Historical versus contemporary medicinal plant uses in Ghana

Soelberg, Jens; Asase, Alex; Akwetey, G.; Jäger, Anna K.

doi:10.1016/j.jep.2014.11.036

Cited by 45 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…Traditional doctors and herbalists in Ghana explained that the four excipients were used: (1) as a way to increase the effect of the medicine, (2) as a way to make the medicine more palatable, (3) as a way to preserve the activity of the medicinal preparation over time or (4) as a way to increase the susceptibility of the body to the medicine (Soelberg et al, 2015).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…are used for drinking when the blood flux (dysentery) is not too serious (Schumacher, 1827). Many of these traditional uses from the 19th century of A. melegueta, as an excipient in herbal mixtures, are still in use today (Soelberg et al, 2015). Leaves and stem bark of A. melegueta are mixed with Erythrophleum ivorense, Anopyxis klaineana, Cocos nucifera, Turraeanthus africanus, Alstonia boonei and the root of Annona muricata and the mixture smeared on the body for use against malaria (Asase et al, 2012).…”

Section: Traditional Uses Of the Four Plant Excipientsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It has been described how plant medicine in Ghana is administered together with other herbal ingredients (Abbiw, 1990;Schumacher, 1827;Soelberg et al, 2015). These ingredients include Aframomum melegueta, Piper guineense, Xylopia aethiopica and Monodora myristica (Abbiw, 1990).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These ingredients include Aframomum melegueta, Piper guineense, Xylopia aethiopica and Monodora myristica (Abbiw, 1990). In a comprehensive research of historical and contemporary medicinal plant uses in Ghana, which included interviews with local traditional doctors and herbalists, respondents explained the use of plant excipients in four different ways: (1) as a way to increase the effect of the medicine, (2) as a way to make the medicine more palatable, (3) as a way to preserve the activity of the medicinal preparation over time or (4) as a way to increase the susceptibility of the body to the medicine (Soelberg et al, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Medicinal plants used as excipients in the history in Ghanaian herbal medicine

Freiesleben

Soelberg

Jäger

2015

Journal of Ethnopharmacology

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Traditional Uses Of the Four Plant Excipientsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Medicinal plants used as excipients in the history in Ghanaian herbal medicine

Freiesleben

Soelberg

Jäger

2015

Journal of Ethnopharmacology

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“…The antacid study of the medicinal plant Laportea aestuans (L.) Chew (Urticaceae) is a part of a larger research collaboration, which is aimed at examining 'forgotten medicinal plants' in Ghana (Soelberg et al, 2015). In 1817, Henry Tedlie, participating in Bowdich's expedition from the Cape Coast to the Ashanti capital Kumasi, recorded that L. aestuans was used as an antacid (Bowdich, 1819).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Antacid activity of Laportea aestuans (L.) Chew

Christensen

Soelberg

Jäger

2015

Journal of Ethnopharmacology

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The importance of the continuity of practice: Ethnobotany of Kihnu island (Estonia) from 1937 to 2021

Sõukand,

Kalle,

Prakofjewa

et al. 2023

Plants People Planet

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Societal Impact StatementLocal knowledge is highly endangered in the modern world, and therefore, it is important to understand the factors contributing to the preservation of biocultural diversity. Three major aspects were identified: continuity of the practice, support for the ritual related to the use, and external acknowledgment of the local use by an authoritative source. Moreover, strong centralization of current local knowledge in institutionalized domains (ethnomedicine) was identified, which has excluded unacknowledged or officially unapproved local knowledge from circulation. The inclusion of local ecological knowledge as a practice in school curricula and the highlighting of local historical uses in herbals and popularizing activities are recommended.Summary Plant use in local communities changes over time along with changing social, political, economic, and environmental conditions. The study aimed to understand the factors influencing the continuity of certain interactions between plants and people. To understand the drivers of resilience of the use of local flora, the historical (1930s) and current (2021) uses of plants on the small island of Kihnu in Estonia were compared, and the resilient uses were identified. Use resilience depended on the use domain. While the ethnoveterinary domain completely disappeared, the most resilient uses were those related to ritual (religious) activities, with 75% being retained (6 of 8 taxa used historically). This was followed by the wild food plant domain, in which 66% of taxa (21 of 32) have been retained, along with the highest proportion of taxa‐use combinations (57%, 21 of 37). Historically the largest domain, ethnomedicine showed low resilience: 18 of 73 taxa have been retained, with only eight emic (or local) plant uses (PU). Moreover, we observed that 75% of the retained emic PU (6 out of 8) were supported by a centralized medical system, while this proportion was 87% for current uses and only 15% for interrupted uses that were promoted or acknowledged in centralized herbals. As the most important aspects influencing the resilience of plant use are the continuity of practice, ritualization, and external support for usage, the inclusion of local ecological knowledge as a practice in school curricula and the highlighting of local historical uses in herbals and popularizing activities are strongly recommended.

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Historical versus contemporary medicinal plant uses in Ghana

Cited by 45 publications

References 5 publications

Medicinal plants used as excipients in the history in Ghanaian herbal medicine

Medicinal plants used as excipients in the history in Ghanaian herbal medicine

Antacid activity of Laportea aestuans (L.) Chew

The importance of the continuity of practice: Ethnobotany of Kihnu island (Estonia) from 1937 to 2021

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