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Solazzo D, Moretti MV, Tchamba JJ, Rafael MFF, Tonini M, Fico G, Basterrecea T, Levi S, Marini L, Bruschi P. Preserving Ethnoveterinary Medicine (EVM) along the Transhumance Routes in Southwestern Angola: Synergies between International Cooperation and Academic Research. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2024; 13:670. [PMID: 38475516 DOI: 10.3390/plants13050670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2024] [Revised: 02/15/2024] [Accepted: 02/23/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024]
Abstract
This study delves into the ethnoveterinary medicine (EVM) practiced by pastoralists along the transhumance routes in southwestern Angola. Within the framework of three cooperation projects, we conducted 434 interviews, collecting information on 89 taxa used for treating 16 livestock diseases. The most cited species was Ptaeroxylon obliquum (132 citations), followed by Salvadora persica (59) and Elaeodendron transvaalense (49). Contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP) was the disease most cited (223 citations; 44 species), followed by wounds (95; 20) and Newcastle (86; 14). We found that 30 species and 48 uses have not been previously reported in the ethnoveterinary literature. Jaccard index (mean value = 0.13) showed a greatly diversified knowledge among the ethnic groups: Kuvale and Nyaneka were the most knowledgeable and should be included in the various strategies for disseminating EVM in the area. Most informants recognized that abundance of some species decreased in the last years as a result of human activities and climatic changes. Finally, we discuss challenges in preserving the EVM in the area. Our findings suggest that preservation of the EVM in southwestern Angola is widely impacted by the access to biomedicine. Future studies should investigate the opportunity to integrate traditional medicine into mainstream development projects, which is crucial for decolonizing the veterinary sector in Angola.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Solazzo
- FAO Angola Country Office, Largo Antonio Jacinto, 4° Andar, Luanda Caixa Postal 10043, Angola
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Agrarie, Alimentari, Ambientali e Forestali (DAGRI), Università di Firenze, Piazzale delle Cascine 18, 50144 Firenze, Italy
| | - Maria Vittoria Moretti
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Agrarie, Alimentari, Ambientali e Forestali (DAGRI), Università di Firenze, Piazzale delle Cascine 18, 50144 Firenze, Italy
| | - José J Tchamba
- Centro de Estudos da Biodiversidade e Educação Ambiental, Instituto Superior de Ciências da Educação da Huíla (ISCED-Huíla), Rua Sarmeto Rodrigues, Lubango Caixa Postal 230, Angola
| | - Marina Filomena Francisco Rafael
- Centro de Estudos da Biodiversidade e Educação Ambiental, Instituto Superior de Ciências da Educação da Huíla (ISCED-Huíla), Rua Sarmeto Rodrigues, Lubango Caixa Postal 230, Angola
| | - Matteo Tonini
- FAO Angola Country Office, Largo Antonio Jacinto, 4° Andar, Luanda Caixa Postal 10043, Angola
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Agrarie, Alimentari, Ambientali e Forestali (DAGRI), Università di Firenze, Piazzale delle Cascine 18, 50144 Firenze, Italy
| | - Gelsomina Fico
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Mangiagalli 25, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Txaran Basterrecea
- FAO Angola Country Office, Largo Antonio Jacinto, 4° Andar, Luanda Caixa Postal 10043, Angola
| | - Silvano Levi
- Instituto Superior Poletécnico Sinodal de Lubango, Rua cdt Hoji ya Henda, Lubango, Angola
| | - Lorenzo Marini
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Agrarie, Alimentari, Ambientali e Forestali (DAGRI), Università di Firenze, Piazzale delle Cascine 18, 50144 Firenze, Italy
| | - Piero Bruschi
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Agrarie, Alimentari, Ambientali e Forestali (DAGRI), Università di Firenze, Piazzale delle Cascine 18, 50144 Firenze, Italy
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Sulaiman N, Zocchi DM, Borrello MT, Mattalia G, Antoniazzi L, Berlinghof SE, Bewick A, Häfliger I, Schembs M, Torri L, Pieroni A. Traditional Knowledge Evolution over Half of a Century: Local Herbal Resources and Their Changes in the Upper Susa Valley of Northwest Italy. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 13:43. [PMID: 38202351 PMCID: PMC10780445 DOI: 10.3390/plants13010043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2023] [Revised: 12/17/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024]
Abstract
Susa Valley, located in the Italian Western Alps, has served as a meeting point for cultural, spiritual, and commercial exchange for a long period of history. The valley's role as one of the main connecting routes between south and southwestern Europe resulted in its acquisition of a rich traditional ecological knowledge. However, like other Italian mountainous valleys, this valley has suffered from abandonment and depopulation in the past 50 years. Our study aims to investigate the current ethnobotanical medicinal knowledge in the valley and to compare our findings with a study conducted over 50 years ago in the same area. In 2018, we conducted 30 in-depth semi-structured interviews on medicinal plants and food-medicines used in the Susa Valley. We documented 36 species, of which 21 species were used for medical purposes and 15 species were used as food-medicine. The comparison with the previous study on medicinal herbs conducted in 1970 in the valley demonstrated a significant decrease in both the knowledge and use of medicinal plants, which could be attributed to socioeconomic, cultural, and possibly environmental changes that occurred in the past half-century. Our study highlights several promising species for future use as nutraceuticals, food, and medicinal products, such as Taraxacum officinale, Urtica dioica, and Artemisia genipi.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naji Sulaiman
- University of Gastronomic Sciences, Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II 9, 12042 Pollenzo, Italy
| | - Dauro M. Zocchi
- University of Gastronomic Sciences, Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II 9, 12042 Pollenzo, Italy
| | - Maria Teresa Borrello
- Faculty of Health Sciences and Wellbeing, School of Pharmacy, University of Sunderland, Sunderland SR1 3SD, UK
| | - 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
| | - Luca Antoniazzi
- University of Gastronomic Sciences, Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II 9, 12042 Pollenzo, Italy
| | - S. Elisabeth Berlinghof
- University of Gastronomic Sciences, Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II 9, 12042 Pollenzo, Italy
- Leibniz-Zentrum für Agrarlandschaftsforschung (ZALF) e.V., Eberswalder 84, 15374 Müncheberg, Germany
| | - Amber Bewick
- University of Gastronomic Sciences, Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II 9, 12042 Pollenzo, Italy
| | - Ivo Häfliger
- University of Gastronomic Sciences, Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II 9, 12042 Pollenzo, Italy
| | - Mia Schembs
- University of Gastronomic Sciences, Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II 9, 12042 Pollenzo, Italy
| | - Luisa Torri
- University of Gastronomic Sciences, Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II 9, 12042 Pollenzo, Italy
| | - Andrea Pieroni
- University of Gastronomic Sciences, Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II 9, 12042 Pollenzo, Italy
- Department of Medical Analysis, Tishk International University, Erbil 44001, Iraq
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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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