title: Ethnobotanical study on medicinal plants around Limu Mountains of Hainan Island, China.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The main objectives were to document traditional knowledge on the use of medicinal plants and compare medicinal plant traditions between Li and Hmong living around Limu Mountains of Hainan Island.
  
  
  METHODS
  Information was obtained from semi-structured interviews, personal conversation and guided fieldtrips with herbalists. Quantitative methods, such as the coefficient of similarity (S), Chi-square analysis and the 'informant agreement ratio' were applied for the comparison of medicinal plant tradition between Li and Hmong.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In all, 224 plant species grown in the study areas are still traditionally used for the treatment of various diseases. Euphorbiaceae (17 species), Rubiaceae (16 species), Papilionaceae and Poaceae (11 species, respectively), Verbenaceae (10 species) and Compositae (7 species) are predominant families used by herbalists. The most species were reported to be used for injuries (25.1% of all the medicinal use-reports), digestive system disorders (24.8%), infections/infestations (14.7%) and muscular-skeletal system disorders (12.3%). The coefficient of similarity (29.0%) shows a relatively high overlap of medicinal plants used by Li and Hmong. Using Chi-square analysis, it was found that habit mentions were dependent upon the culture. Infections/infestations, injuries and muscular-skeletal system disorders scored high IAR value and mention in both Li and Hmong communities.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Medicinal plants are of importance to indigenous people around Limu Mountains who still rely on medicinal plants to treat a wide range of illnesses. There is a close relationship of medicinal plant tradition between Li and Hmong who are culturally distinct.
authors.affiliation: Hainan Branch Institute of Medicinal Plant Development Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Wanning 571533, China.
authors.forename: Xi-long
authors.initials: XL
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Jian-he
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Rong-tao
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Shou-bai
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Hao-fu
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Dai
mesh_terms: D002681:China; D003625:Data Collection; D019448:Ethnobotany; D006801:Humans; D062312:Islands; D019684:Magnoliopsida; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional; D008517:Phytotherapy; D028321:Plant Preparations / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018514:Plant Structures; D010946:Plants, Medicinal
chemical_list: D028321:Plant Preparations
keywords: Ethnopharmacology; Hainan Island; Hmong people; Li people; Medicinal plants; Quantitative methods