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<b style="">Credibility of traditional knowledge—The criterion of multilocational and multiethnic use</b>

IR@NISCAIR: CSIR-NISCAIR, New Delhi - ONLINE PERIODICALS REPOSITORY (NOPR)

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Field Value
 
Creator Jain, S K
 
Date 2010-06-01T08:22:22Z
2010-06-01T08:22:22Z
2004-04
 
Identifier 0975-1068 (Online); 0972-5938 (Print)
http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/9352
 
Description 137-153
Traditional knowledge often includes practices based on observations over time, but not substantiated by any technical experiments or statistics. Ethnomedicine or folk medical claims are an important component of this knowledge. The multilocational or multiethnic use, i.e. application of same traditional herbal cures in several distant regions, and among distinct tribal ethnic groups is suggested as a good criterion for credibility of folk claims and practices. Over 400 publications on ethnomedicinal plants were checked and over 100 recipes related to six health conditions namely fertility or conception, diabetes, leprosy, jaundice, malaria and skin diseases were found to be employed in more than one locality or ethnic group. On the basis of frequency of such reports, the plants were given a credibility rank on a scale of 1-5. About half of these recipes, which mostly had high ranking between 3-5 are already employed in codified Ayurvedic system. It is suggested that: 1. high credibility ranking based on frequency of reports of use seems directly related to their utility in health care systems, 2. the remaining recipes with high credibility ranking be given priority for laboratory and clinical research, and 3. more such analyses of frequency of particular medicinal use be undertaken for more plants, more diseases, and in more regions and ethnic groups in India.
 
Language en_US
 
Publisher CSIR
 
Relation <b style="">Int. Cl.<sup>7</sup></b>: A61P 15/00; A61P 5/48; A61P 5/50; A61P 1/16; A61P 17/00; A61P 31/08; A61P 33/06.
 
Source IJTK Vol.3(2) [April 2004]
 
Subject Folkmedicine
Ethnobotany
Ayurveda
Antifertility
Diabetes
Leprosy
Jaundice
Malaria
Skin diseases
 
Title <b style="">Credibility of traditional knowledge—The criterion of multilocational and multiethnic use</b>
 
Type Article