Volume 22, Issue 7, July 2008, Pages 889-901
Division of Pharmacy Practice, School of Life
Sciences, University of Bradford, Richmond Bd., Richmond Road, Bradford
BD7 1DP, United Kingdom
Abstract
An urban ethnobotanical study was carried out among a community of Russlanddeutschen (Germans from Russia) who in recent years have moved from Russia
and Central Asia to Künzelsau, a small town located in Württemberg, in
South-Western Germany. Thirty-six in-depth interviews were conducted
with the women in this community, and 62 homemade medicinal preparations
derived from 46 botanical species were recorded. As well as common
medicinal plant uses that are well known in modern evidence-based German
and Western European phytotherapy, we were able to record traces of the
community's Russian and Central Asian (Turkic) heritage through the
very popular use of sorrel as a depurative or for preventing and
treating colds and flu; the use of dill as a digestive; watermelon as a
diuretic; birch to relieve rheumatism and arthritis; buckwheat as a
tonic; rye-based fermented beverages as a stimulant and as a depurative,
diverse berries to prevent colds and flu; coriander as a digestive, and
other medicinal foods. Traces of archaic German preparations were also
recorded, which were probably Swabian in origin. Nearly half of the
overall quoted items represented folk functional foods. The researchers
believe that the findings in this study could stimulate public health
policies aimed at improving both the phyto-pharmacovigilance of
lesser-known herbal drugs, and the health and well-being of migrants by
promoting a better understanding of emic health beliefs and newcomers'
healing strategies. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Author keywords
Ethnobotany; Ethnopharmacy; Germans; Migrants; Russia; Russlanddeutschen; Traditional medicine
Indexed keywords
EMTREE drug terms: herbaceous agent
EMTREE medical terms: abdominal pain; Aloe; Apiales;
apple; arthritis; article; beet; birch; black currant; buckwheat;
cabbage; Chelidonium; common cold symptom; coriander; coughing;
Crataegus; cucumber; dandelion; diabetes mellitus; diarrhea; Equisetum; ethnobotany;
Europe; evidence based medicine; garlic; Germany; grape; hair loss;
headache; health behavior; health care policy; health promotion; herbal
medicine; horseradish; human; Humulus lupulus; Hypericum perforatum;
influenza; interview; Jerusalem artichoke; marigold; Matricaria;
medicinal plant; Mentha; millet; onion; oregano; phytotherapy; Plantago;
plum; potato; radish; respiratory tract disease; rheumatic disease;
rhubarb; rice; rose; Rumex; rye; Sambucus nigra; skin inflammation; sore
throat; Stellaria; tomato; traditional medicine; Urtica dioica;
varicosis; watermelon; wellbeing; wheat; wound
MeSH: Culture; Emigration and Immigration;
Ethnopharmacology; Female; Food Habits; Germany; Health Knowledge,
Attitudes, Practice; Humans; Interviews as Topic; Medicine, Traditional;
Phytotherapy; Plants, Medicinal; Russia; Vegetables
Medline is the source for the MeSH terms of this document.
Medline is the source for the MeSH terms of this document.
Species Index: Citrullus lanatus var. lanatus; Coriandrum sativum; Secale cereale
