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Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine

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Open Access 01-12-2024 | Research

An ethnoveterinary study on medicinal plants used by the Bai people in Yunlong County northwest Yunnan, China

Authors: Hongli Gao, Wei Huang, Chunyan Zhao, Yong Xiong

Published in: Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine | Issue 1/2024

Abstract

Background

The Bai people in Yunlong County, northwest Yunnan, China, have used medicinal plants and traditional remedies for ethnoveterinary practices. The Bai have mastered ethnoveterinary therapeutic methods in livestock breeding since ancient times. The Bai’s traditional ethnoveterinary knowledge is now facing extinction, and their unique ethnoveterinary practices have rarely been recorded. This study documented animal diseases, EMPs, and related traditional knowledge in Yunlong County, China.

Methods

Ethnobotanical fieldwork was conducted in six villages and townships of Yunlong County between 2021 and 2022. Data were obtained through semi-structured interviews, participatory observations, and keyperson interviews. A total of 68 informants were interviewed, and the informant consensus factor and use reports (URs) were used to evaluate the current ethnoveterinary practices among the local communities. Information on livestock diseases, medicinal plants, and traditional ethnoveterinary medicine knowledge were also obtained.

Results

A total of 90 plant species belong to 51 families, 84 genera were recorded as being used as EMPs by the Bai people, and Asteraceae plants are most frequently used. A total of 68 informants were interviewed, including 58 men (85.3%) and 10 women (14.7%). The most commonly used EMPs parts included the roots, whole plants, leaves, and stems, and the common livestock diseases identified in this field investigation included trauma and fracture, gastrointestinal disorders, respiratory disorders, parasitic diseases, miscellaneous, venomous snake bites, reproductive diseases, infectious diseases, skin disease, and urinary diseases. Most of the EMPs are herbs (77.78%). Courtyard is one of the habitats of medicinal plants in Yunlong County.

Conclusion

Traditional knowledge of ethnoveterinary medicine is related to the local sociocultural characteristics of the Bai. Plants are used in cultural traditions, which, in turn, nourish the plant culture. Cultural diversity and biodiversity are interdependent. This traditional knowledge is at risk of disappearance because of the increasing extension of Western veterinary medicine, lifestyle changes, and mainstream cultural influences. Therefore, it is important to continue research on ethnoveterinary practices.

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Title: An ethnoveterinary study on medicinal plants used by the Bai people in Yunlong County northwest Yunnan, China
Authors: Hongli Gao
Wei Huang
Chunyan Zhao
Yong Xiong
Publication date: 01-12-2024
Publisher: BioMed Central
Published in: Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine / Issue 1/2024
Electronic ISSN: 1746-4269
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13002-023-00633-0

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

An ethnoveterinary study on medicinal plants used by the Bai people in Yunlong County northwest Yunnan, China

Abstract

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

Abstract

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusion

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