Plants and wound healing in Uganda: A mixed methods study

In Uganda, many people rely on traditional healers and medicinal plants for their health needs including managing wounds. To date no studies have been published regarding the local Ugandan practice of the use of medicinal plants for wound healing. This study was undertaken to document Ugandan local knowledge of wound healing, the preparation, administration and identification of local medicinal plants. The mixed methods study comprised three phases: 1. A literature review of the existing literature on plants and wound healing employing systematic techniques. 2. Fieldwork where forty consenting traditional practitioners and local knowledge experts in South Western Uganda were interviewed about their knowledge of wound healing and participated in quantitative surveys regarding medicinal plant use. 3. The interviews and surveys yielded knowledge of wound healing and a list of plants used from which three were selected for relevant phytochemical assays in the laboratory work phase. The literature review found nine studies that reported on the use of medicinal plants for wound healing in Uganda. The interviews provided data which demonstrated that respondents possessed knowledge of the definition, classification, and diagnosis of wounds. The ethnobotanical survey revealed 38 plants as being important for treatment of wounds. The most represented families were Asteraceae (26.3%) and Solanaceae (15.8%); Bidens pilosa L, Musa paradisiaca L., solenostemon latifolius, Ageratum conyzoides L., Hoslundia opposita Vahl. and Microglossa pyrifolia (Lam.) Kuntze were the most widely used. Preliminary phytochemical screening confirmed the extraction efficiency through presence of polyphenol and flavonoid compounds and demonstrated antioxidant activity of the plant extract. Ultimately, this thesis uses the mixed methods approach to gain a fuller and more complete understanding of the research questions. It also demonstrates evidence for the use of selected medicinal plants for wound healing in South Western Uganda and gives a description of the category of professionals involved in traditional medicine using medicinal plants

Emergent quality issues in the supply of Chinese medicinal plants: A mixed methods investigation of their contemporary occurrence and historical persistence

Quality issues that emerged centuries ago in Chinese medicinal plants (CMP) were investigated to explore why they still persist in an era of advanced analytical testing and extensive legislation so that a solution to improve CMP quality could be proposed. This is important for 85% of the world’s population who rely on medicinal plants (MP) for primary healthcare considering the adverse events, including fatalities that arise from such quality issues. CMP are the most prevalent medicinal plants globally. This investigation used mixed-methods, including 15 interviews with CMP expert key informants (KI), together with thematic analysis that identified the main CMP quality issues, why they persisted, and informed solutions. An unexplained case example, Eleutherococcus nodiflorus (EN), was analysed by collection of 106 samples of EN, its known toxic adulterant Periploca sepium (PS), and a related substitute, Eleutherococcus senticosus (ES), across mainland China, Taiwan and the UK. Authenticity of the samples was determined using High-performance thinlayer chromatography. Misidentification, adulteration, substitution and toxicity were the main CMP quality issues identified. Adulteration was found widespread globally with 57.4% EN found authentic, and 24.6% adulterated with cardiotoxic PS, mostly at markets and traditional pharmacies. The EN study further highlighted that the reason CMP quality issues persisted was due to the laboratory-bound nature of analytical methods and testing currently used that leave gaps in detection throughout much of the supply chain. CMP quality could be more effectively tested with patented analytical technology (PAT) and simpler field-based testing including indicator strip tests. Education highlighting the long-term economic value and communal benefit of delivering better quality CMP to consumers was recommended in favour of the financial motivation for actions that lead to the persistence of well-known and recurrent CMP quality issues

‘Dagucho [Podocarpus falcatus] Is Abbo!’ Wonsho Sacred Sites, Sidama, Ethiopia: Origins, Maintenance Motives, Consequences and Conservation Threats

This thesis addresses six main objectives answering questions on the origin, nature and social organization of SNS and their custodians; motivations for, and BCD conservation consequences of, their maintenance; threats SNS and ancestral institutions face and existing governance and protection instruments, with focus on local perceptions among the Wonsho of Sidama, Ethiopia. The study employs anthropologically-oriented, but interdisciplinary, conceptual framework and mixed methods to collect and analyse data. A year of fieldwork (July 2012-June 2013) was carried out using six major data collection methods (including interviews, BD inventory and HHS). The data were analysed using NVivo 10 and SPSS 20/21. The results are presented and discussed in seven key thematic areas and six chapter headings. The main findings are summarized as follows: 1. Forty-eight SNS (whose sizes ranging from a site of a single tree to a 90.6 ha and ages from 28 to ca 375 years) were identified in seven PAs. Three criteria were used to identify a typology of Wonsho SNS: spatial-clan structure, function and protection status. SAR was identified as the core of the origin, social organization, governance and geography of SNS and other BCD protection areas. Twenty-two of SNS were protected by SAR practitioners and four by Protestant Christians. The rest were either lost or transformed. 2. Answers to the question of why SNS are maintained are interpreted as linked to ancestral conceptions of the natural world, knowledge about, and practice relating to, it. The people valued SNS and native trees as ‘life’, ‘beauty’, ‘ancestor symbolizers’, ‘temples’, ‘wealth’, ‘shade’, ‘healing agents’, ‘food banks’, ‘place and name identifiers’, and ‘tribunal courts’ among others. Certain salient norms and practices, supporting tree biodiversity, are identified and interpreted as the foundation of the motivation for the maintenance of SNS. 3. 154 floral and 33 faunal species were documented for their reported and observed past and present existence in 26 of the 48 SNS and other informal protection areas. A partial inventory identified about 133 flora and some fauna, including two locally endangered species, Colobus guerezza and Tauraco ruspoli in various SNSs. Twenty-two locally reported endangered native trees were found here, of which ten were reportedly found nowhere. Eighteen major woody species were identified as extractively conserved in various informal protection areas, notably agroforests. 4. Forty-three types of uses of trees were identified. Eighteen woody species were identified as playing crucial socio-economic role; seven of these being culturally important and Podocarpus falcatus was identified as a truly ‘cultural keystone species’. The maintenance of SNS and native trees has important role through provisioning, regulating, supporting and cultural ecosystem services. 5. Maintenance of SNS and other botanic landscapes were found to contribute positively towards community health, herbal medicine and conservation of medicinal plants. SNS are perceived as key resources for health and wellbeing. Sixty-two percent of surveyed HHs accessed medicinal plants from SNS where 48% of the identified plants (including nine that were reported as locally endangered) were found. 6. The SNS and ancestral institutions faced threats. Fourteen SNS were lost, eight severely degraded through other land uses and the existing 26 also threatened in seven studied PAs. Twenty-two important native trees were reportedly threatened; ten of these exited only in the SNS. Twelve native woody species were reportedly lost. SAR is threatened (e.g. declined from 13.6% in 1994 to 2.7% in 2007). Eroding factors, especially external ones, have been intensifying since the 1890s, but momentum added over the past 50-60 years, salient drivers being introduction of cash economy, modern religions, modern education, misguided state policies, rapid population growth and resultant socio-economic pressures. 7. The SNS have for centuries been protected through ‘spirit agency and policing’ in a structure that gave supreme place to ancestors who influenced and guided governance. Some key principles of SNS management were identified, including ‘spirit-policing’, dreams and oracles in decision making, protecting entire habitat, protecting species, etc. In recent years, protection efforts have improved, with emerging collaborative governance, but these suffered from poor resourcing, coordination and fragmentation; and the future of SNS, native tree species and the SAR seemed uncertain despite some locals were optimistic. The study concludes the SNS and associated institutions of Wonsho have resiliently existed as ‘guardians of Sidama biocultural diversity’ and are showcases for the mutual adaptations of tree biodiversity and ancestral traditions. The study discusses a set of implications and recommendations for further research and action. The contribution of the study lies in the following areas which appear to be under-represented in the current literature: (a) qualitative analysis of the ontology, nature, structures, functions, geography and dynamisms of SNS and custodians, demonstrating that Wonsho SNS are not relics from static past but dynamic socio-ecological systems; (b) in-depth discussion of the role of SNS in conserving both biodiversity and cultural diversity; (c) a nuanced analysis of why and how the SNS are maintained, (d) local perceptions and parameters of the values and roles of, and threats facing, SNS and related local institutions; (e) our understanding of what constitutes ‘biocultural diversity’ and the indicators for cultural diversity when this concept is applied at a local scale; (e) interdisciplinary conceptual and analytical tools to understand the socio-ecological and biocultural systems embodied in sacred sites, combining concepts from a range of social and natural sciences, notably anthropology and conservation biology

Ontologies and Computational Methods for Traditional Chinese Medicine

Perinteinen kiinalainen lääketiede (PKL) on tuhansia vuosia vanha hoitomuoto, jonka tarkoituksena on terveyden ylläpito, tautien ennaltaehkäisemisen ja terveydellisten ongelmien hoito. Useat vuosittain julkaistavat tutkimukset tukevat hoitojen tehokkuutta ja PKL onkin jatkuvasti kasvattamassa suosiotaan maailmanlaajuisesti. Kiinassa PKL ollut suosittu hoitomuoto jo pitkään ja nykyään sitä harjoitetaan rinnakkain länsimaisen lääketieteen kanssa. Viime vuosikymmeninä tapahtuneen tietotekniikan kehityksen ja yleistymisen myötä myös PKL:n menetelmät ovat muuttuneet ja tietotekniikkaa on alettu hyödyntämään PKL:n tutkimuksessa. PKL:n tietoa on tallennettu digitaaliseen muotoon, minkä seurauksena on syntynyt suuri määrä erilaisia tietokantoja. Tieto on jakautunut eri tietokantoihin, joiden terminologia ei ole yhtenevää. Tämä aiheuttaa ongelmia tiedon löytämisessä ja tietoa hyödyntävien sovellusten kehittämisessä. Tässä työssä selvitetään, mitä PKL on, ja mikä sen asema on nykyään Kiinassa ja muualla maailmalla. Työn tarkoituksena on tutkia PKL:n tietoteknisten sovelluksen kehittämistä ja siihen liittyviä haasteita. Työssä perehdytään PKL:n ontologioiden ja semanttisten työkalujen toimintaan, sekä PKL:n laskennallisiin menetelmiin ja niiden tarjoamiin mahdollisuuksiin. Lisäksi kerrotaan uusimmista kansainvälisesti merkittävistä projekteista ja pohditaan tulevaisuuden näkymiä. Jo kehitetyt PKL:n tietotekniset sovellukset tarjoavat uusia mahdollisuuksia tiedon etsimiseen ja parantavat tutkijoiden mahdollisuutta jakaa tietoa ja tehdä yhteistyötä. Tietokoneavusteiset diagnoosityökalut ja asiantuntijajärjestelmät tarjoavat mahdollisuuksia lääkärin tekemän diagnoosin varmistamiseen. Tulevaisuudessa laskennallisia menetelmiä hyödyntäen voitaisiin tarjota terveyttä ja hyvinvointia edistäviä palveluja verkossa.Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been used for thousands of years in China for the purposes of health maintenance, disease prevention and treatment of health problems. Several published studies support the effectiveness of TCM treatments and the global use of TCM is constantly increasing. In China, Western and Chinese medicine are practiced in parallel. During the past few decades, the use of information technology in medicine has increased rapidly. The development of information technology has opened up new possibilities for information storage and sharing, as well as communication and interaction between people. Along with the growing use of information technology, a wide variety of patient databases and other electronic sources of information have emerged. However, the information is fragmented and dispersed, and the terminology is ambiguous. The objective of the thesis is to examine the position of TCM today, and to find out what changes and new opportunities the modern information technology brings for different aspects of TCM. This study describes how ontologies and semantic tools can be utilized when collecting existing knowledge and combining different databases. Also different computational methods and TCM expert systems are introduced. Finally, the most recent projects in the field of TCM are discussed and the future challenges are reflected. The computational methods for TCM, such as diagnostic tools and expert systems, could be very useful in anticipating and preventing health problems. E-science and knowledge discovery offer new ways for knowledge sharing and cooperation. TCM expert systems can be used to generate diagnosis or automatic clinical alerts. In the future, a comprehensive and easily accessible online health service system could be developed and used to improve the health and well-being of people

Establishing Halal Pharmaceuticals Information Systems: Concepts, Sources And, Potentials In The Industry

Pharmaceuticals are manufactured from different sources and origins; chemicals, minerals, plants, animals, biotechnologicals and immunologicals. Muslim consumers around the world subscribe to the halal pharmaceuticals, which is a part of Shariah or islamic law. Bahan bahan farmaseutikal yang dikilangkan atau dihasilkan terdiri daripada sumber dan asal-usul yang berbeza, samada bahan kimia, mineral, tumbuh-tumbuhan, haiwan, bioteknologi atau imunologi. Pengguna Muslim di seluruh dunia menggunakan undang-undang halal, yang merupakan sebahagian daripada Syariah atau undang-undang Islam

Archaeology of Disease and Medicinal Practices in 18th-Century Boston, Massachusetts

This research explores the knowledge of medical techniques during the early 18th century in Boston, Massachusetts, a period of modernization and changing attitudes toward disease. By analyzing archaeoparasitological samples, written accounts, and artifacts associated with medicinal practices, I shed light on attempts to treat parasitic diseases encountered by those living in urban Boston. The collections I have selected to analyze are samples of urban Boston life and provide ideal contexts for parasite preservation. I analyze samples from the Parker-Emery household privy (c. 1720-1750) in the North End and compare them to samples from the early 18th-century Town Dock landfill in downtown Boston. This analysis contributes to information of public responses to diseases during a period of increasing urban modernization, by connecting parasite disease load to medicinal practices and material culture. Additionally, this research uses an archaeological perspective to address a gap in medical history literature that is absent in historical documentation

Nontimber Forest Products in the United States

A quiet revolution is taking place in America\u27s forests. Once seen primarily as stands of timber, our woodlands are now prized as a rich source of a wide range of commodities, from wild mushrooms and maple sugar to hundreds of medicinal plants whose uses have only begun to be fully realized. Now as timber harvesting becomes more mechanized and requires less labor, the image of the lumberjack is being replaced by that of the forager. This book provides the first comprehensive examination of nontimber forest products (NTFPs) in the United States, illustrating their diverse importance, describing the people who harvest them, and outlining the steps that are being taken to ensure access to them. As the first extensive national overview of NTFP policy and management specific to the United States, it brings together research from numerous disciplines and analytical perspectives-such as economics, mycology, history, ecology, law, entomology, forestry, geography, and anthropology—in order to provide a cohesive picture of the current and potential role of NTFPs. The contributors review the state of scientific knowledge of NTFPs by offering a survey of commercial and noncommercial products, an overview of uses and users, and discussions of sustainable management issues associated with ecology, cultural traditions, forest policy, and commerce. They examine some of the major social, economic, and biological benefits of NTFPs, while also addressing the potential negative consequences of NTFP harvesting on forest ecosystems and on NTFP species populations. Within this wealth of information are rich accounts of NTFP use drawn from all parts of the American landscape—from the Pacific Northwest to the Caribbean. From honey production to a review of nontimber forest economies still active in the United States—such as the Ojibway harvest of plants recounted here—the book takes in the whole breadth of recent NTFP issues, including ecological concerns associated with the expansion of NTFP markets and NTFP tenure issues on federally managed lands. No other volume offers such a comprehensive overview of NTFPs in North America. By examining all aspects of these products, it contributes to the development of more sophisticated policy and management frameworks for not only ensuring their ongoing use but also protecting the future of our forests. Description Eric T. Jones is an instructor and research professor in the Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society at Oregon State University. Rebecca J. McLain is director of research at the National Policy Consensus Center at Portland State University. Susan Charnley is a research social scientist at the Pacific Northwest Research Station of the USDA Forest Service. James Weigand is an ecologist at the US Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management. With a New Preface by Eric T. Jones, Rebecca J. McLain, Susan Charnley, and James Weigand. This Kansas Open Books title is funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Humanities Open Book Program.https://digitalcommons.pittstate.edu/kansas_open_books/1035/thumbnail.jp

Nontimber Forest Products in the United States

Eric T. Jones is an instructor and research professor in the Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society at Oregon State University. Rebecca J. McLain is director of research at the National Policy Consensus Center at Portland State University. Susan Charnley is a research social scientist at the Pacific Northwest Research Station of the USDA Forest Service. James Weigand is an ecologist at the US Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management. With a New Preface by Eric T. Jones, Rebecca J. McLain, Susan Charnley, and James Weigand.This Kansas Open Books title is funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Humanities Open Book Program.A quiet revolution is taking place in America's forests. Once seen primarily as stands of timber, our woodlands are now prized as a rich source of a wide range of commodities, from wild mushrooms and maple sugar to hundreds of medicinal plants whose uses have only begun to be fully realized. Now as timber harvesting becomes more mechanized and requires less labor, the image of the lumberjack is being replaced by that of the forager. This book provides the first comprehensive examination of nontimber forest products (NTFPs) in the United States, illustrating their diverse importance, describing the people who harvest them, and outlining the steps that are being taken to ensure access to them. As the first extensive national overview of NTFP policy and management specific to the United States, it brings together research from numerous disciplines and analytical perspectives-such as economics, mycology, history, ecology, law, entomology, forestry, geography, and anthropology—in order to provide a cohesive picture of the current and potential role of NTFPs. The contributors review the state of scientific knowledge of NTFPs by offering a survey of commercial and noncommercial products, an overview of uses and users, and discussions of sustainable management issues associated with ecology, cultural traditions, forest policy, and commerce. They examine some of the major social, economic, and biological benefits of NTFPs, while also addressing the potential negative consequences of NTFP harvesting on forest ecosystems and on NTFP species populations. Within this wealth of information are rich accounts of NTFP use drawn from all parts of the American landscape—from the Pacific Northwest to the Caribbean. From honey production to a review of nontimber forest economies still active in the United States—such as the Ojibway "harvest of plants" recounted here—the book takes in the whole breadth of recent NTFP issues, including ecological concerns associated with the expansion of NTFP markets and NTFP tenure issues on federally managed lands. No other volume offers such a comprehensive overview of NTFPs in North America. By examining all aspects of these products, it contributes to the development of more sophisticated policy and management frameworks for not only ensuring their ongoing use but also protecting the future of our forests