Gendering Local Knowledge: Medicinal Plant Use and Primary Health Care in the Amazon

Abstract

Local knowledge is becoming increasingly important in primary health care projects. However, these projects often incorporate local knowledge in an uncritical manner. One area where this is apparent is in the lack of attention paid to the gendered nature of local knowledge. I use one example, women's knowledge and use of medicinal plants in a low-income community in the Brazilian Amazon, to illustrate the links among authority, knowledge, and gender. In this article I argue that policy makers must pay attention to the relationships among authority, gender, and local knowledge and examine how the use of local knowledge in development strategies can affect existing (gendered) power relationships. Women's roles as managers of household health (which includes medicinal plant use) are a source of authority for them. Because of that, the way in which local knowledge is incorporated into primary health care programs can have a significant impact on women's authority.

A Quantitative Assessment of the Indigenous Plant Use among Two Chepang Communities in the Central mid-hills of Nepal

“…Women in rural societies worldwide are often primarily responsible for ensuring household food security, health and family continuity (Howard-Borjas 1999, Saul 1992) and due to that women are expected to be richer than men in indigenous plant use knowledge (Aguilar 2004, Latoya et al 2003, Wayland 2001, Voeks & Leony 2004. In accordance with other findings in Nepal (Saul 1992) our analysis supports this in general (Table 2A).…”

Ethnopharmacological use of plants by Sisala traditional healers in northwest Ghana

“…Women were also reported to have less traditional medicine knowledge than men around the Debre Libanos monastery in Ethiopia (Teklehaymanot et al, 2007). In contrast, in some areas of the Amazon, knowledge and use of medicinal plants was found to be concentred among women because of their role as managers of household health (Wayland, 2001). Healers were predominately farmers (87.1%) and about 80.7% of them have no formal education although people from different socioeconomic backgrounds practiced healing.…”

Utilização de plantas medicinais como remédio caseiro na Atenção Primária em Blumenau, Santa Catarina, Brasil

“…No Brasil, muitos estados já têm utilizado plantas medicinais e fitoterápicos no SUS 34,35 e, em 2010, esta prática foi introduzida em 16 estados da federação 36 .…”