Sõukand Renata, Kuznetsova Natalia, Prakofjewa Julia, Ståhlberg Sabira, Svanberg Ingvar, Prūse Baiba, Mattalia Giulia, Kalle Raivo
Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics & Statistics, Ca' Foscari University of Venice, 30173 Venice, Italy.
Department of Linguistic Sciences and Foreign Literatures, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, 20123 Milan, Italy.
Plants (Basel). 2025 Jan 15;14(2):226. doi: 10.3390/plants14020226.
Finnish North Karelia is a region with a rich cultural history of ethnomedicinal plant use, shaped by centuries of interactions among various ethnic groups. This study identified both similarities and divergences between local Finns, Karelians war refugees, and individuals of mixed origin compared to historical records. Based on 67 semi-structured interviews, we documented the use of 43 medicinal plant taxa from 25 families, of which 31 remain in use. Notably, the number of medicinal plants continuously used in North Karelia is considerably lower than in other parts of Europe, with less than 25% of historically utilised species still in practice, which reflects the fragile state of this knowledge. Factors such as forced relocation, the loss of traditional lands, and the need to adapt to new environments might have contributed to this decline. Another influencing factor is official healthcare attitudes, which have prompted Finnish residents to shift from traditional herbal remedies to modern medical practices. Understanding the circulation of ethnomedicinal knowledge and its transformation over time is essential for identifying pathways to revitalise these practices within the framework of modern healthcare systems and cultural revitalisation efforts.
芬兰北卡累利阿是一个有着丰富民族药用植物使用文化历史的地区，其形成受到了几个世纪以来不同民族间互动的影响。与历史记录相比，本研究确定了当地芬兰人、卡累利阿战争难民以及混血个体之间的异同。基于67次半结构化访谈，我们记录了来自25个科的43种药用植物类群的使用情况，其中31种仍在使用。值得注意的是，北卡累利阿持续使用的药用植物数量远低于欧洲其他地区，历史上使用过的物种中仍在实际使用的不到25%，这反映了这种知识的脆弱状态。诸如被迫搬迁、传统土地丧失以及适应新环境的需要等因素可能导致了这种下降。另一个影响因素是官方医疗保健态度，这促使芬兰居民从传统草药疗法转向现代医疗实践。了解民族药用知识的传播及其随时间的转变，对于在现代医疗系统框架和文化振兴努力中确定振兴这些实践的途径至关重要。
