Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine最新文献

Background: Ethiopia is home to a rich diversity of traditional knowledge and practices, including the use of medicinal plants for healthcare. This study investigates the ethnobotanical knowledge and use of medicinal plants among communities residing near the Wejig-Mahgo-Waren Massif Forest in Southern Tigray, Ethiopia, and compares these findings with the broader Ethiopian ethnobotanical database.

Methods: Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 309 randomly selected informants and 30 key informants. Ethnobotanical analytical tools, including preference ranking, informant consensus factor (ICF), and fidelity level (FL), were employed. A comparative analysis was conducted with the Ethiopian ethnobotanical database to assess novel reports and commonalities across regions.

Results: Fifty-two plant species were documented for treating human and livestock ailments. The study revealed significant differences in medicinal plant knowledge among social groups, with men, older individuals, and illiterate informants demonstrating greater knowledge. A comparative analysis with the Ethiopian ethnobotanical database highlighted both commonalities and unique uses of medicinal plants in the study area. The study shares a 51.6% similarity index with previous Ethiopian ethnobotanical studies. However, livestock medicinal plant similarity is low (7.9%), indicating highly localized ethnoveterinary practices. Dermatological diseases scored the highest ICF value (0.98), and Verbascum sinaiticum had the highest FL (96.15%).

Conclusion: The study underscores the critical role of the Wejig-Mahgo-Waren Massif Forest in supporting traditional medical practices. The findings highlight the need for conservation and scientific validation of these medicinal plants to ensure their sustainability and benefits for future generations. The comparative analysis provides valuable insights into the ethnobotanical practices across Ethiopia, emphasizing the importance of cross-cultural interpretations in ethnobotanical research.

Background: Zootherapy is the treatment of human and livestock ailments using medicines derived from animals and their products. The objective of this review paper was to compile and document ethnozoological knowledge on traditional medicinal animals used to treat various human and livestock ailments, along with the associated indigenous knowledge from different parts of Ethiopia.

Methods: Scientific databases were employed to conduct an exhaustive systematic search of published articles in the English language. A collection of 21 articles focused on animals and their by-products utilized in Ethiopian traditional medicine was compiled from accessible international online databases like Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, PubMed, Research Gate, and various journal Web sites.

Results: According to the sources, a total 112 animal species used to treat 167 different ailments were identified. Among these, mammals are the most frequently used, followed by birds, arthropods, and reptiles. Most remedies are sourced from wild animals, with treatments for serious diseases, including HIV/AIDS and cancer, being reported. The most commonly used animal parts for medicine preparation are meat and fat, followed by internal organs, with cooking being the predominant preparation method.

Conclusion: The medicinal use of animals is under threat due to illegal hunting and deforestation. The Ethiopian people possess rich indigenous knowledge of animal-based traditional medicine. To ensure the sustainable use of medicinal animals and support the development of modern medicine, further comprehensive ethnozoological research is urgently needed.

Background: Globalisation, urbanisation, and modernisation all influence traditional knowledge. More specifically, the introduction of exotic plants, historical policies, stigma attached to consuming wild edible plants (WEPs), changes in lifestyles, and environmental factors are reshaping peoples' uses and knowledge of WEPs. This study assessed the relationship between ethnobotanical knowledge and consumption of WEPs in rural villages in the Polokwane and Aganang local municipalities, Limpopo Province, South Africa.

Methods: This study was conducted in four villages in the Limpopo Province, South Africa, between May 2018 and June 2019. Data about WEPs were collected using a household survey questionnaire administered to a total of 120 participants stratified by age and gender. Additionally, a free list of WEP species known by participants was collected as well as data on the traditional uses of each species.

Results: We found that WEPs are generally well-known in the area, as participants listed an average of 17.7 ± 5.0 (8.4 ± 2.4 wild fruit species) and (9.3 ± 2.6 wild vegetable species). There was a significant difference between the number of species listed by age group, with the elderly listing a higher mean number of species (9.3 ± 2.6) compared to adults (8.1 ± 2.5) and the youth (7.8 ± 1.7). Vangueria infausta, Sclerocarya birrea subsp. caffra, Ximenia caffra, Amaranthus retroflexus, Citrullus lanatus, and Cleome gynandra were among the most listed species. There was a positive correlation between knowledge of WEPs and consumption rates. Most of the knowledge about WEPs was learnt from a family member (89%), own observation (86%), and a village elder (75%). This knowledge was mostly acquired from childhood through oral tradition (63%), through participation (21%), and consumption (12%).

Conclusions: Future preservation of WEPs knowledge could be encouraged by formalising indigenous knowledge in the education system and promoting WEPs in the media.

Background: The predominance of agropastoral activities in the Brazilian semiarid region is an important factor for human populations to continue using medicinal plants in ethnoveterinary medicine. Thus, we sought to document the Caatinga plants known for treating diseases in ethnoveterinary medicine and to evaluate the useful redundancy of diseases indicated by local populations in the Cariris Velhos region, state of Paraíba, in the Brazilian semiarid region.

Methods: Questionnaires with semi-structured forms were applied in rural communities in the Brazilian Caatinga region. A total of 120 people were interviewed using the snowball technique.

Results: Fabaceae, Euphorbiaceae and Rubiaceae were the families that obtained the highest number of citations. Heliotropium indicum was the species most cited by the local population. The stem bark and the leaves were the most cited parts used of the plants. Using the bark juice was the most prominent method in preparing the medicinal remedies. The disease which presented the greatest degree of utility redundancy was inflammation and the one with the least redundancy was fracture.

Conclusion: A study on the use of medicinal plants by ethnoveterinary medicine in a region with a high incidence of agricultural and pastoral activities helps to preserve living knowledge.

The use of animals for zootherapeutic purposes has been reported worldwide, and with the patronage of complementary and alternative medicines being on the ascendency, the trade and use of animal parts will only escalate. Many more of these animals used in traditional medicine will be pushed to extinction if policies for their sustainable use and conservation are not formulated. There have been studies across the world which assessed the trade and use of animals in traditional medicine including Ghana. However, all previous Ghanaian studies were conducted in a few specific cities. It therefore makes it imperative for a nationwide study which would provide more comprehensive information on the trade and use of animals in traditional medicine and its conservation implications. Using direct observation and semi-structured questionnaires, data were collected from 133 vendors of animal parts used in traditional medicines in 48 markets located across all 16 administrative regions of Ghana. Analysis of the data showed that the trade in wild animal parts for traditional medicine was more prevalent in the urban centres of Ghana. Overall, 75 identifiable animal species were traded on Ghanaian traditional medicine markets. Using their relative frequency of citation values, chameleons (Chamaeleo spp.; 0.81), lions (Panthera leo; 0.81) and the West African crocodile (Crocodylus suchus; 0.67) were the most commonly traded animals in Ghana. Majority of the vendors (59.1%) indicated that their clients use the animal parts for medicinal purposes mainly for skin diseases, epilepsy and fractures, while clients of 28.2% of the vendors use the animal parts for spiritual or mystical purposes, such as protection against spiritual attacks, spiritual healing and money rituals. Up to 54.2% of the animals were classified as Least Concern by IUCN, 14.7% were threatened, with 51.2% of CITES-listed ones experiencing a decreasing population trend. This study also found that 68.5% of the traded animal species are not listed on CITES, but among those listed, 69.6% are classified under Appendix II. Considering the level of representation of animals of conservation concerns, the harvesting and trade of animal parts for traditional medicine must be regulated. This call is even more urgent since 40.0% of the top ten traded animals are mammals; a class of animals with long gestation periods and are not prolific breeders.

The scientific accuracy of ethnobotanical study has significantly grown in the past decades due to the adoption of quantitative methods, mainly represented by indices. These quantitative approaches can provide data amenable to hypothesis testing, statistical validation, and comparative analysis. Plenty of indices are applied nowadays in ethnobotany. However, none of the previously developed indices have argued for comparing general ethnobotanical knowledge between two or more human groups. Hence, this study seeks to cover this methodological gap and proposes a novel index that will provide ethnobotanists with a tangible number representing the general ethnobotanical knowledge of a specific human group. The proposed index will enable researchers in the field to compare ethnobotanical knowledge of two or more ethnic/ religious/ cultural groups; it will also be possible to conduct a comparison within the same group, such as comparing two distanced time periods, genders, and/or age groups. The index complexly employs several factors that can be critical when assessing ethnobotanical knowledge (e.g. total number of species reported by all participants in a particular group, mean number of species reported per participant in a particular group, and mean number of citations per species in a particular group). The index is designed to be mainly used in ethnobotany; however, it is also usable in ethnobiology and may be applicable in other studies related to traditional knowledge assessment.

Background: Understanding cultural perceptions of illness is crucial for effective healthcare delivery. This study examines the ethnomedical concept of ikirimi, a culturally recognized illness in Rwanda characterized by perceived uvula abnormalities, and its traditional management through uvulectomy. This study explores the cultural understanding of ikirimi, its perceived causes, symptoms, and treatments, as well as barriers to integrating modern healthcare.

Methods: An exploratory qualitative approach was employed, involving in-depth semi-structured interviews with eight participants: traditional healers, individuals who underwent traditional uvulectomy, and healthcare providers. A grounded theory approach which analyzes data in systematic manner to generate new theories was applied, with coding conducted in English after initial transcription and analysis in Ikinyarwanda to preserve Indigenous concepts.

Results: Participants described ikirimi as an illness affecting the uvula (named as akamironko or akamirabugari or agashondabugari in Ikinyarwanda), characterized by swelling, elongation, and pus-like discoloration. Reported symptoms included fever, difficulty swallowing, coughing, and weakness, with children identified as the most affected group. Traditional healers diagnosed ikirimi through visual inspection of uvular morphology and movement and treated it by cutting the affected part of uvula and is known as guca Ikirimi 'traditional uvulectomy'. Barriers to integrating modern healthcare included skepticism about biomedical care, judgmental attitudes from providers, and communication gaps. Despite the prevalence of ikirimi, its biomedical correlates remain unclear, though participants associated it with severe throat illnesses such as tonsillopharyngitis.

Conclusion: The findings highlight ikirimi as a socially constructed illness with deep cultural roots, significant health implications, and persistent barriers to modern healthcare. Addressing these barriers requires culturally sensitive approaches that integrate Indigenous knowledge with biomedical practices. Future research should explore the biomedical correlates of ikirimi and foster collaboration between traditional and modern healthcare systems to improve patient outcomes.

Background: Mexico is one of the countries with the highest cultural, biological, and agrobiological diversity. However, an accelerated process of ancestral knowledge loss, related to the management of agrobiodiversity, native seeds, and other edible plant species management is affecting food sovereignty. This process of knowledge loss was documented at the Ñäñho region, of southern Querétaro, where our study took place. Our objective was to document the diversity of edible plant diversity, management, and use as well as the agroecosystems from which they are obtained.

Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted over 2 years (2021-2023) with 50 informants selected through a snowball sampling. Informal interviews and participant observations were also used with these and other people from the same community. Herbarium specimens and seed accessions were collected and photographed.

Results: In total, 119 edible plant species were identified. The richest families were Solanaceae, Rosaceae, Cactaceae, and Asteraceae. The edible species occur in 11 agroecosystems with 58.6% of the species native to Mexico, and 41.4% introduced. The orchard, rustic greenhouse, house "milpa," mountain hill, and backyard, have the highest species diversity. The main management types were sowing and gathering plants. Eighty-five plant names were recorded in the Hñäñho language. The plant parts used were fruits (60.5%) and stems (46.2%). The gastronomic categories with the highest species percentage were stews, beverages, and refreshments, while the highest species number used in the gastronomic categories were cacti stalks or "nopales" (Opuntia spp.), maize (Zea mays), and amaranth (Amaranthus spp.).

Conclusions: The records in Southern Querétaro of edible plants and agroecosystems diversity were high. The plants, local knowledge documentation, and species management provide the basis for promoting projects focused on the Ñäñho biocultural wealth. Efforts are needed to encourage the least represented regional species. Community development programs are needed for food security and sovereignty; these are based on the local biocultural resources.

Informal food markets, particularly those managed by (elderly) women in post-communist Eastern Europe, represent a biocultural phenomenon of profound significance since globalisation and increasingly strict legal frameworks often threaten these reservoirs of biocultural food heritage. In the fall of 2022 and 2023, a preliminary field study was conducted by visiting the informal markets of six Moldovan centres: Chișinău, Orhei, Bălți, Călărași, Comrat, and Taraclia, and conversing with approximately 40 mid-aged and elderly sellers. We argue that these markets are crucial in sustaining small-scale farming, preserving biodiversity, and maintaining a connection between urban communities and rural communities and, ultimately, between these rural citizens and their nature, keeping small-scale family farming and domestic traditional gastronomic activities alive. By trading fresh, homegrown, and homemade food and goods (including handicrafts), these mid-aged and elderly vendors support local economies, promote environmental sustainability, and safeguard traditional ecological knowledge and cultural heritage. This paper explores how grannies' markets contribute to biocultural diversity and sustainable food practices, especially amid the country's recent turbulent political, socioeconomic, and demographic challenges. The analysis advocates for the survival rights of these ecological, economic, and cultural (2-x-eco-cultural) refugia and invites ethnobiologists, food studies and cultural heritage scholars, rural sociologists, and agricultural economists to defend the biocultural diversity of informal food markets, moving them from an "out of necessity" status to a solid pillar of a possible future, new, family farming and small-scale ecological and gastronomic (conscientious) tourism. Policymakers should protect and enhance these informal spaces, especially the socioecological farming systems behind them, as essential socioeconomic and environmental assets. They should emphasise their importance as hubs for biological diversity, cultural preservation, community cohesion, and ecological sustainability.

Background: Indigenous communities have historically engaged in harvesting and management practices that have significantly influenced the state of forests globally. The Wof Ayzurish Forest community is almost entirely an agricultural society, familiar with the native flora, which has been integrated into their culture. Due to that, local communities have relied on these plants for centuries, passing down knowledge about their importance through generations. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the interaction between humans and useful plants in the Wof Ayzurish Forest, North Showa Zone, Ethiopia, with a focus on their cultural significance, conservation status, and the threats they face.

Methods: A snowball sampling technique was employed to select 100 informants and the data were collected through free listing, field walk, open-ended and semi-structured interviews, and focus group discussions. To evaluate the cultural importance (CI) of the plant species, three quantitative indices, namely, the relative frequency of citations (RFC), use reports (UR), and the cultural value index (CV), were employed. Each index aims to assess the CI of plant taxa statistically. Spearman's correlation coefficient was used to compare the correlations among various indices since all the variables considered are not distributed normally. The Jaccard similarity index (JI) was calculated to assess the proportion of plant species shared between the study area and other regions within Ethiopia.

Results: This study identified a total of 90 useful plants in the Wof Ayzurish Forest, categorized into ten groups based on their uses. The medicinal use category was the most represented (55 taxa), followed by firewood (44 taxa), fencing (40 taxa), and construction and furniture (37 taxa). Consequently, considering the use citations and key informant discussion, 15 plant species were identified for additional analysis using various quantitative measures including cultural importance index (CI). Based on CI score, Olea europaea subsp. cuspidata, Juniperus procera, Carissa spinarum, Croton macrostachyus, Dodonaea viscosa subsp. angustifolia, and Eucalyptus globulus were identified and reflecting their relative cultural importance and frequent utilization. Among these, Olea europaea subsp. cuspidata was the most versatile plant and ranked first due to its greater number of citations and diverse use categories.

Conclusions: The frequency with which a species is mentioned provides relevant information about its cultural significance. More versatile plants are generally more familiar to people than those with only one purpose and are often subject to high pressure due to overutilization. Thus, this information can aid in establishing sustainable use of Wof Ayzurish Forest without depletion of resources by informing community-based strategies that incorporate ethnobotanical knowledge.