• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.33-44
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• 2019

Objectives : This study aims to record and conserve oral traditional knowledge of medicinal animals from the indigenous people living in the local communities of Songnisan National Park, Korea. Methods : Data was collected by participatory observations and in-depth interviews with semi-structured questionnaires. Quantitative comparative analyses were accomplished through data received from the following three methods: informant consensus factor (ICF), fidelity level (FL), and network analysis. Results : The investigation reveals that the indigenous people have used 49 species of medicinal animals distributed within 45 genera, belonging to 39 families with 336 different usages. According to the distribution of recorded families, the most representative families were Scolpendridae and Phasianidae, which were utilized 36 times each (10.71 % each). The category with the highest degree of consensus from informants was disorders related to the nervous system (0.97). 16 species were classified with a fidelity level of 100 %. The network analysis revealed that a lack of vigor was related to 23 species, including Agkistrodon blomhoffii, Gallus domesticus, and Canis familiaris, among the total 49 species investigated. Conclusions : This documentation can help preserve the traditional knowledge and local health traditions of Korea that are disappearing due to rapid industrialization, urbanization, and death of the elderly with traditional knowledge. Additionally, the animals investigated in this study can be developed into medicinal food and drug for treating specific health conditions through further research.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.23-31
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• 2011

Ever since the dawn of civilization, the ambient vegetation and the resources constituted major source of human existence for various substantial requirements. Our present knowledge on plant resources emerged from the traditional heritable knowledge descended from generation to generation. However, traditional knowledge pertaining to several aspects remained untapped from various remote localities or populations. Furthermore, with the present trends of excessive exploitation of natural resources and degradation of habitats, conservation and ecological management require coherence of traditional skills and modern approaches. Therefore, the present study is to record traditional plant based knowledge among the inhabitants of Siwalik region of Uttarakhand Himalaya. Extensive field survey was made for the collection of data on the medicinal aspects of plant species in the study area covering the parts of districts Pauri, Dehradun and Haridwar. During the course of study 130 plant species belonging to 65 families are reported, used as traditional medicine by the local inhabitants of this region.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.217-227
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• 2021

This study is a record of ethnomedicinal knowledge in Begumganj province focussed on medicinal plants and their local uses for primary health care. The aim was to document and preserve the ethnomedicinal knowledge used by traditional healers of Begumganj upazila, Bangladesh, to treat human diseases and evaluate the relative efficacy of the medicinal plants. The uses of medicinal plants were documented as an ethnomedicinal data sheet using direct observation, field interview, plant interview and group interview techniques from December 2012 to January 2014 in the study area. Data were collected from 98 traditional healers through a questionnaire survey and analyzed through informant consensus factor and fidelity level. This study revealed comprehensive relationship among various diseases and families, forms and parts of plants and modes of preparation. Overall, 75 plant species under 71 genera of 47 families were documented, which are used to treat 41 diseases. Data analysis revealed that 41.33%, 14.67%, 36% and 8% of the medicinal plant species were herbs, shrubs, trees, and climbers, respectively. Leaves were the most used parts, followed by stem, root, fruit, bark, latex and rhizome. The most frequently treated diseases were dysentery, rheumatism and skin diseases. This is the first ethnobotanical survey, which recorded the importance of medicinal plants in Begumganj upazila, Bangladesh. This study can contribute to preserving the indigenous knowledge on the traditional use of medicinal plants in this region and new drug development with attracting future generations towards traditional healing practice.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.59-70
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• 2019

Objectives : The aim of the research is to study the edible parts and cooking methods for the Korean medicinal plants using documents of Japanese occupation era. Through this study, we expect that it will be used as a basis data on further Korean traditional edible herb. Methods : The research analyze the usage of 74 species of medicinal plants that are listed in the 『Wild Food Plants of Chosen(Korea)』 along with analyzing 8 extra documents about famine relief plants and cooking method written during Japanese occupation. Results : The result shows that the sprouts and buds are the most popular for the edible purposes but they are never used for medical reason. Roots and fruits take the highest percentage when it comes to medical purposes. Types of medicinal plants that were used a lot of cooking methods were side dishes such as 'Namul, Saengchae, Jangajji'. Conclusions : Using medicinal plants for edible and medical purposes were traditionally familiar with Korean culture but the changes provoked by industrialization forbid the knowledge to pass through. However, recently, the trend of having a healthy life interests people to backtrack this traditional way of using medicinal plants with new purposes. To inherit traditional knowledge and for the future development of Korean traditional ingredients, further research should be conducted.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.1-23
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• 2019

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to document the use of medicinal plants in traditional practices and to analyze and evaluate medicinal traditional knowledge of indigenous people in Wolchulsan National Park. Methods : Data were collected through interviews, informal meetings, open and group discussions, and observations guided by semi-structured questionnaires. Data were analyzed via quantitative analysis of use value (UV), informant consensus factor (ICF) and fidelity level (FL), and network analysis. Results : A total of 580 methods of usage recorded in this study were classified into 55 families, 95 genera, and 104 species. Plants with the highest recorded UVs were Glycine max (L.) Merr., Leonurus japonicus Houtt., and Artemisia princeps Pamp.. The informant consensus factor about using medicinal plants ranged from 0.55 to 0.92, which showed a high level of agreement among the informants on respiratory system disorders and pains. There were 22 species of plants with a fidelity level of 100 %, after eliminating the plants that were mentioned only once from the analysis. Finally, using network analysis, Glycine max (L.) Merr. and Artemisia princeps Pamp. were defined as species with meaningful medicinal use, while lumbago and leg pain were defined as significant ailments in the study area. Conclusions : This study highlights the diversity and importance of medicinal traditional knowledge for communities of Wolchulsan National Park, Korea. The results of this study will provide basic data for phytochemical and pharmaceutical studies, such as new medicines and therapies.

• The Journal of Korean Medical History
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.11-22
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• 2010

This study finds an interesting fact that five symptoms (smallpox, postpartum pain, eye disease, swollen symptom and parasite infection) mentioned in Ryu Ei-Tae Medicinal Tales and his prescriptions (steamed rice, loess, soybean sprouts, cinnabar, radish, sesame oil and pork) were dramatized on the basis of traditional Korean medicinal knowledge in the Joseon Dynasty. Based on the study of experience-based medicinal literatures popular in the Joseon period, it is confirmed that the prescriptions are actually effective. Also it is inferred that popular diseases at that time were abscess, difficult baby delivery, postpartum pain and parasite infection, which were regarded as almost incurable diseases to ordinary people. These stories also showed destitution of common people who could not afford to buy medicines at that time. As shown in the Ryu Ei-Tae Medicinal Fable, many people might try various ordinary materials around them such as soil or nose wax. One of the outcomes of this study is that the fact that the tales mentioned common materials easy to get in the surroundings such as steamed rice, sesame oil, soybean sprouts or radish could be interprets as care and consideration of medicinal doctors for ordinary people at that time.

• International Journal of Knowledge Content Development & Technology
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.95-114
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• 2019

The digitization of traditional medical knowledge in Tanzania will greatly enhance its preservation and dissemination. This is especially important given the challenges facing the current methods of preserving and managing such knowledge. This study presents the requirements engineering approaches and requirements for a web-mobile application that would successfully digitize indigenous knowledge of phytomedicine and relevant practitioners licensing and registration processes. To establish the requirements of such a digital system application, the study sought the opinion of 224 stakeholders whose suggestions were used to analyze and model the requirements for designing such a web-mobile tool. The study was carried out in Arusha, Kagera and Dar es Salaam regions of Tanzania which involved ethnobotanical researchers, herb practitioners, curators from herbaria and registrar officers from Traditional and Alternatives Health Practice Council. Structured interview, survey, observation and document review were employed to find out the basic functional and non-functional requirements for possible designing and implementation a web-mobile application that would digitize indigenous knowledge of medicinal plants. The requirements were modelled using the use case and context diagrams. Finally, the study came up with a list of items for both functional and non-functional requirements that can be used as guidelines to develop a web-mobile application that will capture and document traditional medical knowledge of medicinal plants in Tanzania and, enabling relevant authorities to regulate and manage stakeholders.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.343-373
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• 2024

Background: The present study provides valuable insights into the traditional uses of medicinal plants by the inhabitants of the Northern District of the lesser Himalayas in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan. The study likely focuses on documenting and preserving the region's indigenous knowledge and practices related to medicinal plants. Ethnobotanical data were collected by interviewing 72 local informants including practitioners, farmers, teachers, and laborers from different localities of District Jhelum Valley. Different quantitative tools were used for the analysis of ethnobotanical data including relative frequency of citation, use value, informant consensus factor, fidelity level, cultural value, practical value, consensus value for plant part, rank order priority, percentage respondent knowledge, economic value and their total value were calculated. Jaccard's index (JI) was used to compare the present knowledge with the previous studies in the same or surrounding areas. Results: A total of 129 species belonging to 111 genera and 63 families were documented along with their ethnobotanical uses. Dominant families based on the number of species include Rosaceae contributing 12 species followed by Asteraceae and Saxifragaceae with 8 species each. The comparative study of the novelty of species and their uses by the JI revealed 13 novel plant species which were not reported earlier from this region. Conclusions: This information is not only important for scientific and ethnobotanical purposes but also for the sustainable management of medicinal plant resources and the potential discovery of new natural medicine. Such studies can help to bridge the gap between traditional and modern medicines and collaboration between traditional healers and health care practitioners.

• 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.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.125-135
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• 2013

Objectives : Medical treating with eating foods is one of important therapies in East Asian traditional medical knowledge and is referred as a therapy to treat diseases through foods. Since the food cannot be separated from ordinary people living, the medical treating with eating foods is a therapy with strong locality and contains many autogenous parts. Methods : Recently, the world is showing much interest for genetic resources, and the concept of intellectual property is rapidly expanding as the field of 'new knowledge property right' as well. Thus, the knowledge of medical treating with eating foods recently draws much attention in the economic aspect beyond the scholarly interest for traditional medicine. Here, I would like to summarize and report the contents related to medical treating with eating foods on "Yi, SeikKan experience prescriptions" which was discovered before. Results & Conclusions : First, medical treating with eating porridge on "Yi, SeikKan experience prescriptions" is classified into one with nonglutinous rice as the main ingredient and the other with other grains as the main ingredient. It is differently utilized depending on the nature of the grain. Second, medical treating with eating rice on "Yi, SeikKan experience prescriptions" was born from our nation's unique way of living and is classified into one way to eat rice mixed with ground medicinal herbs, another one to cook and eat rice with mixed grains and the other way to use as the external application. Medical treating with eating rice is assumed to replace the meal. Third, "food section" was given separately and discussed in this book. There were some parts different from existing medical knowledge due to the accumulation of experience using medicinal herbs. Fourth, we should pay attention to experience a book on medicine where vibrant medical information has been recorded in order to discover and process our traditional knowledge resources as a useful form.