Volume 2015, 2015, Article number 491209
Department of Life Science, Hallym University, 8310 Life Science Building, Chuncheon City, South Korea
Abstract
The high maternal mortality in the Philippines
in the past decades prompted intervention strategies to curb unwanted
deaths of mothers and improve health and social conditions of women.
Such introductions however have begun to challenge traditional
reproductive health practices creating confusion among practitioners and
incipient transitions in healthcare. Our aim in this study was to
document the herbal therapies practiced by indigenous Ati Negrito women
and discuss the implications of social and conventional healthcare
intervention programs on reproductive healthcare traditions by
conducting semistructured interviews. Fidelity Level index was used to
determine culturally important plants (i.e., the most preferred). Review of related studies on most preferred plants
and therapies was further carried out to provide information regarding
their safety/efficacy (or otherwise). Determination of informants'
traditional medicinal knowledge was done using Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests. A total of 49 medicinal plants
used in treating female reproductive health-related syndromes across
four categories were recorded. Significant differences in traditional medicinal
knowledge were recorded when informants were grouped according to age,
education, and number of children. Issues discussed in this research
could hopefully raise awareness on changes in healthcare practices in
indigenous cultures and on medical safety especially when traditional
and conventional medications interact. © 2015 Homervergel G. Ong and
Young-Dong Kim.
Indexed keywords
EMTREE drug terms: herbaceous agent
EMTREE medical terms: adult; aged; Ardisia; Ardisia
elliptica; Article; Bambusa; Bambusa vulgaris; bark; Blumea balsamifera;
Canarium asperum; Catharanthus roseus; childbirth; Corchorus olitorius;
female; Ficus; Ficus nota; health care policy; health care practice;
herbal medicine; human; indigenous people; knowledge; Lunasia amara;
maternal disease; medicinal plant; menstruation disorder; menstruation related syndrome; menstruation related syndrome; Negrito; newborn care; nonhuman; Philippines;
Physalis; Physalis angulata; phytotherapy; postpartum related syndrome;
postpartum related syndrome; priority journal; public health service;
reproductive health; semi structured interview; Uvaria; Uvaria
grandiflora; velvet bean; very elderly; women's health
ISSN: 1741427XSource Type: Journal
Original language: English
DOI: 10.1155/2015/491209Document Type: Article
Publisher: Hindawi Publishing Corporation
