Herbal mixtures in the traditional medicine of eastern Cuba.
Herbal mixtures in the traditional medicine of Eastern Cuba. Traditional herbal mixtures in Eastern Cuba are investigated through interviews with 130 knowledgeable people and traditional healers of the provinces of Santiago de Cuba and Guantánamo. One hundred seventy plant species and other products are used in 199 formulas, galones being the more complex. Cocos nucifera L. (Arecaceae), Bidens pilosa L. (Asteraceae), Cissus sicyoides L. (Vitaceae), Erythroxylum havanense Jacq. (Erythroxylaceae) and Stachytarpheta jamaicensis (L.) Vahl. (Verbenaceae) are the species most frequently cited. The ecological distribution of the taxa and cultural and anthropological aspects of mixtures are highlighted; particularly American and African influences that have shaped local knowledge about plant combinations are discussed.
Cano
Juan Hernández
JH
BIOECO, Centro Oriental de Ecosistemas y Biodiversidad, José A Saco 601 esq Barnada, 90100, Santiago de Cuba, Cuba.
Volpato
Gabriele
G
D003462:Cuba / Q000208:ethnology; D019448:Ethnobotany / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008519:Medicine, Traditional; D008517:Phytotherapy / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D028321:Plant Preparations / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D028321:Plant Preparations