Knowledge transmission patterns at the border: ethnobotany of Hutsuls living in the Carpathian Mountains of Bukovina (SW Ukraine and NE Romania)
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Knowledge transmission patterns at the border: ethnobotany of Hutsuls living in the Carpathian Mountains of Bukovina (SW Ukraine and NE Romania)
Background: Cross-border Research is a new and important tool to detect the variability of ecological knowledge. This is particularly evident in the area have recently divided and annexed to a different political regime. Therefore, we conducted a study among Hutsuls, cultural and linguistic minorities living in North and South Bukovina (Ukraine and Romania, respectively). Indeed, in the 1940s, the borders were created: Northern Bukovina were annexed by the Soviet Union while Southern Bukovina remain part of the Kingdom of Romania. In this study, we aimed to document the use of plants for food and medicinal preparations, discuss the different dynamics of the Local Ecological Knowledge (LEK) transmission between Hutsuls living in Ukraine and Romania.
Methods: Fieldwork was conducted by using the convenience and snowball sampling techniques to recruit 31 Hutsuls in Ukraine and 30 in Romania to participate in semi-structured interviews regarding the use of plants for medicinal purposes and food preparation and sources of knowledge. Results: The interviews revealed that, despite the cultural background and common language, ethnobotany knowledge transmission occurs in a different way on each side of the border. Family is the main source of transmission of knowledge ethnobotany on both sides of the border;
However, in Romania, the knowledge from other sources is very limited, whereas in Ukraine interviewed reported several other sources, including books, magazines, newspapers, internet and television. This is very evident when analyzing the wild plants used for medicinal purposes as we found 53 taxa are common to both, 47 is only used in Ukraine and 11 are used only in Romania. While Romania Hutsuls used almost exclusively plants available locally, Ukraine Hutsuls frequently reported new plants such as aloe vera, Aronia melanocarpa and rhamnoides Elaeagnus. Knowledge associated with this plant is moved by a source other than oral transmission of knowledge between members of the same family. Therefore, this may imply hybridization local body of knowledge with foreign elements originating in the Soviet context that has enriched the corpus of knowledge of ethnobotany which is owned by Ukrainian Hutsuls.
Conclusion: While knowledge of ethnobotany between traditional and Romania Hutsuls primarily transmitted vertically, between Ukraine Hutsuls there is a large proportion of LEK is transmitted from the other (written and visual) source of knowledge. This transnational study revealed that despite the common cultural background, socio-political scenario has impacted Hutsul knowledge of ethnobotany and transmission patterns.
Knowledge transmission patterns at the border: ethnobotany of Hutsuls living in the Carpathian Mountains of Bukovina (SW Ukraine and NE Romania)
Achillea spp.: A comprehensive review of ethnobotany, phytochemicals, phytopharmacology and industrial applications
Houses genus Achillea genus of over 100 species, some of them are popularly used in traditional medicine for digestive spasmodic, gynecological disorders, and hepatobiliary, bleeding, pneumonia, rheumatic pain, inflammation, wound healing, etc.
Members of the genus contains a variety of secondary metabolites that easy yawning and non-volatile, including terpenes, polyphenols, flavonoids and others. Several studies have assessed the effects of biological and other aspects of Achillea spp. In a number of preclinical studies, Achillea plants and their essential oils have demonstrated promising antibacterial properties against a number of human and plant pathogens.
In addition, the plant has shown strong antioxidant and a potent anti-proliferative and anti-cancer in a variety of cellular and animal models. Achillea plant has been widely used as a food preservative in the food industry.
