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Pombo Geertsma I, van der Linden CFH, Vickery R, van Andel TR. Why are plants named after witches and devils in north-western Europe? JOURNAL OF ETHNOPHARMACOLOGY 2024; 325:117804. [PMID: 38307353 DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2024.117804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2023] [Revised: 12/15/2023] [Accepted: 01/19/2024] [Indexed: 02/04/2024]
Abstract
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE Witches in Western Europe are associated with the use of medicinal, abortifacient, hallucinogenic, and toxic plants. Curiously, these associations are not backed up by first-hand evidence and historians are unconvinced that people convicted as witches were herbalists. Local plant names provide an untapped source for analysing witchcraft-plant relationships. AIM OF THE STUDY We analysed vernacular plant names indicating an association with witches and devils to find out why these species and witchcraft were linked. MATERIALS AND METHODS We constructed a database with vernacular names containing the terms witch and devil in related north-west European languages. The devil was added because of its association with witchcraft. The plant species' characteristics (e.g., medicinal use, toxicity) were assessed to determine if there were non-random associations between these traits and their names. RESULTS We encountered 1263 unique vernacular name-taxa combinations (425 plant taxa; 97 families). Most species named after witches and/or devils were found within the Asteraceae, Ranunculaceae, and Rosaceae. For Dutch, German and English we confirmed associations between witchcraft names and toxicity. Hallucinogenic plants do not appear to be associated with witch-names. For Dutch, we found significant associations between plant names and medicinal and apotropaic uses, although we did not find any association with abortifacient qualities. CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrates that there is a wide variety of plants associated with witches and the devil in north-western Europe. Plant names with the terms witch and devil were likely used in a pejorative manner to name toxic and weedy plants, and functioned as a warning for their harmful properties. Our study provides novel insights for research into the history of witchcraft and its associated plant species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabela Pombo Geertsma
- Quantitative Biodiversity Dynamics, Utrecht University Botanic Gardens, Utrecht University, 3508, TD, the Netherlands; Naturalis Biodiversity Center, PO Box, 2300 RA, Leiden, the Netherlands.
| | - Corné F H van der Linden
- Biosystematics Group, Wageningen University & Research, Droevendaalsesteeg 1, 6708, PB Wageningen, the Netherlands.
| | - Roy Vickery
- South London Botanical Institute, 323 Norwood Road, London, SE24 9AQ, United Kingdom.
| | - Tinde R van Andel
- Naturalis Biodiversity Center, PO Box, 2300 RA, Leiden, the Netherlands; Biosystematics Group, Wageningen University & Research, Droevendaalsesteeg 1, 6708, PB Wageningen, the Netherlands.
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Addi YW, Zhang Y, Ding XY, Guo CA, Wang YH. A study of the plant folk nomenclature of the Yi people in Xiaoliangshan, Yunnan Province, China, and the implications for protecting biodiversity. JOURNAL OF ETHNOBIOLOGY AND ETHNOMEDICINE 2022; 18:18. [PMID: 35292043 PMCID: PMC8925061 DOI: 10.1186/s13002-022-00504-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2021] [Accepted: 01/14/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Folk plant nomenclature is a part of knowledge of indigenous people often used to distinguish plant species. This study aimed to document the folk botanical nomenclature of the Yi people in Xiaoliangshan, Yunnan Province, which has not been systematically investigated to date. The results of this study will assist in conserving biodiversity and the language of the Yi people and will promote the transmission of ethnobotanical knowledge. METHODS An ethnobotanical survey of plants used by the Yi people in Xiaoliangshan, Yunnan Province, was conducted from September 2019 to August 2021. Semi-structured interviews and key informant interviews were conducted to collect and document ethnobotanical information, which was then used to analyse the folk botanical nomenclature of the Yi people. In addition, the folk names of plants used by the Xiaoliangshan Yi community were compared with those of the Yi people living in the Daliangshan, where the environment is considerably different. RESULTS In this study, 266 informants were interviewed, and the names of 228 indigenous plants were extracted from 3088 use reports. The nomenclature used by the local Yi people is based on plant characteristics, plant habitat, plant use, and the local culture. By comparing the folk plant names of the Yi people in Xiaoliangshan with those of the Yi people in Daliangshan, we found that the plant names of the two places have some similarities and also with their own unique characters. The important folk plant names of the Yi people in Xiaoliangshan usually have a monosyllable non-binomial structure or have and "divine attributes" in their names. CONCLUSIONS The Yi people in Xiaoliangshan have a rich and diverse knowledge of plant naming determined by cultural, and environmental factors. The botanical nomenclature of the Yi people has distinct rules and characteristics, and the plant naming directly includes important plants that they believe to be used and protected, which is of great significance to the protection of biodiversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi-Won Addi
- Yunnan Key Laboratory for Wild Plant Resources, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 132# Lanhei Road, Heilongtan, Kunming, 650201 Yunnan China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yu Zhang
- Yunnan Key Laboratory for Wild Plant Resources, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 132# Lanhei Road, Heilongtan, Kunming, 650201 Yunnan China
| | - Xiao-Yong Ding
- Yunnan Key Laboratory for Wild Plant Resources, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 132# Lanhei Road, Heilongtan, Kunming, 650201 Yunnan China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Chang-An Guo
- Yunnan Key Laboratory for Wild Plant Resources, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 132# Lanhei Road, Heilongtan, Kunming, 650201 Yunnan China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yu-Hua Wang
- Yunnan Key Laboratory for Wild Plant Resources, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 132# Lanhei Road, Heilongtan, Kunming, 650201 Yunnan China
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Moldovan C, Frumuzachi O, Babotă M, Menghini L, Cesa S, Gavan A, Sisea CR, Tanase C, Dias MI, Pereira C, Ferreira IC, Crișan G, Mocan A, Barros L. Development of an Optimized Drying Process for the Recovery of Bioactive Compounds from the Autumn Fruits of Berberis vulgaris L. and Crataegus monogyna Jacq. Antioxidants (Basel) 2021; 10:antiox10101579. [PMID: 34679714 PMCID: PMC8533465 DOI: 10.3390/antiox10101579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2021] [Revised: 09/26/2021] [Accepted: 09/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Hot air drying has proven to be an efficient method to preserve specific edible plant materials with medicinal properties. This is a process involving chemical, physical, and biological changes in plant matrices. Understanding these processes will lead to an improvement in the yields of bioactive compounds. This study aims to optimize the drying process of two species’ fruits used in folk medicine, Berberis vulgaris and Crataegus monogyna. The optimized extracts’ antioxidant capacity was assessed using various assays, with the barberry extract showing very good activity (50.85, 30.98, and 302.45 mg TE/g dw for DPPH, TEAC, and FRAP assays, respectively). Both species exerted good fungal α-glucosidase inhibitory activity (IC50 = 0.34 and 0.56 mg/mL, respectively) but no activity on mammalian α-glucosidase. Additionally, this study identified and quantified the main bioactive compounds. The results presented herein are a breakthrough in industrializing this drying process. Additional studies are necessary to mechanistically understand the drying process involved in these plant materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cadmiel Moldovan
- Faculty of Pharmacy, “Iuliu Hațieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 8 Victor Babeș Street, 400012 Cluj-Napoca, Romania; (C.M.); (O.F.); (M.B.); (A.G.); (G.C.)
| | - Oleg Frumuzachi
- Faculty of Pharmacy, “Iuliu Hațieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 8 Victor Babeș Street, 400012 Cluj-Napoca, Romania; (C.M.); (O.F.); (M.B.); (A.G.); (G.C.)
| | - Mihai Babotă
- Faculty of Pharmacy, “Iuliu Hațieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 8 Victor Babeș Street, 400012 Cluj-Napoca, Romania; (C.M.); (O.F.); (M.B.); (A.G.); (G.C.)
| | - Luigi Menghini
- Department of Pharmacy, Botanic Garden “Giardino dei Semplici”, Università Degli Studi “Gabriele d’Annunzio”, Via dei Vestini 31, 66100 Chieti, Italy;
| | - Stefania Cesa
- Department of Drug Chemistry and Technologies, University “Sapienza” of Rome, P.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy;
| | - Alexandru Gavan
- Faculty of Pharmacy, “Iuliu Hațieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 8 Victor Babeș Street, 400012 Cluj-Napoca, Romania; (C.M.); (O.F.); (M.B.); (A.G.); (G.C.)
| | - Cristian R. Sisea
- Laboratory of Chromatography, Institute of Advanced Horticulture Research of Transylvania, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania;
- Faculty of Horticulture, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Corneliu Tanase
- Faculty of Pharmacy, “George Emil Palade” University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Science and Technology, 38 Gheorghe Marinescu Street, 540142 Târgu-Mureș, Romania;
| | - Maria Inês Dias
- Centro de Investigação de Montanha (CIMO), Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Campus de Santa Apolónia, 5300-253 Bragança, Portugal; (M.I.D.); (C.P.); (I.C.F.R.F.); (L.B.)
| | - Carla Pereira
- Centro de Investigação de Montanha (CIMO), Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Campus de Santa Apolónia, 5300-253 Bragança, Portugal; (M.I.D.); (C.P.); (I.C.F.R.F.); (L.B.)
| | - Isabel C.F.R. Ferreira
- Centro de Investigação de Montanha (CIMO), Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Campus de Santa Apolónia, 5300-253 Bragança, Portugal; (M.I.D.); (C.P.); (I.C.F.R.F.); (L.B.)
| | - Gianina Crișan
- Faculty of Pharmacy, “Iuliu Hațieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 8 Victor Babeș Street, 400012 Cluj-Napoca, Romania; (C.M.); (O.F.); (M.B.); (A.G.); (G.C.)
| | - Andrei Mocan
- Faculty of Pharmacy, “Iuliu Hațieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 8 Victor Babeș Street, 400012 Cluj-Napoca, Romania; (C.M.); (O.F.); (M.B.); (A.G.); (G.C.)
- Laboratory of Chromatography, Institute of Advanced Horticulture Research of Transylvania, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania;
- Correspondence:
| | - Lillian Barros
- Centro de Investigação de Montanha (CIMO), Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Campus de Santa Apolónia, 5300-253 Bragança, Portugal; (M.I.D.); (C.P.); (I.C.F.R.F.); (L.B.)
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