Ethnobotanical remarks on Central and Southern Italy

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The present paper is a brief survey on the ethnobotanical works published by the Authors since 1981, concerning the research carried out in some southern and central Italian regions. Before Roman domination these territories were first inhabited by local people, while the southern areas were colonized by the Greeks. These different cultural contributions left certain traces, both in the toponyms and in the vernacular names of the plants and, more generally, in the culture as a whole.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Field data were collected through open interviews, mainly of farmers, shepherds and elderly people, born or living in these areas for a long time. Voucher specimens of collected plants are preserved in the respective herbaria of the Authors and in the herbarium of "Roma Tre" University. Important contributions have been made by several students native to the areas under consideration. A comparative analysis with local specific ethnobotanical literature was carried out.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The paper reports several examples concerning human and veterinary popular medicine and in addition some anti-parasitic, nutraceutic, dye and miscellaneous uses are also described. Moreover vernacular names and toponyms are cited. Eight regions of central and southern Italy (particularly Latium, Abruzzo, Marche and Basilicata) were investigated and the data obtained are presented in 32 papers. Most of the species of ethnobotanical interest have been listed in Latium (368 species), Marche (274) and Abruzzo (203). The paper also highlights particularly interesting aspects or uses not previously described in the specific ethnobotanical literature.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Phyto-therapy in central and southern Italy is nowadays practised by a few elderly people who resort to medicinal plants only for mild complaints (on the contrary food uses are still commonly practised). Nowadays therapeutic uses, unlike in the past, are less closely or not at all linked to ritual aspects. Several plants deserve to be taken into consideration not only from the anthropological or cultural point of view, but also for further phyto-chemical investigation. Our studies, as well as those of other authors, try to provide an original picture of the local ethno-biodiversity.</p

Primary health care utilization by immigrants as compared to the native population: a multilevel analysis of a large clinical database in Catalonia

Background: Immigration is a relevant public health issue and there is a great deal of controversy surrounding its impact on health services utilization. Objective: To determine diff erences between immigrants and non-immigrants in the utilization of primary health care services in Catalonia, Spain. Methods: Population based, cross-sectional, multicentre study. We used the information from 16 primary health care centres in an area near Barcelona, Spain. We conducted a multilevel analysis for the year 2008 to compare primary health care services utilization between all immigrants aged 15 or more and a sample of non-immigrants, paired by age and sex. Results: Overall, immigrants living in Spain used health services more than non-immigrants (Incidence Risk Ratio (IRR) 1.16 (95% Confi dence Interval (CI): 1.15 – 1.16) and (IRR 1, 26, 95% CI: 1.25 – 1.28) for consultations with GPs and referrals to specialized care, respectively. People coming from the Maghreb and the rest of Africa requested the most consultations involving a GP and nurses (IRR 1.34, 95% CI: 1.33 – 1.36 and IRR 1.06, 95% CI: 1.03 – 1.44, respectively). They were more frequently referred to specialized care (IRR 1.44, 95% CI: 1.41 – 1.46) when compared to Spaniards. Immigrants from Asia had the lowest numbers of consultations with a GP and referrals (IRR 0.76, 95% CI: 0.66 – 0.88 and IRR 0.76, 95% CI: 0.61 – 0.95, respectively. Conclusion: On average , immigrants living in Catalonia used the health services more than non-immigrants. Immigrants from the Maghreb and other African countries showed the highest and those from Asia the lowest, number of consultations and referrals to specialized care

Allergy Narratives in Italy: ‘Naturalness’ in the Social Construction of Medical Pluralism

Based on an ethnographic study conducted in both biomedical and CAM settings in north Italy, I explore how people and practitioners make sense of allergy and how patients utilize plural healing options. Despite a wide range of medical modalities, people categorize and use medicine according to whether they are ‘natural’ or ‘not-natural’, thus dissolving any potential confusion between diverse therapies. I analyse how the concept of naturalness relates to allergy and medical pluralism. Nature is perceived as opposed to pollution, the first associated with a reassuring and idealized past and the latter to a modernity riddled with uncertainties. Participants associated a diverse set of meanings with nature, permitting them the syncretism of different medical modalities. Medical pluralism in the study area is an uneven platform for discussion and experimentation, the outcome of historical and cultural context and local entanglements of power