Ethnobotany

Introduction about Ethnobotany

1. ETHNOBOTANY
Dr. B. KARUNAI SELVI
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF BOTANY
V.V.VANNIAPERUMAL COLLEGE FOR WOMEN
VIRUDHUNAGAR -626 001
TAMIL NADU, INDIA
[email protected]

2. Ethnobotany
Naturalandtraditionalinterrelationships
betweenmanandplants
Peopleofparticularcultureandregionmake
useofindigenousplants
Ethnobotanyisthestudyoftherelationship
betweenplantsandpeopleandtheirculture.

3. Ethnobotany -Interrelationships
Culturalandspiritualrelationships
Relationshipsusefulbothtomanandplants
Relationshipsusefultomanbutharmfulto
plants
Relationshipsusefultoplantsbutharmfulto
man
Relationshipsharmfultobothmanandplants

4. Plants
SouthAmerica–Extraordinarydiversityof
plantsp.
•TreasuregroveofMedicinalplants
Havehealingpower
Sourceofdrugs
Usedasmedicine

5. Ethno botany -Ethnobotanist
Explorehowplantsusedas
•Food
•Shelter
•Medicine
•Clothing
•Religiousceremonies

6. Ethno botany -Ethnobotanist
John William Harshberger 1895
•Coined the term ethnobotany
John Ray 1686 –1704
•“Historia Plantarum”
Carl Linnaeus 1953
•“Species Plantarum”
Dioscoride
•“Materia Medica” -Catalog of 600 Plants
Richard Evans Schulte
•“Father of Modern Ethnobotany”

7. Book
How and When each plant gathered
Poisonous or Not
Actual use
Edible or Not
Stressed the economic potential of plants

8. Ethnobotany -Branches
Ethnoagriculture
Ethnoarcheobotany
Ethnoecology
Ethnogastrology
Ethnopharmacognosy
Ethnophytotaxonomy
Ethnopteridology
Ethnobryology
Ethnoalgology
Ethnolichenology
Ethnoveterinary
Ethnobiology

9. Ethnobotany
Botanical Training
•Identification and preservation
Anthropological Training
•To understand the cultural concepts around the
perception of plants
Linguistic Training
•Transcribe local terms
•Syntax

10. Ethno botany -Training
Epidemiology
Ethnomedical
•Biological and chemical Information
Traditional medicine culture
Ecology of the people

11. Cynodon dactylon

12. Ocimum basilicum

13. Ocimum sanctum

14. Solanum trilobatum

15. Andrographis paniculata

16. Centella asiatica

17. Justicia adhatoda

18. Solanum nigrum

19. Alternanthera sessilis

20. Significances of Medicinal Plants to Human Being
Manyofthemodernmedicinesareproducedindirectly
frommedicinalplants,forexampleaspirin.
Plantsaredirectlyusedasmedicinesbyamajorityof
culturesaroundtheworld,forexampleChinese
medicineandIndianmedicine.
Manyfoodcropshavemedicinaleffects,forexample
garlic.

21. Significances
Medicinalplantsareresourcesofnewdrugs.Itisestimated
therearemorethan250,000flowerplantspecies.
Studyingmedicinalplantshelpstounderstandplant
toxicityandprotecthumanandanimalsfromnatural
poisons.
Cultivationandpreservationofmedicinalplantsprotect
biologicaldiversity,forexamplemetabolicengineeringof
plants.

22. Thank you