The importance of weeds in ethnopharmacology

Stepp, John Richard; Moerman, Daniel E.

doi:10.1016/s0378-8741(00)00385-8

Cited by 325 publications

(248 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…These results support the growing consensus regarding the importance of disturbance landscapes in the provision of medicinal remedies ([Balée, 1994], [Voeks, 1996], [Voeks, 2004], [Alexiades, 1999], [Stepp and Moerman, 2001] and [Gavin, 2009]). The medicinal usefulness of moderately humanized landscapes is often explained through the fact that disturbance pharmacopoeias combine optimal foraging features with the natural distribution of promising plant-derived compounds ( [Voeks, 1996], [Voeks, 2004] and [Thomas and Van Damme, 2010]).…”

Section: Life Form and Habitatsupporting

confidence: 86%

“…Various authors have linked the popularity of herbs in traditional medicine to their higher likeliness to contain bioactive phytochemicals as compared to woody growth forms (e.g. [Stepp and Moerman, 2001] and [Voeks, 2004]). In addition, herbs are often more accessible to people and therefore have a higher chance of being used in traditional medicine (Thomas and Van Damme, 2010).…”

Section: Life Form and Habitatmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In other words: the better a species is known from its prevalence, the higher the probability that people will ascribe medicinal uses to it. In addition, the chemical defence strategy of disturbance plants has a higher potential of providing effective and promissory therapeutics for humans ( [Stepp and Moerman, 2001] and [Voeks, 2004]). …”

Section: Life Form and Habitatmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Ethnomedicinal practices and medicinal plant knowledge of the Yuracarés and Trinitarios from Indigenous Territory and National Park Isiboro-Sécure, Bolivian Amazon

Thomas

Semo²,

Morales³

et al. 2011

Journal of Ethnopharmacology

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Aim of the studyWe investigated the ethnomedical practices and knowledge of medicinal plant and fungus species of contemporary Yuracaré and Trinitario ethnic groups from Indigenous Territory and National Park Isiboro-Sécure (TIPNIS), located in the Bolivian Amazon region. Our aim was to identify the culturally most significant medicinal plant families, growth forms and species, as well as to assess the current state of knowledge regarding the bioactivity of the most important species, based on available literature data. Materials and methodsMedicinal plant and fungus species were inventoried during homegarden and swidden sampling, walk-in-the-woods and transect sampling. Data on medicinal uses were obtained from 12 Yuracaré and 14 Trinitario participants. ResultsWe commence by providing a brief overview of Yuracaré and Trinitario ethnomedical systems, highlighting the important shamanistic component of particularly Trinitario traditional medicine. The rest of the paper is dedicated to an analysis and discussion based on the 349 inventoried medicinal plant and fungus species. Contingency table and binomial analyses of medicinal plants used versus the total number of inventoried species per family showed that several plant families are significantly over (Piperaceae, Araceae, Solanaceae, Asteraceae and Siparunaceae) and underused (Chrysobalanaceae, Sapotaceae, Lauraceae, Celastraceae and Annonaceae) in traditional medicine in TIPNIS. Also herbaceous plants are significantly overrepresented in the medicinal plant inventory, which is in line with relevant literature. Our ranking of medicinal species according to cultural significance is based on the Quality Use Agreement Value (QUAV) index we developed and presented in a previous paper. Results indicate that the QUAV index's property to mainly select species that combine multiple ethnomedical uses with high informant consensus, justifies its use as a measure of cultural significance of medicinal plants in TIPNIS. Results of a literature search suggest, on the other hand, that the QUAVs score of a species could also be indicative of its bioactivity. ConclusionsIn addition to the QUAV index's value as a tool for assessing the cultural significance of medicinal species, it might also be useful to identify species with a higher likeliness of being bioactive. Graphical abstract AimIdentify culturally most significant medicinal plant families, growth forms and species of Yuracaré and Trinitario from Bolivian Amazon. Materials and methodsMedicinal species collected during walk-in-the-woods, in homegardens, swiddens, and transects. Medicinal uses recorded from 26 Yuracaré and Trinitario participants. Results• Traditional medicine has shamanistic and empirical components.• New index Quality Use Agreement Value' could be indicative of bioactivity plant.Full-size image (26K)

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Section: Life Form and Habitatsupporting

confidence: 86%

Section: Life Form and Habitatmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Life Form and Habitatmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Ethnomedicinal practices and medicinal plant knowledge of the Yuracarés and Trinitarios from Indigenous Territory and National Park Isiboro-Sécure, Bolivian Amazon

Thomas

Semo²,

Morales³

et al. 2011

Journal of Ethnopharmacology

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“…This was similarly demonstrated by other studies (Stepp & Moerman 2001, Voeks 1996. These results highlight the importance for the maintenance of slash-and-burn agriculture environment mosaics (Siminski & Fantini 2007), where croplands, capoeiras, and native vegetation can be found within the same space.…”

supporting

confidence: 86%

Participatory Approaches and Conservation of Medicinal Plants: Identifying priority species in the community of Areais da Ribanceira (Brazil)

Zank

Hanazaki²,

Mello³

2015

Ethnobot. Res. App.

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Using a participatory approach, we aimed to identify medicinal conservation priority plant species in a region where a sustainable conservation area is being proposed. Local farmers consensually selected 10 ethno-species represented by 11 scientific species (Calea uniflora Less., Equisetum giganteum L., Aristolochia triangularis Cham., Zollernia ilicifolia (Brongn.) Vogel, Maytenus ilicifolia Mart. ex Reissek, Stachytarpheta cayennensis (Rich.) Vahl, Mikania laevigata Sch.Bip. ex Baker, Achyrocline satureioides (Lam.) DC., Lepidium didymum L., Dioscorea altissima Lam., and Picrasma crenata Engl. in Engl. & Prantl), which were the focus of two participatory tools: four-cell analysis and matrix of plants and environments. Most plants were classified as having high environmental availability and as being under intense extraction pressure. Both natural areas (restinga and hillside forest) and cultivated areas (croplands and homegardens) are important for the acquisition of native medicinal plants. This participatory process tends to facilitate the incorporation of research results by the community, according to its local demands, as well as allowing for a collective learning experience. The use of a participatory approach also allowed the gradual increase in the awareness of the community related to their medicinal plants, contributing to their own decisions about the management and conservation of these resources. IntroductionIncorporation of traditional knowledge and involvement of local communities on in-situ biodiversity conservation strategies have been advancing significantly. Local development and research participatory methodologies are fundamental in this process (De Boef & Thijssen 2007, Gaventa & Cornwall 2006 for conservation in the last decades, promoting the use of local knowledge in conservation actions (Albuquerque 2010, Hanazaki et al. 2010. Much of local participation in ethnobotanical studies is still dedicated to data collection and validation, rarely focusing on concerns with local demands such as empowering communities for resource management . In order to collaborate with the process of community empowerment, it is necessary that the researcher begin to act more as a facilitator in participatory learning systems, letting go of the control in research development and allowing for the participation, action, and reflection from the communities studied (Geilfus 2008).Among biodiversity recognized and managed by local populations, medicinal plants are highlighted for their species richness (Begossi et al. 2002, Chowdhury & Koike 2010, Fonseca-Kruel & Peixoto 2004) and for their importance in the maintenance of community health. Considering the value of these species as a therapeutic resource and a source of economic revenue, it is important to carry out investigations on local actions and reflections, aiming to conciliate the use and conservation of species to social development and well-being.Protected areas (PA) of sustainable use allow for the conciliation of biodiversity conservation an...

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“…Similarly, Gazzaneo et al (2005) noticed the preference of local specialists for using medicinal plants from anthropogenic zones in the Atlantic Forest of northeastern Brazil. The highland Maya people of Chiapas, Mexico, rely almost exclusively on disturbed areas for medicinal plants, even in communities adjacent to primary forest (Stepp 2000 cited in Stepp and Moerman 2001). Voek (2004) reported that, compared to the biological diversity in old-growth forests, disturbed areas are floristically simpler and thus easier to comprehend.…”

Section: Sources Of Medicinal Plantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Use of plants in healthcare: a traditional ethno-medicinal practice in rural areas of southeastern Bangladesh

Chowdhury

Koike

Muhammed

et al. 2009

International Journal of Biodiversity Science & Management

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This study considered traditional ethno-medicinal practices of rural people of Feni district, Bangladesh, focusing on their utilization of medicinal plants and associated indigenous knowledge. Ninety households were interviewed using a semistructured questionnaire. Plant resources are used to treat 26 different ailments ranging from simple cuts to diabetes. In total, 46 medicinal plants are as used, of which a third are trees. Homesteads are the primary source and few medicinal plants are cultivated. Aboveground plant parts are most used, particularly leaves. The diverse patterns of use of different medicinal plant parts shows the considerable indigenous knowledge of rural people and is generally widely available.

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The importance of weeds in ethnopharmacology

Cited by 325 publications

References 14 publications

Ethnomedicinal practices and medicinal plant knowledge of the Yuracarés and Trinitarios from Indigenous Territory and National Park Isiboro-Sécure, Bolivian Amazon

Ethnomedicinal practices and medicinal plant knowledge of the Yuracarés and Trinitarios from Indigenous Territory and National Park Isiboro-Sécure, Bolivian Amazon

Participatory Approaches and Conservation of Medicinal Plants: Identifying priority species in the community of Areais da Ribanceira (Brazil)

Use of plants in healthcare: a traditional ethno-medicinal practice in rural areas of southeastern Bangladesh

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