This paper attempts to explore how indigenous peoples respond to ecological and development challenges and how their cultures and knowledge systems can contribute to the sustainable development agenda. At first, it will look at the characteristics of indigenous knowledge and at indigenous peoples’ notions of development to understand the concepts in which traditional knowledge is rooted.
Sixty-seven crude ethanol extracts from 50 plants (31 families), which are used in North Cote-d’Ivoire as traditional remedies for bacte- ˆ rial diseases, were screened for in vitro activity against Gram negative (Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) and Gram positive (Staphyloccocus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Streptococcus pyogenes and Bacillus subtilis) bacteria.
This commentary is based on a general concern regarding the low level of self-criticism (-evaluation) in the interpretation of molecular pharmacological data published in ethnopharmacology-related journals. Reports on potentially new lead structures or pharmacological effects of medicinal plant extracts are mushrooming.