Intercultural health and ethnobotany: How to improve healthcare for underserved and minority communities?

Traditional Medicine and Childcare in Western Africa: Mothers’ Knowledge, Folk Illnesses, and Patterns of Healthcare-Seeking Behavior

“…Our research supports ethnobotanical studies from other parts of the world that have indicated local populations commonly prefer to treat folk illnesses with traditional medicine [5], [30]–[31]. While many participants in our study knew herbal remedies to treat folk illnesses, it is clear that traditional healers and religion have a strong role in this domain.…”

“…Traditional medical systems include not only traditional healers, but also the popular knowledge of local populations, known as domestic medicine or home remedies. Most ethnobotanical literature on traditional medicine is concentrated on the knowledge of traditional healers and largely overlooks domestic medicine, the knowledge of women [4], and more specifically, the knowledge of mothers [5]–[6]. Since home remedies (self-treatment with herbs) comprise the majority of African medicine [1], [7]–[8], domestic knowledge needs to be prioritized in medical research and reinforced in order to improve healthcare and enhance local populations’ responses to illness.…”

The Traditional Knowledge of Quilombola About Plants: Does urbanization matter?

“…In a broader geographic scale, Pirker et al (2012) showed that the traditional knowledge about medicinal plants can be influenced by urbanization and ongoing globalization processes and is challenged by shifts from traditional healing practices to modern healthcare facilities. Healers and healthcare providers have a central role in the integration of traditional medicine and biomedicine, especially in minority and underserved communities (Vandebroek 2013).…”

Traditional local medicines in the republic of Palau and non-communicable diseases (NCD), signs of effectiveness

“…In such a research program, pharmacologic studies may also help discover what is the active substance that should be measured for plant quality assurance. Exploring how integration of traditional medicine and biomedicine can have an impact on public health in local communities can be set as an attainable goal for interdisciplinary research (Vandebroek, 2013). Concerning safety of a traditional preparation, WHO guidelines stated that: "If the product has been traditionally used without demonstrated harm, no specific restrictive regulatory action should be undertaken unless new evidence demands a revised risk-benefit assessment" (WHO, 2004).…”