Inner Mongolia Traditional Chinese & Mongolian Medical Research Institute, Hohhot, 010020, China.
Inner Mongolia Medical University, Hohhot, 010110, China.
J Ethnobiol Ethnomed. 2024 May 24;20(1):55. doi: 10.1186/s13002-024-00695-8.
The Daur people are one of the 55 minority ethnic groups in China and have lived in Northern China for 300 years. In traditional Daur medicine, medicinal and edible plants (MEPs) are utilised for health benefits and therapeutic purposes; however, related ethnobotanical knowledge is rarely reported, which is disadvantageous for the sustainable development of these MEPs.
Semi-structured interviews with 122 informants, six focus group discussions, and a resource survey were conducted in a Daur minority nationality area in Inner Mongolia from 2015 to 2020, and the data statistics were analysed. In this study, we simulated a system dynamics model aimed at understanding the multiple feedback mechanisms involved in the relationships between the cultural influences and socioeconomic factors, sustainable environment, and development of MEPs.
A total of 52 species of MEPs were identified and relevant ethnobotanical knowledge was assessed using Daur medicinal species data from Inner Mongolia and the Xinjiang region, with the literature and Ewenki ethnic group data used for comparison. The most commonly used medicinal plant species by the Daur were found to be Betula pendula subsp. mandshurica, Artemisia integrifolia, Crataegus pinnatifida, Saposhnikovia divaricata, Artemisia argyi, and Jacobaea cannabifolia. The MEPs most frequently targeted the digestive and rheumatic immunity systems, as well as infectious diseases or parasitic infections and other common diseases and basic health issues. MEP knowledge was primarily limited to older generations; thus, the valuable ethnobotanical knowledge on traditional medicines must be protected from future losses.
Our findings provide insights for future research aimed at exploiting the rich phytochemical diversity in traditional medicine and promote its use in modern lifestyles. Effective assessment and management of plant resources will lead to their application for the improvement of dietary diversity, nutrition, and health care.
达斡尔族是中国 55 个少数民族之一，在北方生活了 300 年。在传统的达斡尔医学中，药用和食用植物（MEP）被用于保健和治疗目的；然而，相关的民族植物学知识很少被报道，这不利于这些 MEP 的可持续发展。
2015 年至 2020 年，在内蒙古的一个达斡尔族少数民族地区，对 122 名知情者进行了半结构式访谈、6 次焦点小组讨论和资源调查，并对数据进行了统计分析。在这项研究中，我们模拟了一个系统动力学模型，旨在了解文化影响、社会经济因素、可持续环境和 MEP 发展之间关系的多重反馈机制。
共鉴定出 52 种药用和食用植物，并用内蒙古和新疆地区的达斡尔药用植物数据评估了相关民族植物学知识，并与文献和鄂温克族数据进行了比较。达斡尔族最常用的药用植物是桦木科朴树、艾蒿、山楂、防风、艾蒿和白花蛇舌草。MEP 主要针对消化系统和风湿免疫系统，以及传染病或寄生虫感染等常见疾病和基本健康问题。MEP 知识主要局限于老一辈人；因此，必须保护传统医学中宝贵的民族植物学知识，防止未来的损失。
我们的研究结果为未来开发传统医学中丰富的植物化学多样性提供了参考，并促进了其在现代生活方式中的应用。对植物资源的有效评估和管理将有助于提高饮食多样性、营养和保健水平。
