School of Geography and Ecotourism, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, 650224, Yunnan, China.
Center for Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, 666303, Yunnan, China.
J Ethnobiol Ethnomed. 2023 Sep 7;19(1):38. doi: 10.1186/s13002-023-00609-0.
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.
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.
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.
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.
尽管现代医学盛行，药用植物仍然是全球许多疾病治疗的基石，尤其是在各民族和部落社区中。民族医学具有易用、方便和经济实惠等优点。中国西南布朗族社区的药用植物知识是中国民族医学体系的宝贵补充。布朗族作为西双版纳最早的居民，其长期的职业积累了丰富的医疗知识，形成了具有地方特色和独特疗效的各种传统治疗方法。因此，探索布朗族的医学知识具有极高的价值。
在云南省西双版纳傣族自治州勐海县的 10 个布朗族村落，共有 175 名当地知情者参与了访谈和问卷调查。我们记录了布朗族社区使用药用植物的情况，并采用 informant consensus factor (ICF) 和 use value (UV) 方法分析数据。此外，我们还进行了一项比较研究，通过与传统傣族医学进行比较，探讨了布朗族传统医学的潜力。
该研究记录了 60 种药用植物，隶属于 41 科 59 属，包括 22 种草本植物、22 种灌木、9 种乔木和 7 种藤本植物。天南星科、菊科、唇形科和豆科植物的物种数最多。布朗族药物具有可负担性和文化遗产优势。调查知情者报告，西医使用率增加（88%）、草药可及性降低（95.43%）和药用植物资源减少（80.57%）对布朗族药物构成了重大威胁。所有布朗族药用植物均为天然生长，仅有 22%为人工栽培。茶树（0.94）和生姜（0.89）的 UV 值最高，而余甘子和鱼腥草的功能也受到关注。ICF 显示，消化系统相关疾病是最常治疗的疾病，运动系统疾病使用的植物种类最多。最后，与传统傣族医学的比较确定，在所调查的 60 种植物中，有 22 种（36.67%）在布朗族药物中具有更高的药用价值。
布朗族社区主要从野外获取药用植物。如果环境破坏导致这些药用植物灭绝，可能会导致人们转而更倾向于使用现代西医作为首选医疗手段。布朗族民族医学是中国传统医学的重要补充，特别是与日常生活相关的民族医学方面。未来的研究应强调民族间医学研究，以揭示药用植物的未开发潜力。
