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Kalle R, Sõukand R. Historical Ethnobotany: Interpreting the Old Records. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 12:3673. [PMID: 37960030 PMCID: PMC10649014 DOI: 10.3390/plants12213673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2023] [Accepted: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
For centuries, knowledge about the use of plants has been collected, published, or simply left in archives [...].
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Affiliation(s)
- Raivo Kalle
- Estonian Literary Museum, Vanemuise 42, 51003 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Renata Sõukand
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics and Statistics, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, Via Torino 155, Mestre, 30172 Venice, Italy;
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Mattalia G, Graetz F, Harms M, Segor A, Tomarelli A, Kieser V, Zerbe S, Pieroni A. Temporal Changes in the Use of Wild Medicinal Plants in Trentino-South Tyrol, Northern Italy. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 12:2372. [PMID: 37375997 DOI: 10.3390/plants12122372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2023] [Revised: 06/14/2023] [Accepted: 06/16/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023]
Abstract
Mountain regions are fragile ecosystems and often host remarkably rich biodiversity, and thus they are especially under threat from ongoing global changes. Located in the Eastern Alps, Trentino-South Tyrol is bioculturally diverse but an understudied region from an ethnobotanical perspective. We explored the ethnomedicinal knowledge of the area from a cross-cultural and diachronic perspective by conducting semi-structured interviews with 22 local inhabitants from Val di Sole (Trentino) and 30 from Überetsch-Unterland (South Tyrol). Additionally, we compared the results with ethnobotanical studies conducted in Trentino and South Tyrol over 25 years ago. The historical comparison revealed that about 75% of the plants currently in use were also used in the past in each study region. We argue that the adoption of "new" medicinal species could have occurred through printed and social media and other bibliographical sources but may also be due to limitations in conducting the comparison (i.e., different taxonomic levels and different methodologies). The inhabitants of Val di Sole and Überetsch-Unterland have shared most medicinal plants over the past few decades, yet the most used species diverge (perhaps due to differences in local landscapes), and in South Tyrol, people appear to use a higher number of medicinal plants, possibly because of the borderland nature of the area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Mattalia
- Institut de Ciència i Tecnología Ambientals (ICTA-UAB), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Barcelona, Spain
- New York Botanical Garden, New York, NY 14058, USA
| | - Felina Graetz
- University of Gastronomic Sciences, 12042 Pollenzo, Italy
| | - Matthes Harms
- University of Gastronomic Sciences, 12042 Pollenzo, Italy
| | - Anna Segor
- University of Gastronomic Sciences, 12042 Pollenzo, Italy
| | | | | | - Stefan Zerbe
- Faculty of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, 39100 Bolzano-Bozen, Italy
| | - Andrea Pieroni
- University of Gastronomic Sciences, 12042 Pollenzo, Italy
- Department of Medical Analysis, Faculty of Applied Science, Tishk International University, Erbil 44001, Iraq
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Sõukand R, Kalle R. The Appeal of Ethnobotanical Folklore Records: Medicinal Plant Use in Setomaa, Räpina and Vastseliina Parishes, Estonia (1888-1996). PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 11:2698. [PMID: 36297723 PMCID: PMC9611039 DOI: 10.3390/plants11202698] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2022] [Revised: 10/08/2022] [Accepted: 10/09/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The historical use of medicinal plants is of special interest because the use of plants for healing is a rapidly changing, highly culture-specific and often need-specific practice, which also depends on the availability of resources and knowledge. To set an example of folkloristic data analysis in ethnobotany, we analyzed texts from the database, HERBA, identifying as many plants and diseases as possible. The research was limited to the Seto, Räpina and Vastseliina parishes in Estonia. The use of 119 taxa belonging to 48 families was identified, of which nine were identified at the genus level, four ethnotaxa were identified as two possible botanical taxa and fifteen ethnotaxa were unidentifiable. The most frequently mentioned taxa were Pinus sylvestris, Matricaria discoidea and Valeriana officinalis. High plant name diversity as well as high heterogeneity in the plants used were observed, especially in earlier records. The use of local wild taxa growing outside the sphere of everyday human activities, which was abandoned during Soviet occupation, signals an earlier, pre-existing rich tradition of plant use and a deep relationship with nature. Working with archival data requires knowledge of historical contexts and the acceptance of the possibility of not finding all the answers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renata Sõukand
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics and Statistics, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, Via Torino 155, Mestre, 30172 Venice, Italy
| | - Raivo Kalle
- University of Gastronomic Sciences, Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II 9, 12042 Pollenzo, Italy
- Kuldvillane OÜ, Umbusi, Põltsamaa v, 48026 Jõgeva, Estonia
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Anegg M, Prakofjewa J, Kalle R, Sõukand R. Local ecological knowledge and folk medicine in historical Estonia, Livonia, Courland and Galicia in Northeastern Europe, 1805-1905. OPEN RESEARCH EUROPE 2022; 2:30. [PMID: 37645296 PMCID: PMC10445900 DOI: 10.12688/openreseurope.14406.2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Abstract
Background: Historical ethnobotanical data can provide valuable information about past human-nature relationships as well as serve as a basis for diachronic analysis. This data note aims to present a dataset which documented medicinal plant uses, mentioned in a selection of German-language sources from the 19 th century covering the historical regions of Estonia, Livonia, Courland, and Galicia. Methods: Data was mainly entered by systematic manual search in various ethnobotanical historical German-language works focused on the medicinal use of plants. Data about plant and non-plant constituents, their usage, the mode of administration, used plant parts, and their German and local names was extracted and collected into a database in the form of Use Reports.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Anegg
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics and Statistics, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, Mestre, Venezia VE, Via Torino, 155, 30170, Italy
| | - Julia Prakofjewa
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics and Statistics, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, Mestre, Venezia VE, Via Torino, 155, 30170, Italy
| | - Raivo Kalle
- University of Gastronomic Sciences, Pollenzo CN, Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II, 9, 12042, Italy
| | - Renata Sõukand
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics and Statistics, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, Mestre, Venezia VE, Via Torino, 155, 30170, Italy
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Prakofjewa J, Anegg M, Kalle R, Simanova A, Prūse B, Pieroni A, Sõukand R. Diverse in Local, Overlapping in Official Medical Botany: Critical Analysis of Medicinal Plant Records from the Historic Regions of Livonia and Courland in Northeast Europe, 1829-1895. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 11:1065. [PMID: 35448792 PMCID: PMC9032843 DOI: 10.3390/plants11081065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2022] [Revised: 04/06/2022] [Accepted: 04/10/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Works on historical ethnobotany can help shed light on past plant uses and humankind's relationships with the environment. We analyzed medicinal plant uses from the historical regions of Livonia and Courland in Northeast Europe based on three studies published within the 19th century by medical doctors researching local ethnomedicine. The sources were manually searched, and information extracted and entered into a database. In total, there were 603 detailed reports of medicinal plant use, which refer to 219 taxa belonging to 69 families and one unidentified local taxon. Dominant families were Asteraceae (14%), Solanaceae (7%), Rosaceae (6%), and Apiaceae (5%). The majority of use reports were attributed to the treatment of four disease categories: digestive (24%), skin (22%), respiratory (11%), and general (11%). The small overlapping portion (14 taxa mentioned by all three authors and another 27 taxa named by two authors) contained a high proportion of taxa (46%) mentioned in Dioscorides, which were widespread during that period in scholarly practice. Despite the shared flora, geographical vicinity, and culturally similar backgrounds, the medicinal use of plants in historical Courland and Livonia showed high biocultural diversity and reliance on wild taxa. We encourage researchers to study and re-evaluate the historical ethnobotanical literature and provide some suggestions on how to do this effectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Prakofjewa
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics and Statistics, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, Via Torino 155, Mestre, 30172 Venezia, Italy; (J.P.); (M.A.); (B.P.); (R.S.)
| | - Martin Anegg
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics and Statistics, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, Via Torino 155, Mestre, 30172 Venezia, Italy; (J.P.); (M.A.); (B.P.); (R.S.)
| | - Raivo Kalle
- University of Gastronomic Sciences, Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II 9, 12042 Pollenzo, Italy;
| | - Andra Simanova
- Department of Latvian and Baltic Studies, University of Latvia, Visvalža Str. 4a, LV-1050 Riga, Latvia;
- Institute for Environmental Solutions, “Lidlauks”, Priekuļi Parish, LV-4126 Cēsis, Latvia
| | - Baiba Prūse
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics and Statistics, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, Via Torino 155, Mestre, 30172 Venezia, Italy; (J.P.); (M.A.); (B.P.); (R.S.)
| | - Andrea Pieroni
- University of Gastronomic Sciences, Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II 9, 12042 Pollenzo, Italy;
- Medical Analysis Department, Tishk International University, 100 Meter Street & Mosul Road, Erbil 44001, Iraq
| | - Renata Sõukand
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics and Statistics, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, Via Torino 155, Mestre, 30172 Venezia, Italy; (J.P.); (M.A.); (B.P.); (R.S.)
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Homogenisation of Biocultural Diversity: Plant Ethnomedicine and Its Diachronic Change in Setomaa and Võromaa, Estonia, in the Last Century. BIOLOGY 2022; 11:biology11020192. [PMID: 35205061 PMCID: PMC8869586 DOI: 10.3390/biology11020192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2021] [Revised: 01/19/2022] [Accepted: 01/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
Simple Summary To understand how healing practices change over time, it is important to recognize the role and extent of external factors affecting the diversity of uses. Our exemplary case study is part of a larger project studying the influence of centralization on the use of medicinal plants. We examined the current and past plant use of two small communities that reside on the border with Russia and speak two dialects of Estonian, namely Seto and Võro. Our results show that within the lifetime of the people we interviewed, many earlier known uses were abandoned and new uses were strongly influenced by knowledge disseminated through centralized channels. Many such uses have also been recorded in geographically distant regions that once belonged to the Soviet Union. This demonstrates the homogenizing influence of centralized knowledge distribution, which has eroded place-based biocultural diversity. In order to secure the survival of knowledge on how to use locally grown plants, we suggest that more attention on the regional level needs to be given to preserving and supporting the distribution of such place-specific knowledge. Abstract When studying the evolution of the use of medicinal plants, it is important to identify what role, and to what extent, external factors and local biocultural diversities play in shaping cultural changes. We chose as a case study, which forms part of a larger project, a religiously and linguistically distinct group, the Seto, and compared their current and past plant use with that of the surrounding Võro. Ethnobotanical fieldwork was conducted in the summers of 2018 and 2019. Current uses of plants constituted 34% of the total registered use reports and 41% of those were used to treat general diseases or used as prophylactics. In total, the medicinal use of 86 taxa was recorded, and of these 48 were prevalent. Strong erosion (the abandonment of 43, mainly wild taxa used historically) and valorisation of the uses shared with neighboring as well as distant regions once part of the Soviet Union, were evident, signalling the potential influence of the centralised distribution of knowledge. The results clearly show that the plant medicine-related biocultural diversities of the two groups have been considerably homogenised, eroded and influenced by the knowledge spread through various means during the Soviet era and over the last 30 years.
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