Ethnobotany Overview and Importance

Define Ethnobotany

Ethnobotany is the study of a region's plants and their practical uses through the traditional knowledge of local culture and people.

Ethnobotany research and applications

The term ethnobotany was first used in 1895 by John W. Harshberger, a US botanist. The word ethnobotany has been derived from ethnology, which means the study of culture. Thus literally ethnobotany means scientific study of the relationships that exist between people and plants. Ethnobotanists aim to reliably document, describe and explain how people of a particular culture and region make use of indigenous plants. It focuses primarily on how plants are used. managed and perceived across human societies, e.g. as food, medicine, textiles, divination (i.e., the practice of seeking knowledge of the future or the unknown by supernatural means), cosmetics, dyeing, construction, tools, and in mutuals.

Thus ethnobotanical studies have two aspects- one is botanical which is purely scientific and the other is cultural or anthropological. In the beginning ethnobotanical studies were not very reliable. This is because the botanists and anthropologists did not come together in their work. The botanists focussed on identifying species and how the plants were used, instead of studying how plants fit into people's lives. On the other hand, anthropologists were interested in the cultural role of plants and not the scientific aspect. Therefore, early ethnobotanical data does not really include both sides. It was only in the early twentieth century botanists and anthropologists finally collaborated and the collection of reliable data began. Now there was a shift from the simple compilation of data to a greater methodological and conceptual reorientation of the subject.

Ethnobotany has its roots in botany. Botany, in turn, originated partly from an interest in finding plants that could help in the fight against illness. In fact, medicine and botany always had close ties. Many of the present-day drugs have been derived from plant sources Pharmacognosy is the science totally devoted to the study of medicinal and toxic products from natural plant sources. Earlier pharmacologists researching drugs were required to understand the natural plant world and physicians were trained to use plant-derived medicines to cure diseases. However, as modern medicine and drug research advanced, chemically synthesized drugs replaced plants as the source of medicinal agents, particularly in industrialized countries. However, the last two decades have seen a growing shift in interest once again and plants are reemerging as a significant source of new pharmaceuticals. Industries are now exploring the market for herbal medicines. Several drug companies are exploring parts of the world with great diversity of plant species. Such regions are, in fact, treasure grooves of medicinal plants. Meanwhile, scientists have also realized the necessity of the study of the culture of the people who inhabit these regions as this could provide enormously valuable clues in the search for improved health.

To discover the practical potential of native plants an ethnobotanist must not only have sufficient knowledge of plants but must also understand the culture of the region. Thus ethnobotany is a multidisciplinary science. It gives ethnobotanists more insight into the management of tropical forest reserves in a period of tremendous environmental stress.

Ethnobotany

AREAS OF ETHNOBOTANICAL STUDIES

Morning in the twentieth century, the field of ethnobotany endured a shift from the raw compendium of data to a lesser methodological and abstract reorientation. moment, the practice of ethnobotany requires a variety of chops

1. Botanical training for the identification and preservation of factory samples.

2. Anthropological training to understand the artistic generalities around the perception of shops.

3. verbal training to transcribe original terms and understand native morphology, syntax, and semantics. Ethnobotanists engage in a broad array of exploration questions and practices, which don't advance. themselves to easy categorization.

Ethnobotany importance

• Ethnobotany provides the traditional uses of plants.
• Ethnobotany gives information about certain unknown and known plants and species.
• Ethnobotany gives the right understanding of the raw materials of nature.