Week 1

This week we read three articles and had to answer three questions. I have listed the articles below as sources:
 

Balick and Cox_1996_Plants People and Culture Chapter 2_Plants that Heal

Lewis and Elivin-Lewis_2003_Medical Botany_Intro

Sumner_2000_NaturalHistoryOfMedicinalPlants_Ch1 Brief History of Medical Botany Answered questions:

What are some key questions in medical ethnobotany today?

Who owns what? What rights do people have over property where plants are harvested? Over the information about the uses of plants? Over the plants themselves? What is the impact on the environment when harvesting medicinal plants? What are the risks of species endangerment when harvesting medicinal plants? How do indigenous tribes view medicinal plants? How does western medicine use medicinal plants? Which plants should be the focus of pharmaceutical research? How are tribes being repaid for their contribution of medicinal plant knowledge? What defines a medicinal plant? How is the name of a medicinal plant decided? How do scientists discover which ailments are treated by which plants? Where do you see the discipline’s niche in the future? I think medicinal ethnobotany will play a large role in the future of human health. People are beginning to revert back to herbal medicine more and more as there seems to be a lack of trust and connection with western medicine doctors. The study of medical ethnobotany will be ever important in insuring the safety and proper use of medicinal plants. The discipline will also play a vital role in the discovery of new plants, whether it be for classic uses or for lab scientists to discover chemicals in search of a new drug. As stated in Sumner’s Natural History of Medicinal Plants only 5% of the worlds estimated flowering plants have been analyzed for medicinal compounds. How does one prepare to work in this field? One prepares for work in medical ethnobotany by having a good knowledge of medicinal plants and the cultures that use them. It is important that before going into ethnographical field work, that the researcher has a good grip of the native culture including language, gestures, rituals etc… It is also a good idea for the researcher to know the various plant species names and how the native people view medicine in contrast to western medicine. A background in how to take plant samples, conduct interviews and select informants would also be necessary.