Department of Drug Technology and Social Pharmacy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Sukileliu pr. 13, Kaunas, Lithuania.
Institute of Pharmaceutical Technologies, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania.
J Ethnobiol Ethnomed. 2018 Nov 20;14(1):70. doi: 10.1186/s13002-018-0268-x.
Modern ethnopharmaceutical studies are still quite unusual in Northern Europe. Data regarding the medicinal use of plants, animals, and fungi and also of spiritual rituals of healing is obtained mostly from ethnographic and folkloric sources in Lithuania. The aim of this study was to assess the ethnopharmaceutical knowledge regarding traditional use of natural substances for medicinal purposes in the Samogitia region and compare with prior research conducted 10 years prior in the same region.
The study was performed during 2016-2017 in the Samogitia region (Lithuania) using the conventional technique of ethnobotanical studies. Twenty-eight respondents aged between 50 and 92 years were selected for the study using snowball techniques. Information was collected using semi-structured and structured interviews. The obtained information was recorded indicating local names of plants, their preparation techniques, parts used, modes of administration, and application for therapeutic purposes.
During the research, 125 records of raw materials of herbal origin belonging to 55 families were made. The Asteraceae family had the highest number of references, 147 (16.6%). It was stated that the most commonly used medicinal plants were the raspberry (Rubus idaeus L.) (100%), marigold (Calendula officinalis L.) (96.4%), camomile (Matricaria recutita L.) (92.9%), and small linden tree (Tilia cordata Mill.) (92.9%). The most commonly used material of animal origin was the toad (Bufo bufo) (89%). The most commonly used kind of fungi was the common stinkhorn (Phallus impudicus) (71%), and the material of the mineral origin was sand (50%). Comparative analysis of the two surveys in this region showed similar results and produced a large amount of ethnopharmaceutical information.
Lithuania belongs to the countries known for urban ethnobotany where old traditions overlap with modern healing methods. Also, because modern medical assistance is quite expensive, self-medication with home-made medicines is still popular in Lithuania. It is important to collect and systematize this information as soon as possible, to save it as a traditional Lithuanian heritage and also use it for scientific investigations.
现代民族药物学研究在北欧仍相当罕见。有关植物、动物和真菌的药用以及精神治疗仪式的数据主要来自立陶宛的民族志和民俗学资料。本研究旨在评估萨莫吉希亚地区传统上使用天然物质治疗疾病的民族药物学知识，并与 10 年前在同一地区进行的先前研究进行比较。
本研究于 2016-2017 年在立陶宛的萨莫吉希亚地区进行，采用传统的民族植物学研究技术。使用雪球技术选择了 28 名年龄在 50 至 92 岁之间的受访者进行研究。通过半结构化和结构化访谈收集信息。记录所获得的信息，包括植物的当地名称、其制备技术、使用部位、给药方式和治疗用途。
在研究过程中，共记录了 125 种属于 55 个科的草药原料，其中菊科植物的引用次数最多，有 147 种（16.6%）。研究表明，最常用的药用植物是覆盆子（Rubus idaeus L.）（100%）、金盏花（Calendula officinalis L.）（96.4%）、母菊（Matricaria recutita L.）（92.9%）和菩提树（Tilia cordata Mill.）（92.9%）。最常用的动物源材料是蟾蜍（Bufo bufo）（89%）。最常用的真菌种类是普通恶臭蕈（Phallus impudicus）（71%），最常用的矿物源材料是沙子（50%）。对该地区两次调查的比较分析显示出相似的结果，并产生了大量的民族药物学信息。
立陶宛属于以城市民族植物学而闻名的国家，那里古老的传统与现代治疗方法重叠。此外，由于现代医疗援助相当昂贵，立陶宛人仍自行使用自制药物进行治疗。尽快收集和系统整理这些信息非常重要，不仅要将其作为立陶宛的传统遗产保存下来，还要用于科学研究。
