Biopiratera bien qui piratera le dernier…

National audienc

Phytotherapies in motion: French Guiana as a case study for cross-cultural ethnobotanical hybridization

Background French Guiana is characterized by a very multicultural population, made up of formerly settled groups (Amerindians, Maroons, Creoles) and more recent migrants (mostly from Latin America and the Caribbean). It is the ideal place to try to understand the influence of intercultural exchanges on the composition of medicinal floras and the evolution of phytotherapies under the effect of cross-culturalism. Methods A combination of qualitative and quantitative methods was used. Semi-directive interviews were conducted in 12 localities of French Guiana’s coast between January 2016 and June 2017, and the responses to all closed questions collected during the survey were computerized in an Excel spreadsheet to facilitate quantitative processing. Herbarium vouchers were collected and deposited at the Cayenne Herbarium to determine Linnaean names of medicinal species mentioned by the interviewees. A list of indicator species for each cultural group considered was adapted from community ecology to this ethnobiological context, according to the Dufrêne-Legendre model, via the “labdsv” package and the “indval” function, after performing a redundancy analysis (RDA). Results A total of 205 people, belonging to 15 distinct cultural groups, were interviewed using semi-structured questionnaires. A total of 356 species (for 106 botanical families) were cited. We observed that pantropical and edible species hold a special place in these pharmacopeias. If compared to previous inventories, 31 recently introduced species can be counted. Furthermore, this study shows that the majority of the plants used are not specific to a particular group but shared by many communities. However, despite this obvious cross-culturalism of medicinal plants between the different cultural communities of French Guiana, divergent trends nevertheless appear through the importance of 29 indicator/cultural keystone species in 10 cultural groups. Finally, we have emphasized that the transmission of herbal medicine’s knowledge in French Guiana is mainly feminine and intra-cultural. Conclusion French Guianese medicinal flora is undoubtedly related to the multiple cultures that settled this territory through the last centuries. Cultural pharmacopeias are more hybrid than sometimes expected, but cultural keystone species nevertheless arise from a common background, allowing to understand, and define, the relationships between cultural groups

Des savoirs sans frontières ? Circulations et échanges de plantes et de savoirs phyto-médicaux sur la frontière franco-brésilienne

National audienc

Ceiba pentandra L. Gaertn. (Malvaceae) and associated species: Spiritual Keystone Species of the Neotropics

Among the 18 species included in the Ceiba genus, in the Malvaceae (Bombacoideae) family, Ceiba pentandra L. Gaertn. is not only the tallest and most widespread, but also occupies the most prominent place in Neotropical cosmovisions. In this ethnobotanical review, we compare perceptions and uses of Ceiba and related species across indigenous and Afro-descendant cultures ranging from the Caribbean to the Argentinian Chaco. Ceiba's widely-shared role as axis mundi, (particularly in Amazonia) psychopomp and shelter of major forest spirits makes it a perfect example of a Spiritual Keystone Species, a new concept inspired from Cultural Keystone Species and defined here for the first time

Divergence and Convergence in Traditional Plant-Based Medicinal Practices of Haitian Migrants in Montreal, Miami and Cayenne

Migrants continue to usee their traditional herbal medicines in their new locations, but few studies have compared therapeutic practices within a diaspora spread among different countries. In order to better understand how medicinal plants and associated practices circulate in the process of transnational migrations, we examine the Haitian diaspora in the cities of Cayenne (French Guiana), Miami (United States), and Montreal (Canada). We conducted semi-structured interviews (n = 44) with Haitian migrants in all three locations, and compiled plant inventories in gardens, shops, and through interviews. Our results record a total of 185 species cited among the three localities that were sold in shops, cultivated by informants, or gathered in diverse urban spaces, demonstrating the vitality with which members of the Haitian diaspora continue to use plants from their original pharmacopoeia while highlighting marked dissimilarities among uses. The persistence of phytotherapy practices among migrant populations in different locations is fueled by transnational commercial and individual flows of medicinal plants

Use of Herbal Medicine in French Guiana: Influences and Challenges for Prevention Strategies in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic

International audienceIntroduction: In French Guiana, the COVID-19 pandemic was marked by very high levels of transmission in the population, low rates of hospitalisations and deaths, and high vaccine hesitancy. The use of traditional herbal remedies is very common in the population and understanding its influence as part of the population’s healing strategy is important. We investigated the use of traditional remedies for the prevention or treatment of COVID-19 in French Guiana and its influence on vaccine hesitancy.Methods: An online survey was conducted between April and May 2021 among 1 295 participants aged 18 years or older. Demographic characteristics, attitudes, and perceptions of the population about the pandemic, vaccination intentions and use of traditional remedies were collected through a standardised questionnaire. The cited plants were collected and deposited at the Cayenne herbarium for identification.Results: For combating COVID-19, 31.7% of people used traditional remedies while 71.4% reported usually treating themselves with remedies unrelated to COVID-19. A total of 604 use reports were recorded as ‘anticoronavirus.’ Quassia amara (Simaroubaceae) was the most frequently used species (153/604), representing 25.3% of the citations. Preventive use was more prevalent than curative use. Vaccine hesitancy was more common among people using traditional remedies.Discussion/Conclusions: Several species commonly used in French Guiana such as Quassia amara, Neurolaena lobata, Alpinia zerumbet, and Tinospora crispa were found to be used in the context of COVID-19. Further studies would be useful to investigate qualitative and quantitative components of interest, mechanisms, and effects

When local phytotherapies meet biomedicine. Cross-sectional study of knowledge and intercultural practices against malaria in Eastern French Guiana

International audienceEthnopharmacological relevance: In French Guiana, traditional phytotherapies are an important part of self-healthcare, however, a precise understanding of the interactions between local phytotherapies and biomedicine is lacking. Malaria is still endemic in the transition area between French Guiana and Brazil, and practices of self-treatment, although difficult to detect, have possible consequences on the outcome of public health policies.Aim of the study: The objectives of this research were 1) to document occurences of co-medication (interactions between biomedicine and local phytotherapies) against malaria around Saint-Georges de l’Oyapock (SGO), 2) to quantify and to qualify plant uses against malaria, 3) and to discuss potential effects of such co-medications, in order to improve synergy between community efforts and public health programs in SGO particularly, and in Amazonia more broadly.Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2017 in SGO. Inhabitants of any age and nationality were interviewed using a questionnaire (122 questions) about their knowledge and habits regarding malaria, and their use of plants to prevent and treat it. They were invited to show their potential responses on a poster illustrating the most common antimalarial plants used in the area. In order to correlate plant uses and malaria epidemiology, all participants subsequently received a medical examination, and malaria detection was performed by Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR).Results: A total of 1566 inhabitants were included in the study. Forty-six percent of them declared that they had been infected by malaria at least once, and this rate increased with age. Every person who reported that they had had malaria also indicated that they had taken antimalarial drugs (at least for the last episode), and self-medication against malaria with pharmaceuticals was reported in 142 cases. A total of 550 plant users was recorded (35.1% of the interviewed population). Among them 95.5% associated pharmaceuticals to plants. All plants reported to treat malaria were shared by every cultural group around SGO, but three plants were primarily used by the Palikur: Cymbopogon citratus, Citrus aurantifolia and Siparuna guianensis. Two plants stand out among those used by Creoles: Eryngium foetidum and Quassia amara, although the latter is used by all groups and is by far the most cited plant by every cultural group. Cultivated species accounts for 91.3% of the use reports, while wild taxa account for only 18.4%.Conclusions: This study showed that residents of SGO in French Guiana are relying on both traditional phytotherapies and pharmaceutical drugs to treat malaria. This medical pluralism is to be understood as a form of pragmatism: people are collecting or cultivating plants for medicinal purposes, which is probably more congruent with their respective cultures and highlights the wish for a certain independence of the care process. A better consideration of these practices is thus necessary to improve public health response to malaria