Volume 152, Issue 1, 27 February 2014, Pages 113–134
Medicinal plants traditionally used in the northwest of the Basque Country (Biscay and Alava), Iberian Peninsula
Abstract
Ethnopharmacological relevance
Many
ethnobotanical studies show that people in industrial countries still
rely on their traditional knowledge of medicinal plants for
self-treatment, although the trend might not be as common as some
decades ago. Given the social and public health implications of
ethnopharmacological practices, this survey aims at recording and
analysing the medicinal plants used in the folk medicine of the
Northwest of the Basque Country focusing on how medicinal plants
knowledge and practices evolve.
Materials and methods
Fieldwork
consisted of 265 orally consented semi-structured interviews with 207
informants about medicinal uses of plants. Interviews were conducted
between September 2008 and January 2011. Informants were on average 76
years old (minimum 45, maximum 95), being more than half of them (112)
men. Data collected were structured in use-reports (UR). Following
informants' comments, medicinal use-reports were classified as
abandoned-UR, when the informants reported that the use was only
practiced in the past, and prevalent-UR, when the informants reported to
continue the practice.
Results and discussion
A
total of 2067 UR for 139 species that belong to 58 botanical families
were recorded, being the most important families Asteraceae, Liliaceae sensu latu and Urticaceae. Some of the most important species are commonly used in other European areas (e.g., Chamaemelum nobile, Urtica dioica and Chelidonium majus). However, there are also plants commonly used in the area such as Helleborus viridis or Coronopus didymus,
that are scarcely used in other areas, and whose record is an original
contribution of the local pharmacopeia. It is also the case of remedies
such as the use of Plantago leaves against strains in a local remedy called zantiritu.
Overall, and for all variables analysed (total UR, medicinal
use-categories, drug preparation and administration), the percentage of
UR being currently practiced (prevalence ratio) was very low (near 30%)
suggesting a strong decay in the use of traditional medicinal plants.
Exceptionally, some species (Chamaemelum nobile, Verbena officinalis or Anagallis arvensis)
had a high prevalence ratio, reflecting the fact that this erosion
process is not evolving homogeneously. Informants also reported that new
species and medicinal plant uses were entering into the local
pharmacopeia via non-traditional sources such as books, courses, or the
internet. These modern ways are now being used to spread some
traditional remedies that in the past were only orally transmitted.
Conclusions
This
study shows that traditional knowledge is continuously changing,
evolving and adapting to the new social and environmental conditions.
The image of the local folk medicine as a dying reality doomed to
disappear should be reviewed. It also shows the need of a culturally
sensitive approach by the official health systems to these practices.
Graphical abstract
Keywords
- Ethnobotany;
- Herbal remedies;
- Traditional knowledge;
- Public health
- Corresponding author. Tel.:
+34 914978110; fax: +34 914978344.
Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
