title: Continuity and change in medicinal plant use: the example of monasteries on Cyprus and historical iatrosophia texts.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  How medicinal plant knowledge changes over time is a question of central importance in modern ethnopharmacological research. However, only few studies are available which undertook a comprehensive exploration of the evolution of plant use in human cultures.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  In order to understand this dynamic process, we conduct a systematic diachronic investigation to explore continuity and change in two knowledge systems which are closely related but separated in time-historical iatrosophia texts and today's Greek Orthodox monasteries on Cyprus.
  
  
  METHODS
  An ethnobotanical study was conducted in 21 of the island's monasteries involving various types of interview as well as a written questionnaire survey. Data about medicinal plant use collected in the monasteries was analysed and quantitatively compared to historical iatrosophia texts using data from our pre-existing dataset.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found a core group of plant taxa for which a high consensus exists among the monasteries regarding their medicinal usefulness. Various means and routes of knowledge transmission appear to be involved in the development of this knowledge. The systematic comparison between the monasteries and the iatrosophia shows similarities and differences on various levels. While the plants used by the nuns and monks have by the majority a relationship to the iatrosophia and show a remarkable historical consistency in terms of their use for defined groups of ailments, the importance of many of these plants and the use of herbal medicines in general have changed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This is one of the first studies from the Mediterranean region which is based on a systematic ethnopharmacological analysis involving comprehensive datasets of historical and modern ethnographic data. The example illustrates continuity and change in 'traditional' knowledge as well as the adoption of new knowledge and provides the opportunity to look beyond the dichotomy between traditional and modern concepts of plant usage. Overall, the study suggests that a systematic diachronic approach can facilitate a better understanding of the complex and dynamic processes involved in the development of medicinal plant knowledge.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Pharmacognosy and Phytotherapy, UCL School of Pharmacy, University of London, 29-39 Brunswick Square, London WC1N 1AX, UK. Electronic address: andreas.lardos@bluewin.ch.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lardos
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Heinrich
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003535:Cyprus; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008419:Materia Medica; D008519:Medicine, Traditional; D008875:Middle Aged; D010946:Plants, Medicinal; D012067:Religion; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D008419:Materia Medica
keywords: Cyprus; Ethnobotany; Historical texts; Mediterranean; Monastic medicine; Traditional medicine