Pharmaceutical ethnobotany in the Middle Navarra (Iberian Peninsula)

• Published in: Journal of ethnopharmacology Vol. 137; no. 1; pp. 844 - 855
• Main Authors: Cavero, R.Y., Akerreta, S., Calvo, M.I.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Shannon Elsevier Ireland Ltd 01-09-2011; Elsevier
• Subjects: Aged; Biological and medical sciences; Chamaemelum nobile; Cultural Characteristics; Ethnobotany; Ethnopharmacology; Female; Folklore; General pharmacology; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Humans; ingredients; interviews; Jasonia; Knowledge; Male; Medical sciences; Medicinal plants; Medicine, Traditional; men; oral administration; Pharmacognosy. Homeopathy. Health food; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; plant anatomy; Plant Preparations - therapeutic use; Plants, Medicinal - classification; Santolina chamaecyparissus; Spain; The Middle Navarra; Traditional knowledge; women; Iberian Peninsula; Europe; Spain; Medicinal plants; Ethnopharmacology; The Middle Navarra; Traditional knowledge; Spain; Folk medicine; Ethnobotany; Pharmacognosy; Plant origin; Knowledge; Medicinal plant
• ISSN: 0378-8741; 1872-7573
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2011.07.001

This paper provides significant ethnobotanical information on pharmaceutical plant uses in the Middle Navarra (Iberian Peninsula). Collect, analyze and evaluate the ethnobotanical knowledge about medicinal plants in this area with 3622.2km2 and 404,634 inhabitants.
We performed semi-structured interviews with 276 informants (mean age 72; 46% women, 54% men) in 111 locations, identified the plant reported and analyzed the results, comparing them with those from other territories.
The informants reported data on 198 medicinal plants belonging to 60 botanical families. This work is focused on human medicinal plant uses, which represent 98% of the pharmaceutical uses (1401 use reports). The species with the highest number of cites are Santolina chamaecyparissus ssp. squarrosa, Jasonia glutinosa and Chamaemelum nobile with a long tradition of use in Navarra. All different plant parts are used; aerial part is exploited more frequently than other plant parts. Most of the listed remedies use a single ingredient, typically soaked in water. The most common mode of administration is oral, while the second most common is topical.
The main ailments treated are digestive troubles, wounds and dermatological problems, and respiratory affections. Informants reported 80 new or scarcely cited uses for 14 medicinal plants. For 36% of the species (5) we have not found bibliographical references in the scientific literature and 64% (9) have only one to three references.