This new two-volume set aims to share and preserve ethnic and traditional knowledge of herbal medicine and treatments while emphasizing the link between biodiversity, human nutrition, and food security. “Ethnic Knowledge and Perspectives of Medicinal Plants” is divided into two volumes, with Volume 1 focusing on the traditional use of curative properties and treatment strategies of medicinal plants, and Volume 2 addressing the varied nutritional and dietary benefits of medicinal plants and the practice of Ayurveda. Both volumes stress the importance of bioresources for human nutrition and nutraceuticals based on ethnic knowledge and the need for efforts to protect biodiversity in many regions rich with medicinal plants.
Volume 1: Traditional Use of Medicinal Plants
This volume explores the benefits of medicinal plants in disease prevention, treatment, and management. It discusses the traditional use of medicinal plants as promising therapeutics for cancer, liver conditions, COVID-19, and other human ailments. It examines the efficacy of Ayurvedic and Chinese herbal medicine, Indian traditional medicine, and other ethnic herbal practices used by indigenous peoples of Azerbaijan, South America, Turkey, India, etc. The volume covers a variety of plants and elaborates on the ethnomedicinal applications of over 100 wild mushrooms for medicinal and healthcare purposes.
Volume 2: Nutritional and Dietary Benefits of Medicinal Plants
This volume looks at traditional medicinal plant use for nutritional and dietary benefits while encouraging the preservation of biodiversity for healthy and sustainable diets. It presents information on over 2200 vascular plant taxa from 127 families, including various plant parts with potential use as edible food. The volume also discusses the unique nutritional attributes of wild edible mushrooms in Southern India, explores the nutritional aids and medicinal properties of lichens, and examines the antioxidant, nutritional, and anti-aging properties of fucoidans derived from seaweeds.
The authors emphasize how ethnicity affects healthcare and nutritive systems at different levels, considering dynamics such as lower income, disputes among different ethnic groups, cultural attitudes, lack of socio-economic resources, and disease prevalence.
This two-volume set serves as a comprehensive resource on the multifaceted aspects of medicinal plants, combining traditional knowledge with contemporary insights into their therapeutic and nutritional benefits.
