Ethnobotanical study on medicinal plants used by Bulang people in Yunnan, China
Authors
Hao Zhou
School of Geography and Ecotourism, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, 650224 Yunnan China
Jiaqi Zhang
Center for Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, 666303 Yunnan China
Brian Kirbis
Jing Hong, China
Zi Mula
Xishuangbanna Ancient Tea Plant Conservation and Development Association, Jing Hong, 666100 Yunnan China
Wei Zhang
School of Geography and Ecotourism, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, 650224 Yunnan China
Yinzhi Kuang
School of Geography and Ecotourism, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, 650224 Yunnan China
Qing Huang
School of Geography and Ecotourism, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, 650224 Yunnan China
Lun Yin
School of Geography and Ecotourism, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, 650224 Yunnan China
Keywords:
Bulang people, Ethnobotany, Medicinal plants, Bulang traditional medicine, Traditional dai medicine (TDM)
Abstract
Despite the popularity of modern medicine, medicinal plants remain a cornerstone of treatment for numerous diseases, particularly among ethnic groups and tribal communities around the globe. Ethnomedicine offers advantages such as ease of use, convenience, and economic benefits. Medicinal plant knowledge within Bulang ethnic community of southwest China is a valuable complement to Chinese ethnomedicine systems. Accumulated medical knowledge is due to the extensive length of occupation by Bulang People, considered the earliest inhabitants of Xishuangbanna; this has resulted in the development of various traditional treatment methods with local characteristics and unique curative effects. Therefore, there is exceeding value in exploring the medical knowledge of Bulang.
Methods
A total of 175 local informants participated in the interviews and distribution of questionnaires in 10 Bulang villages in Menghai County, Xishuangbanna Prefecture, Yunnan Province, China. We documented the community of Bulang's use of medicinal herbs, and we used both the informant consensus factor (ICF) and use value (UV) methodologies to analyze the data. Furthermore, we conducted a comparative study to explore the potential of Bulang traditional medicine by comparing it to traditional Dai medicine.
Results
The study recorded 60 medicinal plant species belonging to 41 families and 59 genera, including 22 species of herb, 22 species of shrub, nine species of trees, and seven species of liana. Araceae, Compositae, Lamiaceae and Leguminosae were found to have the highest number of species. The affordability and cultural heritage of Bulang medicine make it advantageous, Investigated Informants report that increased usage of Western medicine (88%), less availability of herbal medicine (95.43%), and the reduction in medicinal plant resources (80.57%) pose significant threats to Bulang medicine. All Bulang medicinal plants are naturally grown, with only 22 per cent being cultivated. Camellia sinensis (0.94) and Zingiber officinale (0.89) showed the highest UV values, while the function of Phyllanthus emblica L. and Houttuynia cordata Thunb. were also noted. The ICF revealed digestive system related diseases were the most commonly treated, with conditions of the motor system using the highest number of plant species. Finally, a comparison with traditional Dai medicine determined that 22 plants (36.67%) of the 60 surveyed had higher medicinal value in Bulang medicine.
Conclusion
Bulang communities primarily source medicinal plants from the wild. Should environmental damage lead to the extinction of these medicinal plants, it could result in a shift toward modern Western medicine as a preferred medical treatment. Bulang ethnomedicine is a vital supplement to China's traditional medicine, particularly aspects of ethnic medicine relevant to daily life. Future research should emphasize inter-ethnic medical studies to reveal the untapped potential of medicinal plants.
Keywords: Bulang people, Ethnobotany, Medicinal plants, Bulang traditional medicine, Traditional dai medicine (TDM)
Author Biographies
Jiaqi Zhang, Center for Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, 666303 Yunnan China
Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, Key Laboratory of Tropical Animal and Plant Ecology of Hainan Province, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou, 571158 Hainan China
Lun Yin, School of Geography and Ecotourism, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, 650224 Yunnan China
Southwest Ecological Civilization Research Center, National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Kunming, 650224 Yunnan China
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