Cultural Constructions of Efficacy

Human Taste and Cognition in Tzeltal Maya Medicinal Plant Use

“…Instead, characteristics of plants may help guide traditional experimentation and "discovery" of beneficial phytochemicals (Brett 1994, Etkin 1988, Foster 1994. The way plants taste, especially if bitter, may serve as such a guide (Brett 1994, Johns 1990).…”

“…These results suggest that taste is one of several personal and cultural mnemonic devices, along with visual characteristics, past experiences, and intangible cultural assignations such as hot/cold qualities, 4 used to manage information about medicinal plants. 3 The most widely known cultural interpretation of visual characteristics is often referred to as the doctrine of signatures (Etkin 1988, Foster 1994. For example, plants that have red sap may be considered appropriate to treat bloodrelated illnesses, leaves shaped like kidneys to treat kidneys, etc.…”

Medicinal Plant Use as an Adaptive Strategy in the Bolivian Andes: Evidence from the Quechua Community of Apillapampa

“…These perceptions are mostly based on fi rsthand experiences and may have a pharmacological basis, but perceptions can also be heavily in fl uenced by social persuasion (Casagrande 2002 ) or may represent "cultural constructs of ef fi cacy" (Etkin 1988 ) whereby direct biomedical correlations can be absent. Here I argue how the problematic approach of emically guided testing of the ef fi cacy of plant species in mixtures is expected to contribute to an increase in the number of different medicinal plant species used to treat particular health conditions in Apillapampa.…”

How Can Ethnobotany Contribute to the History of Western Herbal Medicine? A Mesoamerican Answer

“…However, in many cultures other physical signs such as fever, salivation or emesis (proximate outcomes) are also important, as they indicate that the plant has initiated the healing process. 39 In other medical systems, the alleviation of physical symptoms is not enough. Chinese-style doctors have been known to tell patients that they are still ill, even when they experience complete alleviation of physical symptoms.…”

“…Whether one chooses to adopt an emic or etic perspective, an important gauge of the eicacy of herbal medicines is related to their physiological efects. 37 In the context of Western science, biochemical assays are a common irst step in determining the eicacy of medicinal plants. Such an exercise is used to identify physiologic responses to treatment.…”