• Proceedings of the Plant Resources Society of Korea Conference
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• 2018.10a
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• pp.63-63
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• 2018

Ethnobotanical knowledge on native plants is critical on the conservation and management of biological resources. We investigated traditional knowledge of ethnobotanical uses in the Mt. Gayasan National Park area. Interviews were carried out to 189 residents at 176 places, and verified species and usage information was categorized by taxonomic groups, usage, and used parts. The ethnobotanical species of the regions consisted of a total of 275 taxa in 91 families including 105 cultivars. Sunflower family (Asteraceae) is the most widely used family with 30 taxa (7 cultivars). Rose family (Rosaceae, 25 taxa with 11 cultivars), Bean family (Fabaceae, 15 taxa with 11 cultivars), Grass family (Poaceae, 15 taxa with 10 cultivars), and Lily family (Liliaceae, 14 taxa with 4 cultivars) followed. About 50 taxa belong to the Approved Species for Delivering Overseas designated by Korea Ministry of Environment, and six Korean endemic taxa have been traditionally valuable in the regions. Many cultivated species have been utilized for various purposes accompanied local and native plants. The main usage of the plants are edible (175 taxa) and medicinal (168 taxa). Leaves are most commonly used parts (105 taxa), followed by stems (93 taxa), fruits (73 taxa), roots (55 taxa), and wholes (54 taxa). The study does not only provides examples of traditional uses of native plants, but also facilitates conservation of natural resources and sustainable developments of ethnobotanical knowledge for the contemporary human society.

• Proceedings of the Plant Resources Society of Korea Conference
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• 2019.10a
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• pp.20-20
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• 2019

Sedge family is second largest family in the Korean flora with more than 240 taxa, following Aster family (about 300 taxa). Although high species diversity, a very limited number of taxa has been utilized for ethnobotanical usages. In the study, previous researches on Cyperaceae ethnobotanical information are documented and analyzed for future research directions on the taxa. A total number of seven taxa has been used for medicinal, food, and material purposes: Carex boottiana Hook. & Arn., Cyperus amuricus Maxim., Cyperus esculentus L., Cyperus exaltatus Retz., Cyperus rotundus L., Eleocharis kuroguwai Ohwi, and Bolboschoenus maritimus (L.) Palla. Underground parts such as tubers are used with medicinal purpose, and aboveground portions such as leaves and stems provide materials for various tools and foods for people and animals. They are all native to Korea, except C. esculentus, which is introduced from Mediterranean areas for anti-erosion materials. The ethnobotanical value of C. esculentus has been well recognized from ancient times, for example, starch grains in USA (excavations at the Mashantucket Pequot Reservation) and Tiger nut milk (Horchata de chufa in Spain). Among material sources, C. exaltatus has a long history in the Korean peninsula from Three Kingdoms of Korea (57 BC~668 AD). C. rotundus is distributed widely in Asia, Africa, Europe, and America, and utilized for medicines, food, and materials. In addition, Eleocharis kuroguwai is only one taxon utilized for ethnobotanical uses among fifteen Eleocharis Korean native species. The number of species with ethnobotanical uses is small in sedge family, but the family has long been utilized accompanying long human history. Cyperus papyrus L., the source of papyrus paper (Egypt in the Nile Delta), is also a member of sedge family. Sedge family has contributed to human societies in various aspects but, the cultural, botanical, ecological values of family members have been underestimated.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.623-639
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• 2017

We investigated traditional knowledge about ethnobotanical uses around national parks in the northern areas of Province Gyeongsangbuk-do, with the focus on the Sobeaksan National Park area. Interviews were carried out to 138 residents at 42 places from 7 counties and/or cities, and verified species and usage information were categorized by taxonomic groups, usage, and used parts. The ethnobotanical species of the regions consisted of a total of 277 taxa: 244 species, 3 subspecies, 28 varieties, and 2 forma in 213 genera of 79 families. The significant native plants included one Endangered Species (Paeonia obovata Max.) and four endemic species (Salix hallaisanensis H. Lev., Aconitum pseudolaeve Nakai, Paulownia coreana Uyeki, and Cirsium setidens (Dunn) Nakai, Sasa coreana Nakai). About 17 Approved Species for Delivering Overseas designated by Korea Ministry of Environment have been also traditionally valuable in the regions. The main usage of the plants were edible (185 taxa) and medicinal (175 taxa). Leaves were most commonly used parts (109 taxa), followed by stems (73 taxa), fruits (69 taxa), roots (67 taxa), and wholes (57 taxa). The traditional usage of plants were diverse as those useful parts. Leaves, fruits and seeds were used as edible and medicinal; sprouts (young shoots) were mainly used as edible; but roots and flowers were used as medicinal. The study does not only provides examples of traditional uses of native plants, but also facilitates sustainable managements and developments of ethnobotanical knowledge for the contemporary society.

• Proceedings of the Plant Resources Society of Korea Conference
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• 2022.09a
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• pp.48-48
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• 2022

Ethnobotany is an interdisciplinary science at the intersection of botany and ethnology. Currently, there is a sharply increasing need for the study and conservation of traditional knowledge about plants. The loss of traditional sources, knowledge, and practices in using plants is caused by the growth of technologies in all branches of production, widespread urbanization, and globalization of the economy. This study was been conducted to collect and analyze the Koryoins (Koryo saram) traditional ethnobotanical knowledge, living in Uzbekistan, whose number 174,200 people. They are the descendants of Korean immigrants to the Russian Far East, who ended up in Central Asia as a result of the forced resettlement in 1937. In the processing of collected data, four main categories of uses were defined - Alimentary, Medicinal, Household/Handicraft, and Others. For quantitative data analysis, synthetic indices were used - RFC (Relative Frequency of Citation) and CI (Cultural Importance Index), which are commonly applied to assess the importance of plants. The respondents mentioned 72 plants belonging to 28 botanical families. A significant part of them was cultivar plants. The category that had the largest number of plants mentioned by the respondents was the Alimentary use category (51). According to quantitative indices rates, the most important plants are traditionally used for food. A comparison of ethnobotanical knowledge was made with the collected data of this study and Korean traditional knowledge.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.149-185
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• 2022

Objectives: The Barak Valley is well known for its rich diversity of medicinal plants. Ethnomedicinal practices are prominent among Barak Valley's major and minor ethnic groups. This systemic review focuses on traditionally used medicinal plants found in the Barak Valley as reported in different ethnobotanical surveys. Methods: We searched various databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar, to find ethnomedicinal surveys conducted in the Barak Valley. The search was performed using different terms, including ethnomedicinal survey, folk medicine, indigenous knowledge, and Barak Valley. Potential articles were identified following the exclusion and inclusion criteria. Results: A total of eight ethnobotanical surveys were included in this study. We identified a total of 216 plant species belonging to 167 genera and 87 families, which are widely used by the ethnic communities who live in the rural areas of Barak Valley for the treatment of various diseases and ailments. Conclusion: Folk medicine is the result of decades of accumulated knowledge and practices by people who live in rural communities based on their needs and provides an important source of information to assist the search for new pharmaceuticals. Therefore, available information on traditional medicinal plants needs to be explored scientifically to find effective and alternative treatments for different diseases.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.46-61
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• 2016

The ethnobotanical study was conducted to record and conserve the traditional knowledge of botanical taxa in Hallyeo-Haesang National Park area, S. Korea from 2012 to 2013. According to the survey results, derived from 1,430 sheets of 183 residents at 70 places, the ethnobotanical plants in Hallyeo-Haesang National Park area consisted of a total 247 taxa; 82 families, 197 genera, 224 species, 3 subspecies, 19 varieties and 1 form. The analysis of usage for 247 taxa showed that the edible use was the highest with 166 taxa, followed by medicinal with 138 taxa, craft with 27 taxa, material with 16 taxa and ritual with 9 taxa respectively. The leaf of plant was the most useful part, followed by stem and fruit plant. Quantitative analysis of the ethnobotanical plants in Hallyeo-Haesang National Park area was performed by the basic values of FC, NU and UR, and indices of CI, RFC, RI and CV. As a result, The CI places Artemisia princeps in the first position, followed by Pueraria lobata, Taraxacum platycarpum. The RFC place A. princeps in first position, followed by Achyranthes japonica, Aster scaber. The RI places A. princeps in the first position, followed by P. lobata, Pinus densiflora. The CV places A. princeps in the first position, followed by P. lobata, A. japonica. Farfugium japonicum had been used as specific ethnobotanical plant in this area, for arthralgia, postpartum arthrodynia, circulatory disturbance.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.217-234
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• 2015

The ethnobotanical study was conducted to record and conserve the traditional knowledge of botanical taxa in Jeju island, Korea from March to November, 2011. According to the survey results, derived from 1,774 sheets of 177 residents at 78 places, the ethnobotanical plants in Jeju island consisted of a total 356 taxa; 103 families, 260 genera, 312 species, 2 subspecies, 37 varieties and 5 form. The analysis of usage for 365 taxa showed that the medicinal use was the highest with 284 taxa, followed by edible with 145 taxa, ritual with 36 taxa, craft with 31 taxa and timber with 31 taxa respectively. The leaf of plant was the most useful part, followed by stem and whole plant. The most frequently mentioned taxon was Plantago asiatica (34 citations), followed by Artemisia princeps (32 citations) and Lonicera japonica (30 citations).

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.270-280
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• 2017

Selection of superior phenotypes of fruit trees and products based on established criteria by local people is a prerequisite for future species domestication and conservation. Thus the study objective was to identify the local people's perceptions and preferences on baobab trees and products. A sample of 142 respondents was randomly selected using structured interviews in Blue Nile and North Kordofan, Sudan in 2013. Descriptive analysis was employed using SPSS and Excel programs. The study results indicated that local people use the morphological characteristics of the tree (leaves, fruits, seeds, kernels and bark) to differentiate individual trees. Based on the perceptions, local people recorded trees with delicious leaves, white pulp color, big fruit size and mature capsule size, and high pulp yield as criteria for differentiating between baobab trees in the study areas. In contrast, the undesirable traits were connected to trees with acidic pulp, slimy pulp, bitter leaves, and low pulp yield. The study concluded that the ethnobotanical knowledge of the baobab tree and its products may play an important role in tree domestication and improvement in Sudan. However, further research on tree genetics is needed to complement the ethnobotanical knowledge for baobab resources domestication and conservation.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.62-89
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• 2016

The great part of the traditional knowledge on ethnobotanical plants and their uses is gradually vanishing due to industrialization, therefore ethnobotanical studies that explore and preserve the knowledge are in urgent needed before the knowledge are lost ever. This study was conducted to record and conserve the traditional knowledge of botanical taxa in Korea from 2006 to 2014. According to the survey results, derived from 17,328 sheets of 1,771 residents at 868 places, the ethnobotanical plants in Korea consisted of a total 924 taxa; 130 families, 493 genera, 813 species, 7 subspecies, 92 varieties and 12 form. Of them, herbs were 619 taxa (67.0%) and woody plants were 305 taxa (33.0%). 707 taxa (76.5%) out of 924 taxa grow wild, 44 taxa (4.8%) were cultivated wild species, 145 taxa (15.7%) were introduced for cultivation, and 28 taxa (3.0%) were naturalized plants. The analysis of usage for 924 taxa showed that the edible use was the highest with 58.9%, followed by medicinal with 26.9%, material with 3.7% and ornamental with 2.3%, respectively. The leaf of plant was the most useful part, followed by stem and root. Quantitative analysis of the ethnobotanical plants in Korea was performed by the basic values of FC, NU and UR, and indices of CI, RFC, RI and CV. As a result, The CI place Artemisia princeps in first position, followed by Aster scaber, Kalopanax septemlobus. The RFC place A. scaber in first position, followed by A. princeps, Aralia elata. The RI place A. princeps in first position, followed by Pinus densiflora, Morus alba. The CV place A. princeps in first position, followed by P. densiflora, K. septemlobus.

• CELLMED
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.21.1-21.15
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• 2016

In Kenya, traditional knowledge on herbal medicine has remained a mainstream source of maintaining wellbeing for generations in many communities. However, the knowledge has been eroded in the course of time due to sociocultural dynamics virtually advanced by Christianity and formal education especially in the Kikuyu community. The study documented current ethnobotanical knowledge and threat to the traditional knowledge on medicinal plants among the Kikuyu community. A survey was carried out in Mathira, Tetu, Kieni, Othaya, Mukurweini, and Nyeri Town constituencies. Thirty practicing herbalists were purposively sampled; 5 per constituency. Data was obtained through semi - structured questionnaires and analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively. A total of 80 ailments treated using 111 medicinal plant species distributed within 98 genera and 56 families were documented. Prevalent communicable diseases treated using herbal medicine included; gonorrhea (17.5%), malaria (15%), respiratory infections (12%), colds (10%) and amoebiasis (10%). Non-communicable diseases were; joint pains (11.1%), ulcers/hyperacidity (8.7%), high blood pressure (8.7%), intestinal worms (11.1%) and arthritis/gout (10%). Frequently harvested plant materials were; roots, barks and leaves. The study concluded that, traditional medicine practitioners in Nyeri County possessed wide knowledge of herbal medicine but this knowledge was on the verge of disappearing as it was largely a preserve of the aged generation. The study recommended massive campaign about the benefits of using herbal medicine in the study area. Further pharmacological studies are recommended on the mentioned plant species aimed at establishing their efficacy and safety as well as standardization as potential drugs.