Are you looking for read ebook online? Search for your book and save it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Download Plants, People, and Culture PDF full book. Access full book title Plants, People, and Culture by Michael J Balick. Download full books in PDF and EPUB format.
Author: Michael J Balick Publisher: Garland Science ISBN: 1000098486 Category : Science Languages : en Pages : 487
Book Description
Is it possible that plants have shaped the very trajectory of human cultures? Using riveting stories of fieldwork in remote villages, two of the world’s leading ethnobotanists argue that our past and our future are deeply intertwined with plants. Creating massive sea craft from plants, indigenous shipwrights spurred the navigation of the world’s oceans. Today, indigenous agricultural innovations continue to feed, clothe, and heal the world’s population. One out of four prescription drugs, for example, were discovered from plants used by traditional healers. Objects as common as baskets for winnowing or wooden boxes to store feathers were ornamented with traditional designs demonstrating the human ability to understand our environment and to perceive the cosmos. Throughout the world, the human body has been used as the ultimate canvas for plant-based adornment as well as indelible design using tattoo inks. Plants also garnered religious significance, both as offerings to the gods and as a doorway into the other world. Indigenous claims that plants themselves are sacred is leading to a startling reformulation of conservation. The authors argue that conservation goals can best be achieved by learning from, rather than opposing, indigenous peoples and their beliefs. KEY FEATURES • An engrossing narrative that invites the reader to personally engage with the relationship between plants, people, and culture • Full-color illustrations throughout—including many original photographs captured by the authors during fieldwork • New to this edition—"Plants That Harm," a chapter that examines the dangers of poisonous plants and the promise that their study holds for novel treatments for some of our most serious diseases, including Alzheimer’s and substance addiction • Additional readings at the end of each chapter to encourage further exploration • Boxed features on selected topics that offer further insight • Provocative questions to facilitate group discussion Designed for the college classroom as well as for lay readers, this update of Plants, People, and Culture entices the reader with firsthand stories of fieldwork, spectacular illustrations, and a deep respect for both indigenous peoples and the earth’s natural heritage.
Author: Michael J Balick Publisher: Garland Science ISBN: 1000098486 Category : Science Languages : en Pages : 487
Book Description
Is it possible that plants have shaped the very trajectory of human cultures? Using riveting stories of fieldwork in remote villages, two of the world’s leading ethnobotanists argue that our past and our future are deeply intertwined with plants. Creating massive sea craft from plants, indigenous shipwrights spurred the navigation of the world’s oceans. Today, indigenous agricultural innovations continue to feed, clothe, and heal the world’s population. One out of four prescription drugs, for example, were discovered from plants used by traditional healers. Objects as common as baskets for winnowing or wooden boxes to store feathers were ornamented with traditional designs demonstrating the human ability to understand our environment and to perceive the cosmos. Throughout the world, the human body has been used as the ultimate canvas for plant-based adornment as well as indelible design using tattoo inks. Plants also garnered religious significance, both as offerings to the gods and as a doorway into the other world. Indigenous claims that plants themselves are sacred is leading to a startling reformulation of conservation. The authors argue that conservation goals can best be achieved by learning from, rather than opposing, indigenous peoples and their beliefs. KEY FEATURES • An engrossing narrative that invites the reader to personally engage with the relationship between plants, people, and culture • Full-color illustrations throughout—including many original photographs captured by the authors during fieldwork • New to this edition—"Plants That Harm," a chapter that examines the dangers of poisonous plants and the promise that their study holds for novel treatments for some of our most serious diseases, including Alzheimer’s and substance addiction • Additional readings at the end of each chapter to encourage further exploration • Boxed features on selected topics that offer further insight • Provocative questions to facilitate group discussion Designed for the college classroom as well as for lay readers, this update of Plants, People, and Culture entices the reader with firsthand stories of fieldwork, spectacular illustrations, and a deep respect for both indigenous peoples and the earth’s natural heritage.
Author: Munir Ozturk Publisher: Springer ISBN: 3319939971 Category : Science Languages : en Pages : 805
Book Description
Early anthropological evidence for plant use as medicine is 60,000 years old as reported from the Neanderthal grave in Iraq. The importance of plants as medicine is further supported by archeological evidence from Asia and the Middle East. Today, around 1.4 billion people in South Asia alone have no access to modern health care, and rely instead on traditional medicine to alleviate various symptoms. On a global basis, approximately 50 to 80 thousand plant species are used either natively or as pharmaceutical derivatives for life-threatening conditions that include diabetes, hypertension and cancers. As the demand for plant-based medicine rises, there is an unmet need to investigate the quality, safety and efficacy of these herbals by the “scientific methods”. Current research on drug discovery from medicinal plants involves a multifaceted approach combining botanical, phytochemical, analytical, and molecular techniques. For instance, high throughput robotic screens have been developed by industry; it is now possible to carry out 50,000 tests per day in the search for compounds, which act on a key enzyme or a subset of receptors. This and other bioassays thus offer hope that one may eventually identify compounds for treating a variety of diseases or conditions. However, drug development from natural products is not without its problems. Frequent challenges encountered include the procurement of raw materials, the selection and implementation of appropriate high-throughput bioassays, and the scaling-up of preparative procedures. Research scientists should therefore arm themselves with the right tools and knowledge in order to harness the vast potentials of plant-based therapeutics. The main objective of Plant and Human Health is to serve as a comprehensive guide for this endeavor. Volume 1 highlights how humans from specific areas or cultures use indigenous plants. Despite technological developments, herbal drugs still occupy a preferential place in a majority of the population in the third world and have slowly taken roots as alternative medicine in the West. The integration of modern science with traditional uses of herbal drugs is important for our understanding of this ethnobotanical relationship. Volume 2 deals with the phytochemical and molecular characterization of herbal medicine. Specifically, it focuess on the secondary metabolic compounds, which afford protection against diseases. Lastly, Volume 3 discusses the physiological mechanisms by which the active ingredients of medicinal plants serve to improve human health. Together this three-volume collection intends to bridge the gap for herbalists, traditional and modern medical practitioners, and students and researchers in botany and horticulture.
Author: Gary J. Martin Publisher: Springer ISBN: 1461524962 Category : Nature Languages : en Pages : 285
Book Description
Ethnoecology has blossomed in recent years into an important science because of the realization that the vast body of knowledge contained in both indigenous and folk cultures is being rapidly lost as natural ecosystems and cultures are being destroyed by the encroachment of development. Ethnobotany and ethnozoology both began largely with direct observations about the ways in which people used plants and animals and consisted mainly of the compilation of lists. Recently, these subjects have adopted a much more scientific and quantitative methodology and have studied the ways in which people manage their environment and, as a consequence, have used a much more ecological approach. This manual of ethnobotanical methodology will become an essential tool for all ethnobiologists and ethnoecologists. It fills a significant gap in the literature and I only wish it had been available some years previously so that I could have given it to many of my students. I shall certainly recommend it to any future students who are interested in ethnoecology. I particularly like the sympathetic approach to local peoples which pervades this book. It is one which encourages the ethnobotanical work by both the local people themselves and by academically trained researchers. A study of this book will avoid many of the arrogant approaches of the past and encourage a fair deal for any group which is being studied. This manual promotes both the involvement oflocal people and the return to them of knowledge which has been studied by outsiders.
Author: Manuel Pardo-de-Santayana Publisher: Berghahn Books ISBN: 1845458141 Category : Social Science Languages : en Pages : 408
Book Description
The study of European wild food plants and herbal medicines is an old discipline that has been invigorated by a new generation of researchers pursuing ethnobotanical studies in fresh contexts. Modern botanical and medical science itself was built on studies of Medieval Europeans’ use of food plants and medicinal herbs. In spite of monumental changes introduced in the Age of Discovery and Mercantile Capitalism, some communities, often of immigrants in foreign lands, continue to hold on to old recipes and traditions, while others have adopted and enculturated exotic plants and remedies into their diets and pharmacopoeia in new and creative ways. Now in the 21st century, in the age of the European Union and Globalization, European folk botany is once again dynamically responding to changing cultural, economic, and political contexts. The authors and studies presented in this book reflect work being conducted across Europe’s many regions. They tell the story of the on-going evolution of human-plant relations in one of the most bioculturally dynamic places on the planet, and explore new approaches that link the re-evaluation of plant-based cultural heritage with the conservation and use of biocultural diversity.
Author: James A. Duke Publisher: CRC Press ISBN: 9780849336645 Category : Science Languages : en Pages : 226
Book Description
The Amazonian Ethnobotanical Dictionary presents an exciting new rainforest book, designed and conceived in the rainforest and dedicated to its preservation.The book contains concise accounts of the various uses to which prominent Amazonian plants are put by the local rainforest inhabitants. Although emphasis is placed on plant foods and forest medicines, there is also commentary on other relevant applications, including natural artifacts, house construction, natural pesticides, and ornamental and fodder plants. More than 1,000 species are covered and over 200 illustrated. An index to Spanish and English names leads to the scientific name, and the index to plants provides its medicinal application. There are even suggestions on how to eat palm grubs and how to make an Amazonian salad dressing. All royalties from the book are donated to the Amazonian Center for Environmental Education and Research (ACEER) in order to continue its preservation of one of the world's most diverse forests.
Author: Richard Evans Schultes Publisher: Timber Press ISBN: 9780881929720 Category : Science Languages : en Pages : 0
Book Description
Published on the 100th anniversary of the science of ethnobotany, this volume provides a comprehensive summary of the history and current state of the field. The 36 articles present a truly global perspective on the theory and practice of today's ethnobotany. This book is only available through print on demand. All interior art is black and white.
Author: C. M. Cotton Publisher: Wiley ISBN: 9780471968313 Category : Science Languages : en Pages : 0
Book Description
Interest in ethnobotany has increased dramatically in recent years. The search for new medicines by the pharmaceutical industry has turned to plant natural products and to ethnobotanical studies as a first step in bioprospecting. These studies are making a valuable contribution to the cataloguing of biological diversity and hence to the conservation of endangered ecosystems and the human societies which depend upon them. Discussing traditional methods of plant management as well as plant use, this textbook is an authoritative and fascinating introduction to this exciting area of plant biology. Citing examples from throughout the world and drawing on a wide range of source materials, the author describes the history of the interactions between plants and people and the concepts, methodology and future direction of ethnobotanical study. Capturing current interest in traditional medicine, as well as the potential for exciting new drug discoveries, Ethnobotany: Principles and Applications is an informative, stimulating and timely text which includes an extensive bibliography.
Author: Michael J. Balick Publisher: University of Hawaii Press ISBN: 0824837495 Category : Social Science Languages : en Pages : 610
Book Description
Ethnobotany of Pohnpei examines the relationship between plants, people, and traditional culture on Pohnpei, one of the four island members of the Federated States of Micronesia. Traditional culture is still very strong on Pohnpei and is biodiversity-dependent, relying on both its pristine habitats and managed landscapes; native and introduced plants and animals; and extraordinary marine life. This book is the result of a decade of research by a team of local people and international specialists carried out under the direction of the Mwoalen Wahu Ileilehn Pohnpei (Pohnpei Council of Traditional Leaders). It discusses the uses of the native and introduced plant species that have sustained human life on the island and its outlying atolls for generations, including Piper methysticum (locally known as sakau and recognized throughout the Pacific as kava), which is essential in defining cultural identity for Pohnpeians. The work also focuses on ethnomedicine, the traditional medical system used to address health conditions, and its associated beliefs. Pohnpei, and indeed the Micronesian region, is one of the world’s great centers of botanical endemism: it is home to many plant species found nowhere else on earth. The ultimate goal of this volume is to give readers a sense of the traditional ethnobotanical knowledge that still exists in the area, to make them aware of its vulnerability to modernization, and to encourage local people to respect this ancient knowledge and keep such practices alive. It presents the findings of the most comprehensive ethnobotanical study undertaken to date in this part of Micronesia and sets a new standard for transdisciplinary research and collaboration.
Author: Ann Hillmann Kitalong Publisher: ISBN: Category : Languages : en Pages : 256
Book Description
Ethnobotany of Palau is a two-volume series that examines the relationship between plants, people and traditional culture in the Republic of Palau. Palau is a place where cultural traditions are still intact, including respect for the environment, a value foundational to Palauan society. Based on a decade of field studies that began in 2007 as part of the Plants and People of Micronesia Program, it builds on prior studies of the Palauan flora, and emphasizes the biocultural diversity and wisdom of the Palauan people and their environment. The research included studies of botany, traditional uses of plants, resource management, phytochemistry, conservation and other topics intended to help support "cultural memory" for the people of Palau and the generations who will follow. These volumes result from a collaboration and partnership of the Belau National Museum, the New York Botanical Garden, National Tropical Botanical Garden and other institutions, communities and civic groups involving more than 75 individuals--plant collectors, local experts and ethnobotanical contributors. Volume 1 contains an introductory chapter on Palau and its environment, followed by a study of human impact on the landscape; the role of plants throughout Palauan life, from birth to death; the bai, a structure essential to Palauan culture; the relationship of people to the ocean that surrounds them; the importance of dait (Colocasia esculenta), a plant key to sustaining Palauan culture; the importance of traditional medicine; and, ethnomedical and phytochemical studies of Palauan plants.
Author: Daniel F. Austin Publisher: CRC Press ISBN: 0203491882 Category : Health & Fitness Languages : en Pages : 952
Book Description
Winner of the 2005 Klinger Book Award Presented by The Society for Economic Botany. Florida Ethnobotany provides a cross-cultural examination of how the states native plants have been used by its various peoples. This compilation includes common names of plants in their historical sequence, weaving together what was formerly esoteri
Author: Michael J Balick
Author: Michael J Balick
Author: Munir Ozturk
Author: Gary J. Martin
Author: Manuel Pardo-de-Santayana
Author: James A. Duke
Author: Richard Evans Schultes
Author: C. M. Cotton
Author: Michael J. Balick
Author: Ann Hillmann Kitalong
Author: Daniel F. Austin