Líquenes usados en medicina tradicional.

Lichens are organisms in which a fungus makes a symbiosis with photosynthetic organisms. The\ud lichens have been used by humans as food, and as a source of natural dyes and extracts used to\ud perfumes. This paper compiles the use of lichens in traditional medicine.Los líquenes son organismos en los que un hongo realiza una simbiosis con organismos\ud fotosintéticos. Han sido usados por el hombre como alimento y como fuente de colorantes naturales\ud y de componentes para elaborar perfumes. En este trabajo se recopila el uso de los líquenes en\ud medicina tradicional

The Consumption of Wild Edible Plants

Wild edible plants are of great importance in both former and current human societies. Their use embodies evolutionary trends, continuing interactions between men and nature, relevant traditional knowledge, and cultural heritage. A conceptual approach to wild edible plants, including the contribution of such species to people's diets and daily lives, focusing on nutritional and cultural value, food sovereignty and security, as well as the huge legacy for future generations, leads to a general overview of new tendencies and availability of wild plant resources according to geographic regions. The potential benefits and the continual need for conservation strategies of plants, habitats, and associated knowledge are also discussed, enhancing biodiversity and biocultural patrimony. Finally, some examples of culturally significant edible wild plants are described, emphasizing the importance of knowledge transmission and sustainable uses in a changing world.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Manual of tropical bryology

Bryophytes belong to the oldest land plants. They existed already in the Palaeozoic 300 mio years ago in forms which were hardly different from the extant species. They remained relatively unchanged with relatively low evolution rates (and are thus often called a „conservative“ plant group), but could successfully establish themselves in an always varying environment from Devonian swamps to Permian forests, Mesozoic deserts and as epiphytes in Tertiary rainforests. They are not eaten by snails or insects, and are resistant against fungi and bacteria

Marsh woundwort, Stachys palustris L. (Lamiaceae) : an overlooked food plant

The aim of this article is to study the geographical distribution and historical patterns of use of a little known root crop native to Europe-marsh woundwort Stachys palustris L. The species grows in wet grasslands and arable fields. It produces edible tubers. Both ethnographic literature and archival sources were searched. Seventeen reliable references concerning the consumption of S. palustris in southern and south-eastern Poland were found. The tubers were usually dried and powdered, and then added to soups or to bread dough. They were also eaten as raw snacks. The plant was used mainly during food shortages in spring, until the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth century, and later only as an occasional raw snack until the 1970s. Marsh woundwort was also eaten in western Ukraine (one reference). There are many references to the edibility of marsh woundwort in the eighteenth and nineteenth century European economic botany literature, particularly in Sweden and Great Britain. These publications tried to popularize the use of S. palustris as food. However, there is no firm evidence from these countries that marsh woundwort was used as food there. Marsh woundwort was also used, throughout northern and central Europe, as pig fodder and as a medicinal plant, particularly for healing wounds. Further studies on the nutritive value of this forgotten crop should be undertaken, particularly that there is little knowledge of the chemical composition of both marsh woundwort and its Asian relative Stachys affinis widely cultivated in China as a vegetable

Weed Women, All Night Vigils, and the Secret Life of Plants: Negotiated Epistemologies of Ethnogynecological Plant Knowledge in American History

This dissertation critiques the discourse of traditional ecological knowledge described as embedded in indigenous peoples\u27 longevity in location, for the purpose of understanding the embodiment of ecological knowledge in culture. The aim of this research is to examine the historical and epistemic complexity of traditional ecological knowledge that may be both established from the length of time people reside in a specific ecosystem and constitutive of negotiations between and among different cultures. I choose the specific case of the negotiation of plant knowledge for women\u27s reproductive health among Native, African, and European groups as those negotiations unfolded on the American continent from European settlement in the early 17th century to the post-Emancipation period of the early 20th century. By focusing on ethnobotanical accounts of women\u27s reproductive health knowledge I explain how this knowledge persisted or changed as people moved, and how this knowledge might have been created through negotiations across cultural boundaries. It is my contention that traditional ecological knowledge is simultaneously maintained and altered through peoples migrations and negotiations. To test this contention I ask a number of key questions from my analysis of historical ethnogynecological evidence. To what extent is traditional ecological knowledge embodied in people and to what extent is it emplaced in an ecosystem? How is the traditional ecological knowledge of longevity in place different from traditional ecological knowledge that shifts as people migrate? What is the evidence that traditional ecological knowledge is formed through negotiations across boundaries of culture, race, and epistemology, and does this change the framing of traditional ecological knowledge discourse? My research conceives of a discourse of traditional ecological knowledge that explicitly addresses issues of both ecologically emplaced knowledge and culturally embedded knowledge. I demonstrate that an understanding of traditional ecological knowledge formulated on the way knowledge moves and is shared provides a fuller and more dynamic discourse of traditional ecological knowledge

Distribution, biomonitoring and conservation studies of pyrenocarpous lichens in India

India is represented by the occurrence of the 382 species of pyrenocarpous lichens belonging to 49 genera and 12 families. Pyrenulaceae with six genera and 102 species is dominant family followed by Porinaceae with six genera and 88 species. Pyrenocarpous lichen genus Pyrenula with 82 species exhibits its dominance over Porina with 72 spe­cies. A total 25 pyrenocarpous genera are represented by a one or two species. The Western Ghats region exhibit rich diversity of pyrenocarpous lichens in India. The pyrenocarpous lichens commonly grows on smooth bark of trees or sometimes on rock, soil or leaves in tropical and temperate region of the country

Ethnobotanical Notes on Tree Species of Pir Panjal Biodiversity Park of Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University, Rajouri, J&K, India

The documentation of traditional knowledge would appear to be the need of the hour in view of the current demand for herb based products. Documentation serves to ensure the preservation of traditional information for future generations. It is also a step forward in the creation of a database on ethnobotanical notes. An attempt therefore, has been made here to document the indigenous uses of tree species of the Pir Panjal Biodiversity Park of BGSB University. A total of 28 species belonging to 24 genera and 19 families were observed being used traditionally to cure various diseases and having other uses. Out of these, only six species were natives and 22 were non-native of the Indian Himalayan Region

Ethnobiology, Phytochemistry and Pharmacology of Usnea Longissima: A Review

Lichenized fungi or lichens are believed to be one of the most inconspicuous living forms on the earth. The traditional knowledge of numerous benefits which lichens possess has been transcended over the centuries within and among the humans. All the different growth forms of lichens have been used by man in one way or the other. These find their use as source of different medicines, food, fodder, dye and as ingredients in perfumery. They are pioneers in ecological succession and also serve as indicators of pollution. Usnea longissima is a fruticose form of lichen that has been used as a traditional medicine for centuries. Scientific studies have proved that the pharmacological properties of the species are due to presence of several important secondary metabolites. These secondary metabolites possess antioxidant, anticancer, antimicrobial activity and thus can be used for the control and treatment of several diseases. The present communication gives a review of the multifarious benefits associated with Usnea longissima along with the emphasis on its pharmacological properties. &nbsp

Ethnomedicinal plant use by Lepcha tribe of Dzongu valley, bordering Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve, in North Sikkim, India

Lepcha is the oldest and the first tribe reported from Sikkim, India; majority of its population inhabiting in Dzongu valley, an officially demarcated reserve for Lepcha community, bordering Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve, in north district. Lepchas of Dzongu are known for their retention of rich cultural heritage. In view of the on-going cultural and economic changes brought in by the process of globalization, the immediate need was felt to document in details the under-explored ethnomedicinal practices of Lepchas of Dzongu valley. This paper reports 118 species, belonging to 71 families and 108 genera, under ethnomedicinal utility by the Lepchas for curing approximately 66 ailments, which could be grouped under 14 broad categories. Zingiberaceae appeared as the most used family (8 species and 5 genera). As per use pattern, maximum of 30.50% species are to cure stomach related disorders/ailments, followed by 19.49% for curing cut, wounds, inflammation, sprains and joint pains. Administration of medicine orally is recorded in 75% cases. Root and rhizome harvesting targeted 30 species. The changing scenario over time both at socio-cultural front and passing traditional knowledge interests from older to younger generation and rich ethnomicinal wealth of the oldest tribe of Sikkim are discussed in the light of conservation strategies and techniques to adopt

A forgotten collection: the Libyan ethnobotanical exhibits (1912-14) by A. Trotter at the Museum O. Comes at the University Federico II in Naples, Italy

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The Ethnobotanical Collection from the Libyan territories of the botanist Alessandro Trotter is included in the Oratio Comes Botanical Museum at the Faculty of Agraria at the University Federico II in Naples. Trotter explored different territories of Libya, mainly Tripolitania, between 1912-1924, collecting plant specimens and the drugs most frequently sold in the markets. The Libyan herbarium currently includes over 2300 sheets of mounted and accessioned plants. The drugs, mostly acquired by Trotter from Tripolitanian markets, were identified and packed in 87 paper sheets or boxes. Trotter added ethnobotanical information for each species when available.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A database of the herbarium species and the drugs has been carried out, after a taxonomic update. Nomenclature has been revised according to the African flowering plants database and the World Checklist of selected plant families, and a comparison with currently available ethnopharmacological data from North African has been attempted.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In this study, ethnopharmacological data related to about 80 species of flowering plants and to 4 lichens are presented. The plants are mainly from Mediterranean or Sub-Saharan habitats and belong to 37 different families; Lamiaceae was the most cited family, with 10 accessions. Generally, the aerial parts of the plants are the most frequently used (28 species), followed by leaves (15 species), flowers and seeds (9 species), fruits (7 species) and hypogean organs (roots, rhizomes, tubers: 5 species). Plants were generally processed in very simple ways: infusion or decoction of the plants were prepared and orally administered or used for topical applications. A wide range of conditions was treated, ranging from mental disorders to skin affections. All the organs of human body are considered, but the pathologies of gastro-intestinal tract, respiratory system and those related to traumatic accidents were the most frequently mentioned. The comparison with the recent ethnopharmacological research in Maghreb and its neighboring countries reveals a high correspondence; almost all the plants cited by Trotter are still used in the folk medicine of at least one of the North African countries, and the therapeutic uses of each plant appear consistent over time.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The information collected by Trotter is an important contribution to tracing plant utilization in Libyan folk medicine over the last century.</p