Papers by Guillermo Benitez
Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, 2021
Background Mandrake (Mandragora spp.) is one of the most famous medicinal plant in western cultur... more Background Mandrake (Mandragora spp.) is one of the most famous medicinal plant in western cultures since Biblical times and throughout written history. In many cultures, mandrake is related to magic and witchcraft, which is said to have a psychosomatic effect (especially when mandrake contains narcotic compounds) in addition to the pharmacological influence, as occurs with other narcotic magical plants. Due to its unique properties and related myths, it is not surprising that this plant has many names in many languages. Methods This paper presents an attempt to reconstruct the historical, ethnobotanical, and folkloristic roots of 292 vernacular names of Mandragora spp. in forty-one languages. We used the plant’s morphological data, philology, myths and legends, medicinal properties and uses, as well as historical evidence and folkloric data, to explain meaning, origin, migration, and history of the plant’s names. Results The names were classified into the following main categories:...
... Para acceder a los documentos con el texto completo de esta tesis, por favor, siga el siguien... more ... Para acceder a los documentos con el texto completo de esta tesis, por favor, siga el siguiente enlace: http://hdl.handle.net/10481/2163. Título: Etnobotánica y etnobiología del Poniente Granadino. ... Leída el 18 de febrero de 2009. Palabras clave: Etnobotánica Etnobiología. ...
Revista Brasileira de Farmacognosia, 2020
The cross-cultural exchange of plant resources between societies across the globe added to the di... more The cross-cultural exchange of plant resources between societies across the globe added to the diversification of medicinal floras and pharmacopeias. Understanding how and why people select plants for medicine is still a common focus and topic addressed by the interdisciplinary research fields of ethnobotany, anthropology, ethnopharmacology, ethnomedicine, pharmacy, phytochemistry, and pharmacognosy. Here, we scrutinize recently reviewed ethnobotanical theories and hypotheses, which focus on the selection of plants as medicine by putting them into historical, ecological, and pharmacological perspective. We contextualize the availability, versatility, and diversification hypotheses, often presented in association with the inclusion of non-native species or imported herbal drugs into medicinal floras or ethnopharmacopeias. We also discuss the relevance of the concept of utilitarian redundancy and the apparency hypothesis, as well as the appropriateness of various statistical models applied for assessing non-random plant selection. It appears that the concept of utilitarian redundancy has been applied in a too reductionist and uncritical way, while the apparency theory is conceptually inconsistent and contradictive allowing for multiple interpretations. While the availability, versatility, and diversification hypotheses are not contextualized historically, they are used to explain retrospectively deliberate and well-documented human activities and cultural developments. Therefore, considering the cultural history and the pharmacology of plants is essential for the formulation of hypotheses related to the selection of plants as medicine and food. Ecological research questions applied to human-plant relationships should consider the historical impact of human culture as a framework and confounder to be integrated into the analysis.
Background Ethnozoological knowledge is less documented than ethnobotanical. With this field stud... more Background Ethnozoological knowledge is less documented than ethnobotanical. With this field study, we aim to record and analyze the Riffian Berber knowledge about the use of animals in traditional human and veterinary medicine. Our research question is what is their knowledge of ethnozoological practices? Methods We performed semi-structured interviews with local inhabitants in Riffian vernacular language. The reliability of the sampling effort was assessed by a rarefaction curve. Data were compared with previous studies in order to determine the geographical and historical extensions of described uses and possible conservation implications for the species used. Results We obtained information regarding 107 ethnozoological uses based on 197 use reports. Among the 31 species used, mammals were most frequently cited. Diseases related to the traditional medicinal system were most frequently treated with these resources, as well as those of the respiratory, digestive, and musculoskelet...
Acta Botanica Malacitana, 2020
New records of Pilularia minuta Durieui (Marsileaceae) in Sevilla, western AndalusiaPalabras clav... more New records of Pilularia minuta Durieui (Marsileaceae) in Sevilla, western AndalusiaPalabras clave. Pilularia, Marsileaceae, Península Ibérica, Andalucía.Key words. Pilularia, Marsilea, Iberian Peninsula, Andalusia.
Revista de Dialectología y Tradiciones Populares
Journal of Ethnopharmacology
Acta botanica Gallica: bulletin de la Société botanique de France
Naciones Unidas sobre Diversidad Biológica (1992) constituyó un hito fundamental tanto para el re... more Naciones Unidas sobre Diversidad Biológica (1992) constituyó un hito fundamental tanto para el reconocimiento de su valor e importancia como para explicitar su íntima relación con la conservación y uso de la biodiversidad. Este Convenio reconoce la estrecha dependencia que tienen las comunidades indígenas y locales con los sistemas de vida tradicionales basados en los recursos biológicos, y establece que las Partes Contratantes respetarán, preservarán y promoverán los conocimientos tradicionales relevantes para la conservación y la utilización sostenible de la diversidad biológica
Biodiversity and Drugs, 2012
Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 2010
The aim of this work is to catalogue, document, and make known the uses of plants for folk medici... more The aim of this work is to catalogue, document, and make known the uses of plants for folk medicine in the western part of the province of Granada (southern Spain). An analysis was made of the species used, parts of the plant employed, preparation methods, administration means, and the ailments treated in relation to pathological groups. Materials and methods: The work was performed in 16 municipalities within the study zone. The participants were located mainly by questionnaires distributed in public and private centres. The information, gathered through semi-structured open interviews of a total of 279 people, was included in a database for subsequent analysis. A floristic catalogue of the territory was compiled, enabling analyses of the relevance of certain botanical families in popular medicine. Results and conclusions: Great diversity was established among medicinal species in the region. A total of 229 species of plants were catalogued for use in human medicine to prevent or treat 100 different health problems covering 14 different pathological groups. The number of references reached 1963. The popular pharmacopoeia of this area relies primarily on plants to treat digestive, respiratory, and circulatory problems, using mainly the soft parts of the plant (leaves and flowers) prepared in simple ways (decoction, infusion). An analysis of the medicinal ritual uses of 34 species and the different symptoms reflected a certain acculturation in relation to ethnobotanical knowledge in the last 20 years. Ethnopharmacological relevance: The traditional knowledge of plants was shown in relation to medicinal use, reflecting a striking diversity of species and uses, as well as their importance in popular plant therapy in the study zone. These traditions could pave the way for future phytochemical and pharmacological studies and thereby give rise to new medicinal resources.
Acta Botanica Gallica, 2010
Abstract This paper analyses the floristic and ecological plant diversity traditionally used in t... more Abstract This paper analyses the floristic and ecological plant diversity traditionally used in the western part of Granada Province (Andalusia, Spain). The results have been analysed in relation to the total flora of the territory and according to the ecological diversity of the taxa and their habitats. The protection, conservation, management, and legal protection of these taxa to date have been also analysed, discussing the implications that their collection may involve for the development of natural populations and the conservation of their habitat.
Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 2012
Ethnopharmacological relevance: This paper constitutes an important contribution to the knowledge... more Ethnopharmacological relevance: This paper constitutes an important contribution to the knowledge of biological resources used in ethnoveterinary practices (EVPs) in southern Europe, a territory with a clear lack of information on the subject. Aim of the study: To catalogue, analyze, and disseminate the knowledge of plant and animal use in ethnoveterinary practices in the province of Granada. Data have been analyzed to highlight the similarities between ethnoveterinary practices and human ethnopharmacology for the same study area. Methodology: Information was gathered through open and semi-structured interviews with local people, mainly elderly shepherds and farmers, in the western part of the province. The primary data have been supplemented with information on EVPs from previous ethnobotanical works for the province. Data were gathered using the same field methods. Results: A total of 88 ethnoveterinary uses are documented for the treatment of 24 animal conditions. Of these, 82 uses involve 60 different plant species. Over three-quarters of these plants are also used for some human conditions in the same study area. Moreover, 6 animal species were catalogued for 6 other ethnoveterinary uses; four of these species were also used for similar conditions in humans. Ritual and health-prevention practices are also discussed. Conclusions: EVPs in southern Spain involve a high number of species and conditions and are strongly linked to folk tradition (i.e. how local people understand certain conditions and their treatment, sometimes in a ritual manner). Unfortunately, some evidence of their slow disappearance has been found.
South African Journal of Botany
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Papers by Guillermo Benitez