Survey of traditional beliefs in the Hungarian Csángó and Székely ethnomedicine in Transylvania, Romania

Papp, Nóra; Birkás-Frendl, Kata; Bencsik, Tímea; Stranczinger, Szilvia; Czégényi, Dóra

doi:10.1016/j.bjp.2014.03.005

Cited by 29 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 35 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…(Plantaginaceae) herb [ 26 ] Malus sylvestris (L.) Mill. (Rosaceae) cider vinegar of fruit with grain as fodder [ 11 ] Mustela nivalis skin as an embrocation by itself 2,6,9,11 or soaked in milk 7 [cattle] Malus sylvestris vinegar of fruit on slate as impregnant, as an embrocation [cattle] [ 28 , 47 ] Malva sylvestris fresh leaf boiled and placed into sack using as a warm compress [ 15 ] cold water as a wash 1,2,6,12 ; with vinegar 2,3 and salt 7 as a wash 2,7 or embrocation 3 [cattle] Mustela nivalis as a rubber [ 49 ] Olea europaea L. var. europaea (Oleaceae) fruit as an ointment [ 16 ] clay by itself or with salt as an embrocation 7 [cattle] Papaver somniferum L. (Papaveraceae) seed as fodder for “reszfug” (= mastitis) [cattle, sheep] [ 26 ] Sambucus nigra L. (Adoxaceae) flower in fumigation [cattle] [ 16 ] Scrophularia nodosa L., részfugburján (Scrophulariaceae) as a wash [ 26 ], mixed and cooked with salt and flour of Zea mays [ 19 ] dried and mixed into the flour as fodder [ 20 ] Thymus vulgaris L. (Lamiaceae) decoction of flowering stem as a wash [cattle, dog, sheep] [ 8 ] Picea abies (L.) H. Karst.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…phoenicea Vollmann (Primulaceae) dried and ground petals mixed with powdered sugar [ 22 ] powdered glass blown into the eyes [cattle] 1–12 Capsicum annuum dried and ground pungent fruit [cattle] [ 21 , 48 ] Malus sylvestris vinegar of the fruit as an embrocation [ 47 ] Matricaria chamomilla tea of the flower as a wash [ 22 ] Nicotiana tabacum ground leaf spit with saliva into the eyes [ 47 ] Tilia cordata Mill. (Malvaceae) yellow part under the bark with milk as an embrocation [ 47 ] “szentgyörgybéka” ( Bombina variegata L., Bombinatoridae) put into the eyes [ 19 , 49 ] ash blown into the eyes [cattle] [ 49 ] salt blown into the eyes [horse] [ 19 , 33 ] sugar blown into the eyes [cattle] [ 19 , 33 , 49 ] powdered glass blown into the eyes [horse] [ 19 , 33 ] powdered porcelain blown into the eyes [ 33 ] after delivery Petroselinum crispum …”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Ethnoveterinary practices of Covasna County, Transylvania, Romania

Bartha

Quave

Papp

2015

J Ethnobiology Ethnomedicine

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundEthnoveterinary medicine is a topic of growing interest among ethnobiologists, and is integral to the agricultural practices of many ethnic groups across the globe. The ethnoveterinary pharmacopoeia is often composed of ingredients available in the local environment, and may include plants, animals and minerals, or combinations thereof, for use in treating various ailments in reared animals. The aim of this study was to survey the current day ethnoveterinary practices of ethnic Hungarian (Székely) settlements situated in the Erdővidék commune (Covasna County, Transylvania, Romania) and to compare them with earlier works on this topic in Romania and other European countries.MethodsData concerning ethnoveterinary practices were collected through semi-structured interviews and direct observation in 12 villages from 2010 to 2014. The cited plant species were collected, identified, dried and deposited in a herbarium. The use of other materials (e.g. animals, minerals and other substances) were also documented. Data were compared to earlier reports of ethnoveterinary knowledge in Transylvania and other European countries using various databases.ResultsIn total, 26 wild and cultivated plants, 2 animals, and 17 other substances were documented to treat 11 ailments of cattle, horses, pigs, and sheep. The majority of applications were for the treatment of mastitis and skin ailments, while only a few data were reported for the treatment of cataracts, post-partum ailments and parasites. The traditional uses of Armoracia rusticana, Rumex spp., powdered sugar and glass were reported in each village. The use of some plant taxa, such as Allium sativum, Aristolochia clematitis, and Euphorbia amygdaloides was similar to earlier reports from other Transylvanian regions.ConclusionsAlthough permanent veterinary and medical services are available in some of the villages, elderly people preferred the use of wild and cultivated plants, animals and other materials in ethnoveterinary medicine. Some traditional ethnoveterinary practices are no longer in use, but rather persist only in the memories of the eldest subset of the population. A decline in the vertical transmission of ethnoveterinary knowledge was evident and loss of practice is likely compounded by market availability of ready-made pharmaceuticals.

show abstract

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ethnoveterinary practices of Covasna County, Transylvania, Romania

Bartha

Quave

Papp

2015

J Ethnobiology Ethnomedicine

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…With respect to recent data gathered by other authors for other Mediterranean countries or regions (Quave et al, 2010;Pieroni et al, 2011;Ceríaco, 2013;Landau et al, 2014;Papp et al, 2014;Bartha et al, 2015;Piluzza et al, 2015), it should first be noted that the 30 wild vertebrate species (and two ethnotaxa) used in contemporary Spanish EVM constitute a very high number of zootherapeutic resources. Regarding common species, in Portugal, beside the rituals based on the above-described use of wolf trachea, dried ocellated lizard faeces were applied to the eyes of farm animals; snakeskin wrapped in cabbage was given to pigs to treat cough, and red-legged partridge feathers were burned to cure cow diseases (see Ceríaco, 2013).…”

Section: A Cross-cultural Comparisonmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Regarding common species, in Portugal, beside the rituals based on the above-described use of wolf trachea, dried ocellated lizard faeces were applied to the eyes of farm animals; snakeskin wrapped in cabbage was given to pigs to treat cough, and red-legged partridge feathers were burned to cure cow diseases (see Ceríaco, 2013). Against viper bites, in Transylvania (Romania) the skin of Vipera berus (Linnaeus, 1758), flayed before St. George's day, was pulled onto a stick and used to scrub injured body parts since people believed that harmful agents would heal the aggression (Papp et al, 2014).…”

Section: A Cross-cultural Comparisonmentioning

confidence: 99%

The use of wild vertebrates in contemporary Spanish ethnoveterinary medicine

González

Amich

Postigo-Mota

et al. 2016

Journal of Ethnopharmacology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…Dénes et al [38] give a thorough overview on wild food plants, while a number of works tackle certain aspects, e.g. focus on ethnomedicine [39].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Berries, greens, and medicinal herbs—mapping and assessing wild plants as an ecosystem service in Transylvania (Romania)

Vári

Arany

Kalóczkai

et al. 2020

J Ethnobiology Ethnomedicine

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Wild edible plants as well as medicinal herbs are still widely used natural resources in Eastern Europe that are frequently accessed by the local population. Ethnobotanical studies rarely give insight to the specific ecosystems in which wild food and medicinal plants grow in a spatially explicit way. The present work assesses the potential of different ecosystems to provide wild plants for food and medicinal use based on 37 selected plant species, gives an estimate on the actual use of wild plants, and allows insights into the motivation of local people to collect wild plants.Methods: A number of interdisciplinary methods were used: participatory stakeholder workshops with experts scoring the provisioning capacity of ecosystem types, GIS for representing results (capacity maps), basic data statistics for actual use assessment, and interviews for analysing motivations.Results: Capacity to provide wild edible plants was assessed highest in broad-leaved forests and wetlands, while for medicinal herbs, orchards were rated best. We could find a multitude of motivations for gathering that could be grouped along four main lines corresponding to major dimensions of well-being (health, habit/tradition, nutrition/ income, pleasure/emotional), with health reasons dominating very clearly the range (59% of answers), which can be interpreted as a combination of modern "green" values with a traditional lifestyle. We detected some distinct patterns of motivations between the different social groups analysed with more fundamental needs associated with lower level socio-ecological background. Conclusion: This case study provides an example on the importance of wild plants for locals from several points of view. We emphasize the relevance of these local stakeholder views to be included in decision-making and ecosystem management, which can be achieved by the presented workflow for mapping and assessment of ecosystem services which is also compatible with EU-suggested Mapping and Assessment of Ecosystems and their Services (MAES).

show abstract

Survey of traditional beliefs in the Hungarian Csángó and Székely ethnomedicine in Transylvania, Romania

Cited by 29 publications

References 35 publications

Ethnoveterinary practices of Covasna County, Transylvania, Romania

Ethnoveterinary practices of Covasna County, Transylvania, Romania

The use of wild vertebrates in contemporary Spanish ethnoveterinary medicine

Berries, greens, and medicinal herbs—mapping and assessing wild plants as an ecosystem service in Transylvania (Romania)

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About