional knowledge of the indigenous people concerning their natural systems and environment, their knowledge on utilization and maintenance of plant resources on a longterm basis without damaging or destroying. Ford developed the science of ethnobotanical study 2 and included the understanding of knowledge systems through the use of anthropological methods 3. A common tool to quantify otherwise qualitative data in the biological and social. So the tools of ethnobotanical investigations are many. Ethnobotanist brian boom of the new york botanical garden used some pioneering plant census techniques to test that hypothesis. Plants provide food, medicine, shelter, dyes, fibers, oils, resins, gums, soaps, waxes, latex, tannins, and even contribute to the air we breathe. Ethnobotany for the homeschool shaman this is a wikipedia book, a collection of wikipedia articles that can be easily saved, imported by an external electronic rendering service, and. Ethnobotany in the nepal himalaya journal of ethnobiology.