Ethnobotanical
study of medicinal plants used by people in Zegie Peninsula, Northwestern
Ethiopia
An ethnobotanical study was
conducted from October 2005 to June 2006 to investigate the uses of medicinal
plants by people in Zegie Peninsula, northwestern Ethiopia. Information was
gathered from 200 people: 70 female and 130 males, using semistructured
questionnaire. Of which, six were male local healers. The informants, except
the healers, were selected randomly and no appointment was made prior to the
visits. Informant consensus factor (ICF) for category of aliments and the
fidelity level (FL) of the medicinal plants were determined. Sixty-seven
medicinal plants used as a cure for 52 aliments were documented. They are
distributed across 42 families and 64 genera. The most frequently utilized
plant part was the underground part (root/rhizome/bulb) (42%). The largest
number of remedies was used to treat gastrointestinal disorder and parasites
infections (22.8%) followed by external injuries and parasites infections
(22.1%). The administration routes are oral (51.4%), external (38.6%), nasal
(7.9%), and ear (2.1%). The medicinal plants that were presumed to be effective
in treating a certain category of disease, such as 'mich' and febrile diseases
(0.80) had higher ICF values. This probably indicates a high incidence of these
types of diseases in the region, possibly due to the poor socio-economic and
sanitary conditions of this people. The medicinal plants that are widely used
by the local people or used as a remedy for a specific aliment have higher FL
values (Carissa spinarum, Clausena anisata,
Acokanthera schimperi, Calpurnia aurea, Ficus
thonningii, and Cyphostemma junceum) than those that are
less popular or used to treat more than one type of aliments (Plumbago
zeylanicum, Dorstenia barnimiana).
Ethnobotanical study of indigenous knowledge on medicinal plant use by traditional healers in Oshikoto region, Namibia
Background
The objective of this study was to
establish a regional profile of the indigenous knowledge system (IKS) for
medicinal plant use and cultural practices associated with the healing process
of these plants by traditional healers in the Oshikoto region, Namibia.
Methods
An ethnobotanical survey was
undertaken to collect information from traditional healers during September and
October 2008. Data was collected through the use of questionnaires and personal
interviews during field trips in the ten constituencies of the Oshikoto region.
A total of 47 respondents were interviewed with most of them aged 66 and above.
Results
The traditional healers in
Oshikoto region use 61 medicinal plant species that belong to 25 families for
the treatment of various diseases and disorders with the highest number of
species being used for mental diseases followed by skin infection and external
injuries. Trees (28 species) were found to be the most used plants followed by
herbs (15 species), shrubs (10 species) and climbers (4 species). The average
of the informant consensus factor (FIC) value for all ailment
categories was 0.75. High FIC values were obtained for Pergularia daemia, and Tragia
okanyua, which were reported to
treat weakness and dizziness problems, snake bite, swelling and cardiovascular
problems indicating that these species traditionally used to treat these
ailments are worth examining for bioactive compounds.
Conclusions
The traditional healers in
Oshikoto possess rich ethno-pharmacological knowledge. This study allows for
identifying many high value medicinal plant species, indicating high potential
for economic development through sustainable collection of these medicinal
plants.
Use of Complementary and Alternative
Medical Therapies among Racial and Ethnic Minority Adults:
Results from the 2002 National Health
Interview Survey
Understanding Immigrants' Reluctance to Use Mental Health Services: A Qualitative Study from Montreal
Abstract
Objective: Studies suggest that non-European immigrants to
Canada tend to under use mental health services, compared with Canadian-born
people. Social, cultural, religious, linguistic, geographic, and economic
variables may contribute to this underuse. This paper explores the reasons for
underuse of conventional mental health services in a community sample of
immigrants with identified emotional and somatic symptoms.
Method: Fifteen West Indian immigrants in Montreal with
somatic symptoms and (or) emotional distress, not currently using mental health
services, participated in a face-to-face in-depth interview exploring health
care use. Interviews were analyzed thematically to discern common factors
explaining reluctance to use services.
Results: Across participants' narratives, we identified 3
significant factors explaining their reluctance to use mental health services.
First, there was a perceived overwillingness of doctors to rely on pharmaceutical
medications as interventions. Second, participants perceived a dismissive
attitude and lack of time from physicians in previous encounters that deterred
their use of current health service. Third, many participants reported a belief
in the curative power of nonmedical interventions, most notably God and to a
lesser extent, traditional folk medicine.
Conclusion: The above factors may highlight important areas for
intervention to reduce disparities in immigrant use of mental health care. We
present our framework as a model, grounded in empirical data, that further
research can explore.
Use of Traditional Medicine by
Immigrant Chinese Patients
Background
Chinese
immigrants constitute the largest group of foreign-born Asians living in the
United
States.
Knowledge of their use of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is limited. A
survey was conducted
to
determine their TCM use and to evaluate physician awareness of these practices.
Methods
Structured
interviews
were conducted with 198 Chinese immigrant patients, and a survey was
administered to 17
physicians
in two federally funded community health clinics.
Results
Nearly
100% of the patients had
used
TCM during the previous year, mostly for musculoskeletal or abdominal pain,
fatigue, and health
maintenance.
Self-medication with herbal products was the most common (93% at least once,
43% weekly).
A
smaller number (23%) had used herbs prescribed by a TCM provider. Use of
acupuncture was less
common
(14%), although higher than the national average. Most patients indicated a
preference to consult
Western
physicians for acute infections. Only 5% reported that their physicians had
ever asked about their
use
of TCM. By contrast, 77% of physicians reported that they “usually or
sometimes” asked about TCM
use.
Conclusions
Results
suggest that these patients used TCM, primarily self-prescribed
over-the-counter
herbal
preparations, for many health problems. Information about use was not shared
with their physi
cians,
nor did patients perceive their doctors as soliciting sufficient information on
TCM use. Physician
education
in this area may be warranted
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