The Medicinal Plant Trade in Suriname

Abstract

Medicinal plant markets provide not only a snapshot of a country's medicinal flora, but also of the importance of herbal medicine among its inhabitants and their concerns about health and illness. During a market survey in 2006, we collected data on the diversity, source, and volume of plants being sold and exported, and the preferences of urban consumers in Suriname. More than 245 species of medicinal plants were sold at the markets of Paramaribo. The annual value of the domestic and export market was estimated to be worth over US$ 1.5 million. Prices of medicinal products were determined by resource scarcity, processing costs, distance to harvesting sites, and local demand. The growing numbers of urban Maroons with their cultural beliefs regarding health and illness, and their strong family ties to the interior are the moving force behind the commercialization of herbal medicine in Suriname.

Tracing ancestor rice of Suriname Maroons back to its African origin

“…Rice farmers were interviewed after obtaining their prior informed consent. In 2009, three bags (approximately 60 grams each) of unmilled O. glaberrima grains were purchased from Maroon vendors at the Paramaribo Vreedzaam market, the main trading location for medicinal and ritual plants from the country's forested interior 31 . Grains from each sample were sown in 2010 in the greenhouse of the Hortus Botanicus Amsterdam.…”

Bathe the baby to make it strong and healthy: Plant use and child care among Saramaccan Maroons in Suriname

“…Finally, we also asked in-depth questions dealing with local concepts of traditional and western medicines and healing practices. Supplementary data were obtained from an ethnobotanical study (including a market survey) conducted by the second author in 2006 in Paramaribo and several Saramaccan Maroon communities (van Andel et al, 2007).…”

“…Under five mortality rate on national level was 39 deaths per 1000 live births in 2005, while infant mortality rate under one and neonatal mortality rate was 30 (2005) and 17 (2004), respectively (WHO, 2008). Many Surinamers still rely on medicinal plants and traditional knowledge to cure and/or prevent diseases, including those related to child health (Behari-Ramdas, 2005; van Andel et al, 2007van Andel et al, , 2008. Hence, folk practices and herbal remedies used in child care in Suriname deserve increased attention.…”

“…Moreover, they hardly mentioned any Maroon plant use. Only recently, increased efforts have been made to document traditional Maroon knowledge in Suriname (Behari-Ramdas, 2005; van Andel et al, 2007van Andel et al, , 2008 and in French Guyana (Fleury, 1991;Grenand et al, 2004).…”

Plantas medicinais em feiras e mercados públicos do Distrito Florestal Sustentável da BR-163, estado do Pará, Brasil

“…Espécies como andiroba, copaíba e cumarú, comuns à maioria dos locais estudados, são frequentes em mercados de plantas medicinais na Amazônia (Berg 1984;Coelho-Ferreira 1996;Pinto & Maduro 2003;Shanley & Luz 2003;Andel et al 2007). O fato de uma planta estar presente em determinado mercado pode ser resultado da demanda local pelo produto, sendo que nos centros mais populosos como Altamira, Santarém e Itaituba essa procura seria mais intensa e diversifi cada.…”