Diverse in Local, Overlapping in Official Medical Botany: Critical Analysis of Medicinal Plant Records from the Historic Regions of Livonia and Courland in Northeast Europe, 1829–1895

Prakofjewa, Julia; Anegg, Martin; Kalle, Raivo; Simanova, Andra; Prūse, Baiba; Pieroni, Andréa; Sõukand, Renata

doi:10.3390/plants11081065

Cited by 8 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 45 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The share of taxa per use-category utilized uninterruptedly across all time periods ranges between 0-29% (Figure 2, pie charts). The highest numbers of taxa constantly used across all time periods were found for categories GAS (33 taxa), DER (28), GYN (16), RES (12), and URO (11). For the categories GAS, DER and RES, the highest percentage was found for constantly used taxa with scientific evidence (GAS: constantly used 33 taxa [34%], 16 taxa with scientific evidence; DER: constantly used 28 taxa [27.5%], 12 taxa with scientific evidence; RES constantly used 12 taxa [15.5%], 4 taxa with scientific evidence).…”

Section: Diachronic Changes: the Use Category Perspectivementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Different types of historical studies on medicinal plant use exist. Historical ethnobotanical studies in Europe have been interested in the mechanisms of knowledge transmission, e.g., by Dioscorides and Galen [ 1 , 2 ], or the influence of ancient herbals on recent medicinal plant use, e.g., Tabernaemontanus 16th century [ 3 ], Hildegard von Bingen 12th century [ 4 , 5 ], Iatrosophia texts in Cyprus [ 6 , 7 ], Corpus Hippocraticum 5th century BC [ 8 , 9 ], Nordic countries [ 10 ], Northeastern Europe 19th century [ 11 ], Celtic Provenance Medieval Wales [ 12 ] and several Western pharmacopeias [ 13 ]. Ancient herbals were also used for extracting information that appears to be relevant for drug discovery programs (e.g., [ 14 , 15 , 16 ]).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Trends of Medicinal Plant Use over the Last 2000 Years in Central Europe

Cero

Saller²,

Leonti

et al. 2022

Plants

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Medicinal plant knowledge in Central Europe can be traced back from the present to antiquity, through written sources. Approximately 100 medicinal plant taxa have a history of continuous use. In this paper, we focus on use patterns over time and the link between historical and traditional uses with the current scientific evidence. We discuss our findings against the backdrop of changing eras and medicinal concepts. Based on use-records from totally 16 historical, popular and scientific herbals, we analyze how use categories of 102 medicinal plant taxa developed over time. Overall, 56 of the 102 taxa maintained continuous use throughout all time periods. For approximately 30% of the continuous uses, scientific evidence supporting their use exists, compared to 11% for recently added uses and 6% for discontinuous uses. Dermatology and gastroenterology are use categories that are relevant across all time periods. They are associated with a high diversity of medicinal taxa and continuously used medicinal species with scientific evidence. Antidotes, apotropaic (protective) magic, and humoral detoxification were important use categories in the past. New applications reflecting biomedical progress and epidemiological challenges are cardiovascular and tonic uses. Changes in medicinal concepts are mirrored in plant use and specifically in changes in the importance of use categories. Our finding supports the concept of social validation of plant uses, i.e., the assumption that longstanding use practice and tradition may suggest efficacy and safety.

show abstract

Section: Diachronic Changes: the Use Category Perspectivementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trends of Medicinal Plant Use over the Last 2000 Years in Central Europe

Cero

Saller²,

Leonti

et al. 2022

Plants

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The credibility of such historical identifications was also extensively discussed by Łuczaj [ 59 ]. A similar methodology has been used in other historical ethnobotany publications in the same special issue, Historical Ethnobotany: Interpreting the Old Records (e.g., [ 68 , 69 , 70 ]. Identification was facilitated by the voucher specimen collection supplied by Federowski.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plants and Other Materials Used for Dyeing in the Present Territory of Poland, Belarus and Ukraine according to Rostafiński’s Questionnaire from 1883

Köhler

Bystry²,

Łuczaj

2023

Plants

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Traditional dyeing methods are practically forgotten in Poland. Józef Rostafiński included questions on the use of dyes in his ethnobotanical survey from 1883. Methods: 126 questionnaires contained information on dye plants. They were identified by the respondents using folk names or sometimes even Latin names. Folk names were analyzed by comparison with other literature. Several voucher specimens were also present. Results: 74 plant taxa were identified to genus or species level. The most commonly used were: onion (Allium cepa), brazilwood (Caesalpinia brasiliensis or Paubrasilia echinata), winter corn (mainly rye Secale cereale), black alder (Alnus glutinosa), safflower (Carthamus tinctorius), apple (Malus domestica), birch (Betula pendula), oak (Quercus robur), and violet flowering spring flowers (mainly Hepatica nobilis and Pulsatilla spp.). Conclusions: Most species are well known in the literature about plant dyeing, but the paper provides extra details on the picture of dyeing traditions in Eastern Europe.

show abstract

“…It is considered that modern European (especially medical) ethnobotany is mainly based on ancient herbals and later popularizing books (Leonti, 2011). Yet among the historical data, there are some cases considerably less affected by written knowledge that have a clear connection with the local flora and local understanding of diseases (Kalle et al, 2022; Kalle & Sõukand, 2021; Prakofjewa et al, 2022; Sõukand & Kalle, 2022).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The importance of the continuity of practice: Ethnobotany of Kihnu island (Estonia) from 1937 to 2021

Sõukand,

Kalle,

Prakofjewa

et al. 2023

Plants People Planet

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Societal Impact StatementLocal knowledge is highly endangered in the modern world, and therefore, it is important to understand the factors contributing to the preservation of biocultural diversity. Three major aspects were identified: continuity of the practice, support for the ritual related to the use, and external acknowledgment of the local use by an authoritative source. Moreover, strong centralization of current local knowledge in institutionalized domains (ethnomedicine) was identified, which has excluded unacknowledged or officially unapproved local knowledge from circulation. The inclusion of local ecological knowledge as a practice in school curricula and the highlighting of local historical uses in herbals and popularizing activities are recommended.Summary Plant use in local communities changes over time along with changing social, political, economic, and environmental conditions. The study aimed to understand the factors influencing the continuity of certain interactions between plants and people. To understand the drivers of resilience of the use of local flora, the historical (1930s) and current (2021) uses of plants on the small island of Kihnu in Estonia were compared, and the resilient uses were identified. Use resilience depended on the use domain. While the ethnoveterinary domain completely disappeared, the most resilient uses were those related to ritual (religious) activities, with 75% being retained (6 of 8 taxa used historically). This was followed by the wild food plant domain, in which 66% of taxa (21 of 32) have been retained, along with the highest proportion of taxa‐use combinations (57%, 21 of 37). Historically the largest domain, ethnomedicine showed low resilience: 18 of 73 taxa have been retained, with only eight emic (or local) plant uses (PU). Moreover, we observed that 75% of the retained emic PU (6 out of 8) were supported by a centralized medical system, while this proportion was 87% for current uses and only 15% for interrupted uses that were promoted or acknowledged in centralized herbals. As the most important aspects influencing the resilience of plant use are the continuity of practice, ritualization, and external support for usage, the inclusion of local ecological knowledge as a practice in school curricula and the highlighting of local historical uses in herbals and popularizing activities are strongly recommended.

show abstract

Diverse in Local, Overlapping in Official Medical Botany: Critical Analysis of Medicinal Plant Records from the Historic Regions of Livonia and Courland in Northeast Europe, 1829–1895

Cited by 8 publications

References 45 publications

Trends of Medicinal Plant Use over the Last 2000 Years in Central Europe

Trends of Medicinal Plant Use over the Last 2000 Years in Central Europe

Plants and Other Materials Used for Dyeing in the Present Territory of Poland, Belarus and Ukraine according to Rostafiński’s Questionnaire from 1883

The importance of the continuity of practice: Ethnobotany of Kihnu island (Estonia) from 1937 to 2021

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About