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.
The aim of this paper is to trace developments in Traditional Medicine (TM) and legislation concerning conservation and use of biodiversity in Africa, with Tanzania as a case study. Based on field trips, interviews with different actors, site visits, and literature we explored the history, current status, re-establishment, and development of TM.
The present work seeks to quantify the knowledge of two rural communities in the semi-arid region of the state of Pernambuco (northeastern Brazil) concerning two species of native medicinal plants: “aroeira do sertao”, ˜ Myracrodruon urundeuva (Engl.) Fr. All. (Anacardiaceae) and “angico”, Anadenanthera colubrina (Vell.) Brenan (Mimosaceae).
Traditional medicine (TM) in Bulamogi (Uganda) is holistic, providing treatments for physical illnesses as well as psycho-spiritual ones. People use it to prevent and eliminate the effects of witchcraft, to appease spirits and to cure chronic illnesses. The traditional medicine practitioners (TMPs) are numerous and have extensive experience of traditional healing.
Communication between patients and physicians about herbal medicine is valuable, enabling physicians to address issues of potential herb-drug interactions and ensuring appropriate medical care.
Cultures all over the world have evolved illness representations that can accommodate not only new diseases, but also new epistemologies for explaining disease. This paper examines illness representations in Sub-Saharan Africa, and how these have responded to the emergence of AIDS.
Throughout the developing world, resource-poor farmers (about 1.4 billion people) located in risk-prone, marginal environments, remain untouched by modern agricultural technology.
ackground International studies of the health of Indigenous and tribal peoples provide important public health insights. Reliable data are required for the development of policy and health services. Previous studies document poorer outcomes for Indigenous peoples compared with benchmark populations, but have been restricted in their coverage of countries or the range of health indicators.
In the UK there may be up to 15 000 avoidable deaths from cancer every year in people over the age of 75 years. A study presented last week at the National Cancer Intelligence Network annual conference highlights the disparity in cancer mortality rates between the UK and 11 European countries and the USA.
This review is the second in a series on Indigenous health, covering different regions and issues. We look briefly at the current state of Indigenous health in Latin America and the Caribbean, a region with over 400 different indigenous groups and a total population of 45 to 48 million people.