Ethnomedicine is a study or comparison of the
traditional medicine
Traditional medicine (also known as indigenous medicine or folk medicine) comprises medical aspects of traditional knowledge that developed over generations within the folk beliefs of various societies, including indigenous peoples, before the ...
based on bioactive compounds in plants and animals and practiced by various
ethnic groups, especially those with little access to western medicines, e.g.,
indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...
. The word ''ethnomedicine'' is sometimes used as a
synonym for ''traditional medicine''.
[Acharya, Deepak and Shrivastava Anshu: ''Indigenous Herbal Medicines: Tribal Formulations and Traditional Herbal Practices''. Aavishkar Publishers Distributor, Jaipur / India 2008, , p. 440.]
Ethnomedical research is
interdisciplinary; in its study of traditional medicines, it applies the methods of
ethnobotany and
medical anthropology
Medical anthropology studies "human health and disease, health care systems, and biocultural adaptation". It views humans from multidimensional and ecological perspectives. It is one of the most highly developed areas of anthropology and applie ...
. Often, the medicine traditions it studies are preserved only by
oral tradition
Oral tradition, or oral lore, is a form of human communication wherein knowledge, art, ideas and cultural material is received, preserved, and transmitted orally from one generation to another. Vansina, Jan: ''Oral Tradition as History'' (1985) ...
.
In addition to plants, some of these traditions constitute significant
interactions with insects on the Indian Subcontinent, in
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
, or elsewhere around the globe.
Scientific ethnomedical studies constitute either
anthropological research or
drug discovery research. Anthropological studies examine the cultural perception and context of a traditional medicine. Ethnomedicine has been used as a starting point in drug discovery, specifically those using
reverse pharmacological techniques.
Ethnopharmacology
![Opium poppy](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/87/Opium_poppy.jpg)
Ethnopharmacology is a related field which studies ethnic groups and their use of plant compounds. It is linked to
pharmacognosy,
phytotherapy
Herbal medicine (also herbalism) is the study of pharmacognosy and the use of medicinal plants, which are a basis of traditional medicine. With worldwide research into pharmacology, some herbal medicines have been translated into modern remed ...
(study of
medicinal plant
Medicinal plants, also called medicinal herbs, have been discovered and used in traditional medicine practices since prehistoric times. Plants synthesize hundreds of chemical compounds for various functions, including defense and protection ag ...
s) use and
ethnobotany, as this is a source of
lead compound
A lead compound (, i.e. a "leading" compound, not to be confused with various compounds of the metallic element lead) in drug discovery is a chemical compound that has pharmacology, pharmacological or biological activity likely to be therapeutical ...
s for
drug discovery.
Emphasis has long been on
traditional medicine
Traditional medicine (also known as indigenous medicine or folk medicine) comprises medical aspects of traditional knowledge that developed over generations within the folk beliefs of various societies, including indigenous peoples, before the ...
s, although the approach also has proven useful to the study of
modern pharmaceuticals.
It involves studies of the:
# identification and ethnotaxonomy (cognitive categorisation) of the (eventual) natural material, from which the candidate compound will be produced
# traditional preparation of the pharmaceutical forms
# bio-evaluation of the possible pharmacological action of such preparations (ethnopharmacology)
# their potential for clinical effectiveness
# socio-medical aspects implied in the uses of these compounds (
medical anthropology
Medical anthropology studies "human health and disease, health care systems, and biocultural adaptation". It views humans from multidimensional and ecological perspectives. It is one of the most highly developed areas of anthropology and applie ...
).
See also
*
Ayurveda
Ayurveda () is an alternative medicine system with historical roots in the Indian subcontinent. The theory and practice of Ayurveda is pseudoscientific. Ayurveda is heavily practiced in India and Nepal, where around 80% of the population rep ...
*
Ethnobiology ]
Ethnobiology is the scientific study of the way living things are treated or used by different human cultures. It studies the dynamic relationships between people, biota, and environments, from the distant past to the immediate present.culture ...
*
Ethnobotany
*
Herbalism
Herbal medicine (also herbalism) is the study of pharmacognosy and the use of medicinal plants, which are a basis of traditional medicine. With worldwide research into pharmacology, some herbal medicines have been translated into modern reme ...
*
Medical research
*
Medicine
Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pr ...
*
Pharmacognosy
*
Shamanism
*
Traditional ecological knowledge
Traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) describes indigenous and other traditional knowledge of local resources. As a field of study in Northern American anthropology, TEK refers to "a cumulative body of knowledge, belief, and practice, evolving by ...
*
Traditional medicine
Traditional medicine (also known as indigenous medicine or folk medicine) comprises medical aspects of traditional knowledge that developed over generations within the folk beliefs of various societies, including indigenous peoples, before the ...
References
Further reading
*
Fábrega, Horacio, Jr. Evolution of Sickness and Healing. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1997.Access Apr. 2015
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ethnomedicine
Ethnobiology
Medical anthropology
Traditional medicine
fr:Ethnomédecine