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
karunaiselvi@vvvcollege.org

2. Ethnobotany
 Natural and traditional interrelationships
between man and plants
 People of particular culture and region make
use of indigenous plants
 Ethnobotany is the study of the relationship
between plants and people and their culture.

3. Ethnobotany - Interrelationships
 Cultural and spiritual relationships
 Relationships useful both to man and plants
 Relationships useful to man but harmful to
plants
 Relationships useful to plants but harmful to
man
 Relationships harmful to both man and plants

4. Plants
 South America – Extraordinary diversity of
plant sp.
• Treasure grove of Medicinal plants
 Have healing power
 Source of drugs
 Used as medicine

5. Ethno botany - Ethnobotanist
 Explore how plants used as
• Food
• Shelter
• Medicine
• Clothing
• Religious ceremonies

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
 Many of the modern medicines are produced indirectly
from medicinal plants, for example aspirin.
 Plants are directly used as medicines by a majority of
cultures around the world, for example Chinese
medicine and Indian medicine.
 Many food crops have medicinal effects, for example
garlic.

21. Significances
 Medicinal plants are resources of new drugs. It is estimated
there are more than 250, 000 flower plant species.
 Studying medicinal plants helps to understand plant
toxicity and protect human and animals from natural
poisons.
 Cultivation and preservation of medicinal plants protect
biological diversity, for example metabolic engineering of
plants.

22. Thank you