| Abstract Detail
Economic Botany Bullard-Roberts, Angelle [1], Bennett, Bradley [2]. Historical Ethnobotany of the Antidiabetic Remedies of Trinidad and Tobago – Knowledge Conservation or Innovation? During the colonization of the Americas, the transmission of medicinal plant knowledge among migrant cultures and between migrant and indigenous groups produced varied local pharmacopoeias. In some cases, the ancestral ethnobotanical knowledge was conserved while in other cases migrant knowledge was modified to align with cultural or ecological demands. This study analyzes the ethno-pharmacological knowledge of diabetes remedies in Trinidad and Tobago (T & T). We compare the T & T pharmacopoeias with those in India and West Africa—the origins of most of the T & T population—as well as with pharmacopoeias in the greater Caribbean Basin. Forty-eight plant species have been documented as T & T antidiabetics. Several of these species share similar uses in other regions, including three Caribbean Basin countries which have over 20% species similarity. Social network analysis of 150 genera used as antidiabetics across the Caribbean reveal the importance of language as a bridge in knowledge transmission even in spite of significant intercountry distances. We discuss likely explanations for low levels of knowledge conservation and higher levels of innovation in T & T’s antidiabetic pharmacopoeia. Our results can aid in the conservation of ethnobotanical knowledge and help the people who still rely on plant medicines.
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1 - Florida International University, Biological Sciences / Ethnobotany Lab, 11200 SW 8th St., Miami, FL, 33199, USA
2 - Florida International University, Biological Sciences, 11200 SW 8th Street, Ethnobotany Lab, Miami, FL, 33199, USA
Keywords:
knowledge transmission
Trinidad and Tobago
ethnobotany
medicinal plants
antidiabetic pharmacopoeia.
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 13, Economic Botany
Location: 101/Savannah International Trade and Convention Center
Date: Monday, August 1st, 2016
Time: 2:30 PM
Number: 13003
Abstract ID:817
Candidate for Awards:Economic Botany Section best student paper |
