Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine最新文献

Background: Traditional medicinal knowledge is central to healthcare and cultural identity in Ethiopia, particularly in the Somali Region, where plant-based remedies are widely used. Despite its importance, this knowledge remains underdocumented. This study aims to fill this gap by documenting the medicinal plants (MPs) used by the Somali community in the Karamara forest patches of eastern Ethiopia, focusing on their cultural significance, conservation status, and role in local healthcare. It also highlights the need to preserve both the knowledge and the threatened ecosystems that support it.

Methods: Data were collected from 64 informants (40 men and 24 women) through semi-structured interviews, field walks, and focus group discussions conducted from February to June 2023. To evaluate the cultural importance and reliability of plant use, several ethnobotanical indices, including Use Value (UV), Informant Consensus Factor (ICF), and Fidelity Level (FL), were applied. Voucher plant specimens were gathered, identified using the Flora of Ethiopia and Eritrea, and authenticated at the National Herbarium, Addis Ababa University. The similarity of plant usage across different Ethiopian regions was assessed using Jaccard's index. Statistical analyses, such as t-tests, ANOVA, and correlation tests, were performed using R software to examine variations in knowledge across different demographic groups.

Results: A total of 85 medicinal plant species belonging to 70 genera and 40 families were documented. Fabaceae, Solanaceae, and Asteraceae were the dominant families. Shrubs were the most frequently used growth form. The majority of remedies were prepared from leaves and administered orally. Wounds, malaria, stomach disorders, and snake bites were the most commonly treated ailments, showing high informant consensus. High ICF values were observed for dermatological (0.85) and gastrointestinal (0.83). Euphorbia abyssinica J.F.Gmel., Cyphostemma adenocaule (Steud. ex A.Rich.), and Moringa stenopetala (Baker f.) Cufod. exhibited high FL, while Cleome kelleriana (Schinz) Gilg & Gilg-Ben. and Aloe megalacantha Baker were prioritized for malaria treatment. Major threats to MPs included agricultural expansion, overharvesting, and firewood collection. Ethnobotanical knowledge varied significantly by informant groups (P < 0.05).

Conclusion: The Somali community around Karamara forest possesses rich ethnomedicinal knowledge vital for local healthcare and biodiversity conservation. Sustainable management, pharmacological validation, and intergenerational knowledge transfer are urgently needed to safeguard this cultural and biological heritage.

Background: Wild edible plants (WEPs), which were once integral to the food, nutrition, and cultural resilience of indigenous communities, are now increasingly marginalized and understudied. This study documented their diversity, traditional knowledge, and conservation priorities in the Garo Hills, Meghalaya, India.

Methods: Ethnobotanical surveys were conducted from October 2022 to June 2025 across 42 villages in the Garo Hills, Meghalaya. Data from 126 informants were collected using purposive and snowball sampling through semi-structured interviews, free listing, focus group discussions, and market surveys. Ethnobotanical indices (RFC, CI, RI, ICF), four-cell analysis, and IUCN assessments were applied to evaluate cultural importance, use diversity, and conservation status.

Results: Study documented 145 WEPs (105 genera, 58 families). Fruits (67 spp.) were the most consumed part (67 species), followed by shoots and leaves, with trees (57 spp.) constituting the common growth habit, followed by shrubs (30), herbs (28), and vines (23). Knowledge transmission was predominantly vertical, with women over 40 and elders over 60 years identified as key custodians. WEPs were utilized in seven major food categories, encompassing 121 traditional recipes and 30 value-added products, primarily including pickles, wines, and chips, produced by local enterprises. Ethnobotanical indices highlighted Bamboo spp. and Artocarpus heterophyllus as culturally important species, with high consensus for seasoning, snacks, and vegetables. Four-cell analysis (FCA) classified 48 species as rare (small area, small population), and the IUCN assessment listed five as Vulnerable and two as Near Threatened, with 55 Not Evaluated species needing urgent assessment.

Conclusions: Integrating value addition, community-led conservation, and policy support can strengthen WEPs role in climate-resilient agriculture, biodiversity conservation, and rural livelihoods. Overall, this study highlights the significance of strategic promotion, commercialization, and protection of WEPs as a means to protect the rich biocultural heritage and improve food and nutrition security at the regional and global scale.

Background: Nerium oleander is one of the most famous poisonous and horticultural plants of the Mediterranean, as well as in other regions of its distribution. In many cultures, oleander is associated with poisoning, simultaneously symbolizing beauty and evil. Due to its unique properties and large showy flowers, this plant has many names in various languages.

Methods: This paper presents an attempt to reconstruct the historical, ethnobotanical, and etymological roots in 23 languages of 180 vernacular names of Nerium oleander around the Mediterranean. We used the plant 's morphological data, myths and legends about it, its chemical properties and uses, as well as historical evidence and ethnobotanical data, to explain the meaning, origin, migration, and history of the plant 's names.

Results: The languages with the highest number of names are Turkish (30), followed by Italian (21), Greek (20), Catalan (16), Arabic (15), Spanish (14), and French (13). The remaining 14 languages collectively account for 51 names. These names were categorized as follows: Derivatives of 'generic' names: Nerium, oleander, and difla / arodafne (25 names in 14 languages); names referring to morphological characteristics, color, and odor (11 names in 5 languages); names referring to similarity to other plants (51 in 14 languages); names related to taste, chemical constituents, and their uses and effects (53 in 16 languages); names related to religion and local saints (12 in 7 languages); names related to habitat and places (11 in 8 languages); names falling outside the above categories or unexplained (16 in 8 languages).

Conclusions: The distribution of these names across languages and categories reflects Nerium oleander 's toxicity, similarity to other plants, historical distribution, and to a lesser extent-its specific habitat and traces of cultural migrations. Some names preserve evidence of extinct past uses.

Background: Bamboo worm (Omphisa fuscidentalis) is a minor biological resource widely distributed in southern Yunnan, China. While its biological and nutritional aspects are studied, its role within the multifaceted value of bamboo resources and its persistence amid changing rural livelihoods are less understood. Local-level information on collection practices and their sustainability across ethnic groups remains limited.

Methods: We employed participatory observation and semi-structured interviews to investigate current practices and historical changes in bamboo worm collection and consumption among 125 households in Dehong Prefecture, Yunnan. The study covered two lowland villages (Dai ethnic group) and two mountain villages (Jingpo and De'ang ethnic groups) to compare practices across topographies and ethnicities.

Results: Thirteen host bamboo species were identified, and ten distinct culinary practices were documented. Bamboo worm collection occurs mainly from cultivated bamboo near settlements and is embedded within seasonal farming routines. Cross-cultural similarities exist in identification knowledge and in its opportunistic collection. However, notable inter-ethnic variations persist: the practice is largely for self-consumption among the lowland Dai, whereas surplus sales are more common among Jingpo and De'ang households in mountain areas. Household surveys revealed a significant overall decline in participation (92.8% to 84.0%; p < 0.001) and collection frequency among continuing households (1.97 to 1.70; p < 0.001), indicating weakening intergenerational transmission. However, the trajectory varied markedly by village: Jingpo households maintained full participation but showed the steepest frequency decline (Δ = -0.76; p < 0.001), while De'ang households unexpectedly increased collection frequency (Δ = +0.33; p = 0.012), driven by emerging market opportunities. Persistence is explained by socio-cultural embeddedness: enduring indigenous knowledge and local food preferences; cultural value reinforced by urban demand as both a nostalgic and novel commodity; collection within routine agricultural activities; and unintentional habitat conservation through maintained bamboo stands near settlements.

Conclusions: This study provides an ethnobiological case demonstrating that the persistence of traditional, low-return practices like bamboo worm collection relies on socio-cultural embeddedness rather than economic return. Therefore, effective conservation should prioritize sustaining these embedded conditions, for instance, by incorporating the maintenance of multi-use bamboo stands near settlements into local land-use planning.

Background: Medicinal plants (MPs) remain to play a vital role in primary healthcare among rural communities. In Somaliland, knowledge of MPs remains under-documented, mainly in Sheikh District, Sahil Region. This study aims to document the diversity, uses, cultural importance, and conservation status of MPs in Sheikh District, while examining patterns of knowledge transmission, utilization, and threats, including cross-cultural comparisons with other Somali and East African regions.

Methods: Ethnobotanical information was collected using semi-structured interviews, guided field walks, and focus group discussions with 106 informants, including traditional healers, elders, and other community members. Quantitative indices Jaccard Similarity Index (JI), Rahman's Similarity Index (RSI), Informant Consensus Factor (ICF), Fidelity Level (FL), preference ranking, and direct matrix ranking were employed to assess species importance, agreement, and multifunctionality. Statistical analyses conducted in R evaluated variation in knowledge across socio-demographic groups.

Results: A total of 54 medicinal plant species, representing 33 families, were recorded for treating ailments including gastrointestinal disorders, respiratory infections, malaria, diabetes, and dermatological and ocular conditions. Vachellia bussei (Harms ex Y.Sjöstedt) Kyal. & Boatwr., Balanites aegyptiaca var. aegyptiaca, and Melia azedarach L. exhibited the highest FL values (94%), while gastrointestinal and parasitic disorders showed the highest ICF (0.77), indicating strong consensus. Oral administration was the predominant route of use. Multipurpose species such as Vachellia spp. and Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehnh. faced high anthropogenic pressure due to fuelwood and construction demands. Knowledge was mainly transmitted orally, with older, male, and less formally educated informants demonstrating significantly greater expertise (P < 0.05). Cross-cultural comparison highlighted both locally unique uses and overlaps with ethnomedicinal practices in neighboring regions.

Conclusion: MPs in Sheikh District are critical not only for healthcare but also for food security, cultural continuity, and environmental sustainability. Urgent actions are recommended for conservation, sustainable harvesting, and systematic documentation of indigenous knowledge. Prioritizing pharmacological validation of culturally significant species can further support community health, biodiversity conservation, and policy development for sustainable management.

Background: Keeping wild birds in captivity by rural communities in the Brazilian semiarid region represents a complex blend of cultural heritage and conservation challenges, with birds playing a central role in local traditions and belief systems. Ethno-ornithological approaches offer essential insights into local knowledge systems, including the symbolic meanings attributed to birds and the impact of these practices on wild populations. Such research can inform biocultural conservation strategies that reconcile cultural valuation with biodiversity protection.

Methods: This study examined human-bird interactions in a rural community located in the buffer zone Parnaíba Headwaters National Park in Piauí. Using an emic ethno-ornithological approach, we analyzed the typological categories of bird use, with particular emphasis on captivity by affection. We employed a mixed-method approach to categorize bird use and document participants' perceptions of human-bird relationships. We compiled a list of species reported by participants, supplemented by rapid sampling.

Results: We identified eight typological categories of bird use, including species commonly captive such as Sicalis columbiana and Brotogeris chiriri. Historically, local participants reported certain parrot species as food resources. Species from Tinamidae, Icteridae, and Thraupidae were frequently associated with "capture/hunting" practices. Ethnobiological indices indicated high cultural significance for Ara ararauna, while several other species showed strong associations with intensity of use. The results reveal how affective, symbolic, and ecological values shape local practices, generating both cultural continuity and conservation tensions.

Conclusion: The Santa Rosa community demonstrates a deep ecocultural connection with local birdlife. The practice of affectionate captivity influences the community's daily life and underscores the richness of local ethnoecological knowledge. Although primarily driven by emotional motivations, this practice generates critical tension that may jeopardize wild bird population stability and the intergenerational transmission of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) within the community. These findings contribute to current debates on biocultural conservation, particularly regarding the complex role of TEK in human-avian relationships.

Background: Hybrid knowledge systems are central to community negotiations of environmental, social, and epistemic pressures. In multilingual borderland areas, interactions between local ecological knowledge (LEK), formal, and popular knowledge systems remain underexplored, despite their importance for the persistence and transformation of medicinal plant use today.

Methods: We conducted 67 semi-structured interviews and participant observation in 21 rural settlements of the Vilnius region (Lithuania), an area bordering Belarus, focusing on the two largest local groups, Lithuanians (LT) and Poles (PL). Detailed Use Reports (n = 1446) on medicinal plant use were coded by the origin of knowledge, classified as local, formal, or popular, and the degree of hybridisation was quantified using the Shannon-Wiener diversity index and hybridisation metrics. Sociodemographic variables (age, gender, education, and multilingualism) were tested for associations with hybridisation using Spearman's ρ and Student's t-tests.

Results: A total of 139 medicinal taxa were recorded, of which 68 (49%) were shared between the two groups. Overall, recorded medicinal plant knowledge remained primarily grounded in LEK, sustained through intergenerational transmission. Compared with PL, LT interviewees drew on a broader mix of knowledge-origin domains (H' = 0.97 vs 0.52) and combined them more often (HD = 0.195 vs 0.059). In total, 39 taxa showed hybrid use, predominantly in the LT group. Hybridisation was negatively associated with age but positively correlated with the number of listed plants and their reported uses, while multilingualism showed a near-significant positive trend.

Conclusions: The study suggests that medicinal plant knowledge has evolved here through hybridisation, a process whose consequences are context-dependent, offering opportunities for revitalisation but also a risk of displacement. Dialogic exchanges across families, communities, languages, and media expand people's plant repertoire and strengthen community adaptive capacity. Yet when these exchanges lead to excessive standardisation, they risk eroding the diversity of local traditions. Ethnobotanical research must therefore go beyond documenting popular and formal knowledge sources to interrogate how linguistic and sociopolitical contexts condition the emergence of hybrid knowledge systems, privileging certain forms while rendering others transformed or marginalised.

Background: Local flora have played a vital role in human survival and cultural expression. Tehsil Gujrat, Punjab, Pakistan, possesses a rich plant diversity due to its favourable climatic conditions. However, traditional knowledge regarding these resources, particularly for ritual and cultural significance remains unexplored. This study aimed to document this traditional knowledge, providing evidence-based data utilized by the local community of Tehsil Gujrat.

Methods: Ethnobotanical information was collected through structured and semi-structured interviews and questionnaires platform. Demographic information of the study area was recorded from 160 inhabitants. Quantitative indices were employed for the calculation of Use Value (UV), Relative Frequency of Citation (RFC), Informants Consensus Factor (ICF) and Fidelity Level (FL). To assess the uniqueness of the data, cultural similarities were compared with neighbouring regions using Novel Percentage (NP) and Jaccard Index (JI).

Results: A total of 99 plant species belonging to 39 families were documented, with herbs (58 species) dominating the life forms. Demographic analysis revealed a diverse informant pool, 62.5% Punjabi speakers, 92.5% Muslims and 7.5% Christians with housewives (26.88%) constituting the largest occupational group. Of the documented flora, 61 species were used for medicinal purposes, primarily for digestive, respiratory and skin disorders. Glycyrrhiza glabra L. and Ocimum sanctum L. were frequently cited for respiratory ailments. Significantly, the study highlighted distinct ritual applications for seven species. Albizia lebbeck (L.) Benth leaves were ritually hung at home entrance to protect newborns from the Evil Eye, while Ziziphus jujuba Mill. Leaves were integral to Islamic funeral rites (Ghusl). Ficus religiosa Forssk was identified as a botanical marker of sanctity near shrines, where as Ocimum sanctum L. was exclusively regarded as sacred by the local Christians community. Cultural uses included 8 species for festival, 12 for fuel and 7 for fodder. Quantitative analysis indicated Nerium oleander L. had the highest Use Value (1.17), while Achyranthes aspera L. showed the highest RFC (0.017). The highest ICF (0.44) was recorded for cardiovascular disorders. Comparative analysis showed the highest similarity (JI = 0.506) with broader Gujrat District and highest NP (56.14%).

Conclusion: Tehsil Gujrat harbors a dynamic reservoir of ethnobotanical knowledge where local flora serves as a bridge between healthcare, spiritual protection and material culture. This study confirmed that while medicinal uses are widespread, specific ritual and cultural applications are preserved through distinct intra-cultural variations in age, gender and religious identity.

Background: Chemo is an indigenous hot beverage prepared from coffee leaves and traditionally consumed in Tepi Town, Southwestern Ethiopia. Although it is widely embedded in everyday life and local food traditions, systematic documentation of its preparation practices and socio-cultural roles has been limited. This study aimed to document the traditional preparation methods and ingredient composition of Chemo and to describe its perceived cultural, social, and livelihood-related roles within the local community.

Methods: A mixed-methods ethnobotanical and socio-cultural study was conducted from August to October 2025 across eight sites in Tepi Town. Data were collected from 64 households and 16 key informants using semi-structured interviews, participant observation, focus group discussions, and free-listing. Botanical specimens were collected, identified, and deposited at the Mizan-Tepi University Herbarium. Quantitative data were summarized using descriptive statistics, while qualitative data were analyzed thematically, focusing on recurring narratives and observed practices.

Results: Coffee leaves (Coffea arabica L.) were consistently identified as the core ingredient of Chemo, with households adding a range of locally available herbs and spices, including Ocimum basilicum L., Lippia abyssinica (Otto & A. Dietr.) Cufod., Zingiber officinale Roscoe, and Capsicum frutescens L. Preparation typically involved roasting or heating the leaves, grinding, and boiling, followed by the addition of butter, salt, and spices. Participants described Chemo as commonly served to guests, shared during communal activities, and consumed for perceived warming and restorative effects. Women were identified as the primary practitioners responsible for preparation and knowledge transmission. Reported challenges included seasonal shortages of ingredients, hygiene-related constraints, and limited market opportunities.

Conclusion: The findings show that Chemo remains an important element of local food practices in Tepi Town, valued for its role in hospitality, daily social interaction, and household use. While the study does not quantify nutritional or economic outcomes, it provides ethnographic evidence of Chemo's cultural relevance and continued practice. Further research integrating chemical analysis, standardized socio-economic data, and comparative ethnobotanical perspectives is needed to better assess its functional properties and broader development potential.