Search results for "ethnobotany"
showing 10 items of 47 documents
Historical Suitability and Sustainability of Sicani Mountains Landscape (Western Sicily): An Integrated Approach of Phytosociology and Archaeobotany
2020
Since 2015, the ongoing project &ldquo
Ethnobotanical uses of wild taxa as galactagogues in Sicily (Italy)
2018
<p>Breastfeeding furnishes optimal nutrition, immune support, and a multitude of health benefits to mothers and newborns. Since ancient times plants have been employed as galactagogues in the folk medicine of many human cultures. In Sicily, a region with great floristic diversity in the Mediterranean area, where a conspicuous pool of species is traditionally used for food and aromatic, cosmetic, handicraft, agricultural, forestry, and medicinal purposes, some people recognize the galactagogue properties of some spontaneous plants.</p><p>The goal of this study was to identify wild plants with galactagogue properties and vegetable-food remedies traditionally used by women du…
North African Medicinal Plants Traditionally Used in Cancer Therapy.
2017
Background: Cancer is a major cause of mortality worldwide with increasing numbers by the years. In North Africa, the number of cancer patients is alarming. Also shocking is that a huge number of cancer patients only have access to traditional medicines due to several factors, e.g., economic difficulties. In fact, medicinal plants are widely used for the treatment of several pathologies, including cancer. Truthfully, herbalists and botanists in North African countries prescribe several plants for cancer treatment. Despite the popularity and the potential of medicinal plants for the treatment of cancer, scientific evidence on their anticancer effects are still scarce for most of the describe…
Preservation of fungi in archaeological charcoal
2010
During the analysis of wood charcoal remains from archaeological sites, it is common to find different microorganisms and different forms of degradation present in the plant tissue. However, one may encounter difficulties when attempting to identify these microorganisms and determine when their attack occurred. This paper focuses on preservation aspects related to the microorganisms in wood and demonstrates the structural changes that take place in different types of decayed wood after it was converted into charcoal. The study seeks to determine whether the microbial attack found in archaeological woods took place before the burning of the wood or after. Burning experiments were conducted u…
The use of wood in funerary pyres: random gathering or special selection of species? Case study of three necropolises from Poland
2012
Abstract In this study, the analysis of charcoal remains from three prehistoric necropolises is presented. This botanical material formed part of funerary pyres and thus represents purposely gathered wood used for cremation ceremonies. Therefore, its anthracological analysis may indicate a special selection of wood, which may be a source of palaeoethnographic information about past rituals. However, a question remains as to whether or not the charcoal assemblages that originated from graves may also provide some palaeoecological information. In order to test both hypotheses, analysis of three Polish necropolises dating to the Bronze and the Iron Age were performed. In all charcoal assemblag…
Evaluación etnobotanica de la Yareta (Azorella compacta) en Arequipa (Perú) y sus posibles aplicaciones
2013
Abstract – Ethnobotanical study of the Yareta Arequipa plant (Azorella compacta Phil) and its possible applications. – The aim of this work is the ethnobotanical characterisation of the Yareta Arequipa plant (Azorella compacta Phil), to report indications about the uses of the Yareata plant by “Salinas y Aguada Blanca” National Reserve (RNSAB) populations and to find its possible applications. The survey has been lead on nine communities of the Arequipa Region (Peru), it concerned the actual degree of conservation of the plants, the botanical description and classification, the ecological characterization, the use and the distribution in ethnomedicine and ethnopharmacology and all the uses …
Azorella compacta (Yareta):an endemic plant of the Andean planteaux in South America. Azorella compacta (Yareta): pianta endemica degli altipiani and…
2013
Azorella compacta (Yareta): pianta endemica degli altipiani andini del Sud America. – Si riportano i risultati di una ricerca sugli usi della Azorella compacta Phil da parte delle popolazioni sudamericane del Perù, Argentina, Cile e Bolivia, allo scopo di realizzare una documentazione etnobotanica di partenza per possibili applicazioni pratiche della pianta. La sperimentazione sulla A. compacta ha preso in esame lo stato attuale di conservazione, la classificazione e descrizione botanica, l’ecologia, la distribuzione, l’utilizzazione in etnomedicina e etnofarmacologia e altre possibili impieghi. Dalla suddetta esperienza è emerso che tutte le comunità in studio,dei suddetti Paesi, utilizzan…
Microremains from El Mirón Cave human dental calculus suggest a mixed plant/animal subsistence economy during the Magdalenian in Northern Iberia
2015
Abstract Despite more than a century of detailed investigation of the Magdalenian period in Northern Iberia, our understanding of the diets during this period is limited. Methodologies for the reconstruction of Late Glacial subsistence strategies have overwhelmingly targeted animal exploitation, thus revealing only a portion of the dietary spectrum. Retrieving food debris from calculus offers a means to provide missing information on other components of diet. We undertook analysis of human dental calculus samples from Magdalenian individuals (including the “Red Lady”) at El Miron Cave (Cantabria, Spain), as well as several control samples, to better understand the less visible dietary compo…
Ethnobotanical research in Cava de' Tirreni area, Southern Italy
2019
Abstract Background To best of our knowledge, this is the first quantitative ethnobotanical study with the aim of documenting the local knowledge and practices of using plants for curing diseases in the Cava de’ Tirreni area, Salerno Province, Campania Region, Italy. The present ethnobotanical field study, carried out during 2016–2017, documents the local uses of 119 plant species for medicinal, food and domestic purposes. Methods Ethnobotanical data were documented from 70 informants: field data were collected and information on the uses of plants was gathered through semi-structured and structured interviews with persons who still retain traditional ethnobotanical knowledge. Documented da…
Medicinal and useful plants in the tradition of Rotonda, Pollino National Park, Southern Italy.
2013
Abstract Background This paper reports an ethnobotanical survey of the traditional uses of medicinal and useful plants in an area of the Pollino National Park, Basilicata, Southern Italy. The study, conducted between 2009 and 2010, gathered information on the medicinal plants traditionally used in the neighbourhood of town of Rotonda, in the Pollino National Park, that appears have very rich and interesting ethnopharmacological traditions. Methods In all, we interviewed 120 key informants, whose age ranged between 50 and 95 years. Results The research resulted to the identification of 78 medicinal plants belonging to 46 families. Among the species reported, 59 are used in human medicine, 18…