People throughout time and place, no matter their belief system, have sought to discover causes and cures for illness and disease. Among Westerners is a groundswell to augment biomedicine with holistic practices inherent in ethnomedicines of non-Western traditions. Yet missing are awareness and knowledge of the foundations and outgrowth of these alternative concepts. Erickson fills this gap by clearly explaining the basic organizing principles that underlie all medical systems, the full range of theories of disease causation, the geographical distribution of medical practices, and the historical trends that led to biomedical dominance. Her efficient, balanced approach highlights commonalities among the worlds vast and diverse medical systems, making ethnomedicine easier to internalize and to apply in clinical settings.
First Published in 1992. The reader of this volume will see how a decade of new work has remade ethnomedicine into one of the livelier and more promising domains of anthropology. Nicthter's encompassing redefinition of the relationship of ethnomedicine to medical anthropology and his critical comments that introduce each chapter are bound to provoke discussion and response over the years to come. - Arthur Kleinman, MD Harvard Medical School.
Presenting recent discoveries on ethnomedicinal plants around the world, this book focuses on evaluating the progress to date as well as the future potential of drug development in ethnomedicine. Eight reviews examine therapeutic applications including the spasmolitic effects of various plants, the anti-inflammatory activity of plants from Brazil a
Ethnomedicinal Plants with Therapeutic Properties provides detailed information on locally important medicinal plants, discusses the pharmacological properties of selected medicinal plants, and looks at the phytodrug aspects of selected plants. In 24 important chapters, the volume covers ethnomedicine, pharmacology, and pharmacognosy of selected plants. Medicinal plants are an important part of our natural health. They serve as important therapeutic agents as well as valuable raw materials for manufacturing numerous traditional and modern medicines. The history of medicinal plants used for treating diseases and ailments dates back to the beginning of human civilization. Our forefathers were compelled to use any natural substance that they could find to ease their suffering caused by acute and chronic illnesses, wounds and injuries and even terminal illness. This volume highlights recent scientific evidence of therapeutic properties of traditionally used medicinal plants in relation to clinical outcomes and remedies for promotion of human well-being. The authors have endeavored to convey the therapeutic knowledge of ethnomedicinal plants clearly and concisely.
Ethnic medicine is the evaluation or combination of medicines common in the face of biologically active mixtures of plants and organisms. It is practiced by different ethnic groups, especially those who readily accept Western orders, such as B. Indigenous groups. These customs often collaborate with insects in Africa, America, or worldwide. The term folk medicine is sometimes used interchangeably with traditional medicine. Ethnomedical research is interdisciplinary; in its investigation of conventional prescriptions, it applies ethnobotany and clinical human studies strategies. Frequently, the medication customs it studies are saved simply by oral practice. Regularly these practices establish critical connections with bugs also. Logical ethnomedical studies show either anthropological examination or medication disclosure research. Anthropological investigations look at the social insight and set of conventional medication. Ethnomedicine has been utilized as a beginning stage in drug disclosure, explicitly those using reverse pharmacological methods. Ethnic medicine is a term that refers to a wide range of medical care frameworks, plans, practices, beliefs, and treatment practices that result from the local social transformation of events. Ethnomedicine is also interpreted as examining these frameworks and procedures, rather than understanding them in an anthropological setting, rather than evaluating their adequacy using rational strategies. In any case, such medical care frameworks don't follow the design of present-day or Western medication. All things being equal, these medical care rehearses depend on the one-of-a-kind culture that has emerged from local and native gatherings of individuals. Ethnomedicine isn't restricted to the conspicuous things, such as utilizing native plants and fixings to treat the wiped out.
Traditional medicinal knowledge, especially the use of ethnomedicinal plants in developing countries, has been passed down for generations. Today, however, scientists are poised to combine traditional medicinal plants and modern drug discoveries to further develop essential products that have followed the leads of indigenous cures used for centuries. Ethnomedicinal Plant Use and Practice in Traditional Medicine provides emerging research exploring the theoretical and practical aspects of indigenous knowledge and therapeutic potential within ethnobotany. Featuring coverage on a broad range of topics such as drug discovery, traditional knowledge, and herbal medicine, this book is ideally designed for doctors, healers, medical professionals, ethnobotanists, naturalists, academicians, researchers, and students interested in current research on the medical use and applications of natural-based resources.
Healing Plants of Nigeria: Ethnomedicine and Therapeutic Applications offers comprehensive information on the use of herbal medicines in West Africa. Combining an evidence-based, ethnobotanical perspective with a pharmacological and pharmaceutical approach to phytomedicine, the book bridges the gap between the study of herbal plants’ pharmacological properties and active compounds for the development of clinical drugs and community-oriented approaches, emphasising local use. It demonstrates how the framework of African traditional medicine can be preserved in a contemporary clinical context. The book outlines the history and beliefs surrounding the traditional use of herbs by the local population alongside their application in contemporary phytotherapy in Nigeria and West Africa. It features a critical assessment of the scientific rationale behind the use of these plants in ethnomedicine and offers a composite catalogue of phytotherapeutic and wellness agents, detailing the safety profile, efficacy, and scientific integrity of plants used to treat diseases and optimise health. Features: An ethnobotanical survey containing over 200 full-colour photographs of Nigerian and West African plants. A unique combination of ethnobotany and pharmacognosy, bridging the divide between pharmaceutical and community-oriented approaches to herbal medicine research. Contextual discussion of the therapeutic potential of Nigerian herbal medicine. Offers a template which can be used to separate the superstitious aspects of ethnomedicine from culturally inherited deposits of knowledge. A handbook for herbal and natural medicine practitioners, the book is aimed at African thinkers, scientists, healthcare providers and students of pharmacology and ethnomedicine.
