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Pironon S, Ondo I, Diazgranados M, Allkin R, Baquero AC, Cámara-Leret R, Canteiro C, Dennehy-Carr Z, Govaerts R, Hargreaves S, Hudson AJ, Lemmens R, Milliken W, Nesbitt M, Patmore K, Schmelzer G, Turner RM, van Andel TR, Ulian T, Antonelli A, Willis KJ. Safeguard stewards of biodiversity knowledge-Response. Science 2024; 385:506. [PMID: 39088623 DOI: 10.1126/science.adp6014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/03/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- S Pironon
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK
| | - I Ondo
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK
- UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre, Cambridge, UK
| | - M Diazgranados
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK
- New York Botanical Garden, New York, NY, USA
| | - R Allkin
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK
| | - A C Baquero
- UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre, Cambridge, UK
| | - R Cámara-Leret
- Department of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - C Canteiro
- Global Center for Species Survival, Indianapolis Zoo, Indianapolis, IN, USA
- International Union for Conservation of Nature Species Survival Commission, Gland, Switzerland
| | - Z Dennehy-Carr
- Herbarium, School of Biological Sciences, University of Reading, Whiteknights, UK
| | - R Govaerts
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK
| | - S Hargreaves
- Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Lancaster, UK
| | - A J Hudson
- Botanic Gardens Conservation International, Richmond, UK
| | - R Lemmens
- Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - W Milliken
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Wakehurst, Ardingly, UK
| | - M Nesbitt
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK
- Department of Geography, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, UK
- Institute of Archaeology, University College London, London, UK
| | - K Patmore
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK
| | - G Schmelzer
- Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - R M Turner
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK
| | - T R van Andel
- Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, Netherlands
- Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - T Ulian
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Wakehurst, Ardingly, UK
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - A Antonelli
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK
- Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre, Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - K J Willis
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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Cámara-Leret R, Bascompte J. Language extinction triggers the loss of unique medicinal knowledge. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:e2103683118. [PMID: 34103398 PMCID: PMC8214696 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2103683118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Over 30% of the 7,400 languages in the world will no longer be spoken by the end of the century. So far, however, our understanding of whether language extinction may result in the loss of linguistically unique knowledge remains limited. Here, we ask to what degree indigenous knowledge of medicinal plants is associated with individual languages and quantify how much indigenous knowledge may vanish as languages and plants go extinct. Focusing on three regions that have a high biocultural diversity, we show that over 75% of all 12,495 medicinal plant services are linguistically unique-i.e., only known to one language. Whereas most plant species associated with linguistically unique knowledge are not threatened, most languages that report linguistically unique knowledge are. Our finding of high uniqueness in indigenous knowledge and strong coupling with threatened languages suggests that language loss will be even more critical to the extinction of medicinal knowledge than biodiversity loss.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodrigo Cámara-Leret
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Jordi Bascompte
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
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Bond MO, Gaoue OG. Prestige and homophily predict network structure for social learning of medicinal plant knowledge. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0239345. [PMID: 33031437 PMCID: PMC7544085 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0239345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2020] [Accepted: 09/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Human subsistence societies have thrived in environmental extremes while maintaining biodiversity through social learning of ecological knowledge, such as techniques to prepare food and medicine from local resources. However, there is limited understanding of which processes shape social learning patterns and configuration in ecological knowledge networks, or how these processes apply to resource management and biological conservation. In this study, we test the hypothesis that the prestige (rarity or exclusivity) of knowledge shapes social learning networks. In addition, we test whether people tend to select who to learn from based on prestige (knowledge or reputation), and homophily (e.g., people of the same age or gender). We used interviews to assess five types of medicinal plant knowledge and how 303 people share this knowledge across four villages in Solomon Islands. We developed exponential random graph models (ERGMs) to test whether hypothesized patterns of knowledge sharing based on prestige and homophily are more common in the observed network than in randomly simulated networks of the same size. We found that prestige predicts five hypothesized network configurations and all three hypothesized learning patterns, while homophily predicts one of three hypothesized network configurations and five of the seven hypothesized learning patterns. These results compare the strength of different prestige and homophily effects on social learning and show how cultural practices such as intermarriage can affect certain aspects of prestige and homophily. By advancing our understanding of how prestige and homophily affect ecological knowledge networks, we identify which social learning patterns have the largest effects on biocultural conservation of ecological knowledge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew O. Bond
- Department of Botany, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Honolulu, Hawai‘i, United States of America
| | - Orou G. Gaoue
- Department of Botany, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Honolulu, Hawai‘i, United States of America
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee at Knoxville, Knoxville, Tennessee, United States of America
- Faculty of Agronomy, University of Parakou, Parakou, Benin
- Department of Geography, Environmental Management and Energy Studies, University of Johannesburg, APK Campus, Johannesburg, South Africa
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Nankaya J, Gichuki N, Lukhoba C, Balslev H. Medicinal Plants of the Maasai of Kenya: A Review. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2019; 9:E44. [PMID: 31892133 PMCID: PMC7020225 DOI: 10.3390/plants9010044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2019] [Revised: 12/10/2019] [Accepted: 12/22/2019] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The use of medicinal plants for treatment of humans and animals is entrenched in the Maasai culture and traditional knowledge related to it is passed on from one generation to the next. A handful of researchers have in the past decades documented this knowledge. No single study has documented medicinal plant uses of the Maasai community as a whole. This review provides a consolidated database of the diversity and uses of medicinal plants among the Maasai in Kenya. The study will help conserve traditional medicinal plant knowledge that is valuable for the development of modern medicine. Relevant information on medicinal plants used by the Maasai of Kenya was extracted from journals, books, M.Sc., and Ph.D. dissertations. We found evidence of 289 plant species used by the Maasai of Kenya in traditional medicine. Most species were used to treat health conditions in the categories gastrointestinal and respiratory system disorders. The most used families were Leguminosae, Asteraceae, Malvaceae, Euphorbiaceae, and Lamiaceae. Medicines were commonly prepared as a decoction and administered through oral ingestion, with roots reported to be the preferred plant part for medication. The Maasai preference for roots compared to other plant parts may be unsustainable and could threaten species availability in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jedidah Nankaya
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nairobi, P.O. Box 30197-00100 Nairobi, Kenya; (J.N.); (N.G.); (C.L.)
- School of Natural Resources and Animal Sciences, Maasai Mara University, P.O Box 861-20500 Narok, Kenya
| | - Nathan Gichuki
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nairobi, P.O. Box 30197-00100 Nairobi, Kenya; (J.N.); (N.G.); (C.L.)
| | - Catherine Lukhoba
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nairobi, P.O. Box 30197-00100 Nairobi, Kenya; (J.N.); (N.G.); (C.L.)
| | - Henrik Balslev
- Department of Bioscience—Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Aarhus University, Build. 1540, Ny Munkegade 116, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
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Cámara-Leret R, Fortuna MA, Bascompte J. Indigenous knowledge networks in the face of global change. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:9913-9918. [PMID: 31043567 PMCID: PMC6525496 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1821843116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Indigenous communities rely extensively on plants for food, shelter, and medicine. It is still unknown, however, to what degree their survival is jeopardized by the loss of either plant species or knowledge about their services. To fill this gap, here we introduce indigenous knowledge networks describing the wisdom of indigenous people on plant species and the services they provide. Our results across 57 Neotropical communities show that cultural heritage is as important as plants for preserving indigenous knowledge both locally and regionally. Indeed, knowledge networks collapse as fast when plant species are driven extinct as when cultural diffusion, either within or among communities, is lost. But it is the joint loss of plant species and knowledge that erodes these networks at a much higher rate. Our findings pave the road toward integrative policies that recognize more explicitly the inseparable links between cultural and biological heritage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodrigo Cámara-Leret
- Identification and Naming Department, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond TW9 3AE, United Kingdom;
| | - Miguel A Fortuna
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Jordi Bascompte
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
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Barrett CF, McKain MR, Sinn BT, Ge XJ, Zhang Y, Antonelli A, Bacon CD. Ancient Polyploidy and Genome Evolution in Palms. Genome Biol Evol 2019; 11:1501-1511. [PMID: 31028709 PMCID: PMC6535811 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evz092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Mechanisms of genome evolution are fundamental to our understanding of adaptation and the generation and maintenance of biodiversity, yet genome dynamics are still poorly characterized in many clades. Strong correlations between variation in genomic attributes and species diversity across the plant tree of life suggest that polyploidy or other mechanisms of genome size change confer selective advantages due to the introduction of genomic novelty. Palms (order Arecales, family Arecaceae) are diverse, widespread, and dominant in tropical ecosystems, yet little is known about genome evolution in this ecologically and economically important clade. Here, we take a phylogenetic comparative approach to investigate palm genome dynamics using genomic and transcriptomic data in combination with a recent, densely sampled, phylogenetic tree. We find conclusive evidence of a paleopolyploid event shared by the ancestor of palms but not with the sister clade, Dasypogonales. We find evidence of incremental chromosome number change in the palms as opposed to one of recurrent polyploidy. We find strong phylogenetic signal in chromosome number, but no signal in genome size, and further no correlation between the two when correcting for phylogenetic relationships. Palms thus add to a growing number of diverse, ecologically successful clades with evidence of whole-genome duplication, sister to a species-poor clade with no evidence of such an event. Disentangling the causes of genome size variation in palms moves us closer to understanding the genomic conditions facilitating adaptive radiation and ecological dominance in an evolutionarily successful, emblematic tropical clade.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Xue-Jun Ge
- Key Laboratory of Plant Resources Conservation and Sustainable Utilization, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, PR China
| | - Yuqu Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Plant Resources Conservation and Sustainable Utilization, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, PR China
| | - Alexandre Antonelli
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Sweden
- Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre, Göteborg, Sweden
- Royal Botanical Gardens Kew, Richmond, United Kingdom
| | - Christine D Bacon
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Sweden
- Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre, Göteborg, Sweden
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Bussmann RW, Paniagua Zambrana NY, Romero C, Hart RE. Astonishing diversity-the medicinal plant markets of Bogotá, Colombia. JOURNAL OF ETHNOBIOLOGY AND ETHNOMEDICINE 2018; 14:43. [PMID: 29925407 PMCID: PMC6011411 DOI: 10.1186/s13002-018-0241-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2018] [Accepted: 05/31/2018] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Despite the importance of local markets as a source of medicinal plants in Colombia, comparatively little comparative research reports on the pharmacopoeiae sold. This stands in contrast to wealth of available information for other components of plant use in Colombia and other countries. The present provides a detailed inventory of the medicinal plant markets in the Bogotá metropolitan area, hypothesizing that the species composition, and medicinal applications, would differ across markets of the city. METHODS From December 2014 to February 2016, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 38 plant vendors in 24 markets in Bogotá in order to elucidate more details on plant usage and provenance. RESULTS In this study, we encountered 409 plant species belonging to 319 genera and 122 families. These were used for a total of 19 disease categories with 318 different applications. Both species composition and uses of species did show considerable differences across the metropolitan area-much higher in fact than we expected. CONCLUSIONS The present study indicated a very large species and use diversity of medicinal plants in the markets of Bogotá, with profound differences even between markets in close proximity. This might be explained by the great differences in the origin of populations in Bogotá, the floristic diversity in their regions of origin, and their very distinct plant use knowledge and preferences that are transferred to the markets through customer demand. Our study clearly indicated that studies in single markets cannot give an in-depth overview on the plant supply and use in large metropolitan areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rainer W. Bussmann
- Museo Nacional de Historia Natural, Calle Ovidio Suarez (26), Cota Cota, La Paz, Bolivia
| | - Narel Y. Paniagua Zambrana
- Herbario Nacional de Bolivia, Instituto de Ecología-UMSA, Campus Universitario, Cota Cota Calle 27, La Paz, Bolivia
| | - Carolina Romero
- William L. Brown Center, Missouri Botanical Garden, P.O. Box 299, St. Louis, MO 63166-0299 USA
| | - Robbie E. Hart
- William L. Brown Center, Missouri Botanical Garden, P.O. Box 299, St. Louis, MO 63166-0299 USA
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Odonne G, Houël E, Bourdy G, Stien D. Treating leishmaniasis in Amazonia: A review of ethnomedicinal concepts and pharmaco-chemical analysis of traditional treatments to inspire modern phytotherapies. JOURNAL OF ETHNOPHARMACOLOGY 2017; 199:211-230. [PMID: 28131912 DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2017.01.048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2016] [Revised: 01/23/2017] [Accepted: 01/24/2017] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE Cutaneous and mucocutaneous leishmaniasis are neglected tropical diseases that occur in all intertropical regions of the world. Amazonian populations have developed an abundant knowledge of the disease and its remedies. Therefore, we undertook to review traditional antileishmanial plants in Amazonia and have developed new tools to analyze this somewhat dispersed information. MATERIAL AND METHODS A literature review of traditional remedies for cutaneous/mucocutaneous leishmaniasis in the Amazon was conducted and the data obtained was used to calculate distribution indexes designed to highlight the most relevant uses in Amazonia. The cultural distribution index represents the distribution rate of a given taxon among different cultural groups and was calculated as the ratio of the number of groups using the taxon to the total number of groups cited. The geographical distribution index allowed us to quantify spatial distribution of a taxon's uses in Amazonia and was calculated geometrically by measuring the average distance between the points where uses have been reported and the barycenter of those points. The general distribution index was defined as an arithmetic combination of the previous two and provides information on both cultural and spatial criteria. RESULTS 475 use reports, concerning 291 botanical species belonging to 83 families have been gathered depicted from 29 sources. Uses concern 34 cultural groups. While the use of some taxa appears to be Pan-Amazonian, some others are clearly restricted to small geographical regions. Particular attention has been paid to the recipes and beliefs surrounding treatments. Topical application of the remedies dominated the other means of administration and this deserves particular attention as the main treatments against Neotropical leishmaniasis are painful systemic injections. The data set was analyzed using the previously defined distribution indexes and the most relevant taxa were further discussed from a phytochemical and pharmacological point of view. CONCLUSIONS The Amazonian biodiversity and cultural heritage host a fantastic amount of data whose systematic investigation should allow a better large-scale understanding of the dynamics of traditional therapies and the consequent discovery of therapeutic solutions for neglected diseases. Distribution indices are indeed powerful tools for emphasizing the most relevant treatments against a given disease and should be very useful in the meta-analysis of other regional pharmacopeia. This focus on renowned remedies that have not yet benefitted from extended laboratory studies, could stimulate future research on new treatments of natural origin for leishmaniasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guillaume Odonne
- Laboratoire Ecologie, Evolution, Interactions des Systèmes Amazoniens (LEEISA), CNRS, Université de Guyane, IFREMER, 97300 Cayenne, France.
| | - Emeline Houël
- CNRS, UMR EcoFoG, AgroParisTech, Cirad, INRA, Université des Antilles, Université de Guyane, 97300 Cayenne, France
| | | | - Didier Stien
- Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, CNRS, Laboratoire de Biodiversité et Biotechnologies Microbiennes (LBBM), Observatoire Océanologique, Banyuls-sur-Mer, France
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Cámara-Leret R, Faurby S, Macía MJ, Balslev H, Göldel B, Svenning JC, Kissling WD, Rønsted N, Saslis-Lagoudakis CH. Fundamental species traits explain provisioning services of tropical American palms. NATURE PLANTS 2017; 3:16220. [PMID: 28112717 DOI: 10.1038/nplants.2016.220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2016] [Accepted: 12/15/2016] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
The well-being of the global human population rests on provisioning services delivered by 12% of the Earth's ∼400,000 plant species1. Plant utilization by humans is influenced by species traits2-4, but it is not well understood which traits underpin different human needs5. Here, we focus on palms (Arecaceae), one of the most economically important plant groups globally6, and demonstrate that provisioning services related to basic needs, such as food and medicine, show a strong link to fundamental functional and geographic traits. We integrate data from 2,201 interviews on plant utilization from three biomes in South America-spanning 68 communities, 43 ethnic groups and 2,221 plant uses-with a dataset of 4 traits (leaf length, stem volume, fruit volume, geographic range size) and a species-level phylogeny7. For all 208 palm species occurring in our study area, we test for relations between their traits and perceived value. We find that people preferentially use large, widespread species rather than small, narrow-ranged species, and that different traits are linked to different uses. Further, plant size and geographic range size are stronger predictors of ecosystem service realization for palm services related to basic human needs than less-basic needs (for example, ritual). These findings suggest that reliance on plant size and availability may have prevented our optimal realization of wild-plant services, since ecologically rare yet functionally important (for example, chemically) clades may have been overlooked. Beyond expanding our understanding of how local people use biodiversity in mega-diverse regions, our trait- and phylogeny-based approach helps to understand the processes that underpin ecosystem service realization, a necessary step to meet societal needs in a changing world with a growing human population5,8.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodrigo Cámara-Leret
- Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Søren Faurby
- Department of Biogeography and Global Change, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC, Calle José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Box 461, SE 405 30 Göteborg, Sweden
| | - Manuel J Macía
- Departamento de Biología, Área de Botánica, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Calle Darwin 2, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Henrik Balslev
- Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Bastian Göldel
- Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Jens-Christian Svenning
- Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - W Daniel Kissling
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED), University of Amsterdam, PO Box 94248, 1090 GE Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Nina Rønsted
- Evolutionary Genomics Section, Natural History Museum of Denmark, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Sølvgade 83S, 1307 Copenhagen K, Denmark
| | - C Haris Saslis-Lagoudakis
- Evolutionary Genomics Section, Natural History Museum of Denmark, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Sølvgade 83S, 1307 Copenhagen K, Denmark
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Souza ENF, Hawkins JA. Comparison of Herbarium Label Data and Published Medicinal Use: Herbaria as an Underutilized Source of Ethnobotanical Information. ECONOMIC BOTANY 2017; 71:1-12. [PMID: 28496281 PMCID: PMC5403864 DOI: 10.1007/s12231-017-9367-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2016] [Accepted: 01/18/2017] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
The use of herbarium specimens as vouchers to support ethnobotanical surveys is well established. However, herbaria may be underutilized resources for ethnobotanical research that depends on the analysis of large datasets compiled across multiple sites. Here, we compare two medicinal use datasets, one sourced from published papers and the other from online herbaria to determine whether herbarium and published data are comparable and to what extent herbarium specimens add new data and fill gaps in our knowledge of geographical extent of plant use. Using Brazilian legumes as a case study, we compiled 1400 use reports from 105 publications and 15 Brazilian herbaria. Of the 319 species in 107 genera with cited medicinal uses, 165 (51%) were recorded only in the literature and 55 (17%) only on herbarium labels. Mode of application, plant part used, or therapeutic use was less often documented by herbarium specimen labels (17% with information) than publications (70%). However, medicinal use of 21 of the 128 species known from only one report in the literature was substantiated from independently collected herbarium specimens, and 58 new therapeutic applications, 25 new plant parts, and 16 new modes of application were added for species known from the literature. Thus, when literature reports are few or information-poor, herbarium data can both validate and augment these reports. Herbarium data can also provide insights into the history and geographical extent of use that are not captured in publications.
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Affiliation(s)
- E. N. F. Souza
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Reading, Whiteknights, Reading, Berkshire RG6 6BX UK
| | - J. A. Hawkins
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Reading, Whiteknights, Reading, Berkshire RG6 6BX UK
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Gruca M, Blach-Overgaard A, Balslev H. African palm ethno-medicine. JOURNAL OF ETHNOPHARMACOLOGY 2015; 165:227-37. [PMID: 25749399 DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2015.02.050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2015] [Revised: 02/21/2015] [Accepted: 02/25/2015] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE This study is the first to demonstrate the breadth and patterns of the medicinal applications of African palms. It sheds light on species with the potential to provide new therapeutic agents for use in biomedicine; and links the gap between traditional use of palms and pharmacological evaluation for the beneficial effects of palm products on human health. Last but not least, the study provides recommendations for the areas that should be targeted in future ethno-botanical surveys. AIM OF THE STUDY The primary objective of this survey was to assemble all available ethno-medicinal data on African palms, and investigate patterns of palm uses in traditional medicine; and highlight possible under-investigated areas. MATERIALS AND METHODS References were found through bibliographic searches using several sources including PubMed, Embase, and Google Scholar and search engines of the State and University Libraries of Aarhus, National Library of Denmark and Copenhagen University Libraries, Harvard University Libraries, and the Mertz Library. Information about ethno-medicinal uses of palms was extracted and digitized in a database. Additionally, we used an African palm distribution database to compute the proportion of palm species that have been used for medicinal purposes in each country. RESULTS We found 782 medicinal uses mentioned in 156 references. At least 23 different palm species (some remained unidentified) were used medicinally in 35 out of Africa's 48 countries. The most commonly used species were Elaeis guineensis, Phoenix dactylifera, Cocos nucifera, and Borassus aethiopum. Medicinal uses were in 25 different use categories of which the most common ones were Infections/Infestations and Digestive System Disorders. Twenty-four different parts of the palms were used in traditional medicine, with most of the uses related to fruit (and palm oil), root, seed and leaf. Palms were used in traditional medicine mostly without being mixed with other plants, and less commonly in mixtures, sometimes in mixture with products of animal origin. Future ethno-botanical surveys should be directed at the central African region, because palm species richness (and plant species richness in general) is particularly high in this area, and only few ethno-botanical studies available have focused on this region. CONCLUSION The wide time span covered by our database (3500 years) shows that African palms have been used medicinally by many societies across the continent from time immemorial until today. Most medicinal use records for African palms were found in two categories that relate to most prevailing diseases and disorders in the region. By analyzing ethno-medicinal studies in one database we were able to demonstrate the value of palms in traditional medicine, and provide recommendations for the areas that should be targeted in future ethno-botanical surveys.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Gruca
- Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Anne Blach-Overgaard
- Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Henrik Balslev
- Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.
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