Ethnobotany: what it is, what it studies, history, branches and importance

Ethnobotany is a science that combines biology and anthropology, to explain and understand through its study how different cultures make use of plants, especially in traditional ways or from native cultures.

For a long time the different disciplines were kept separate, but thanks to working together it has been possible to further deepen the understanding, as is the case in this case, of the role of plants in human development.

We also recommend reading our articles about What botany is and what it studies and the Branches of botany and what each one studies.

Ethnobotany dates back to the beginnings of science, when records began to be kept about the uses of different plants. Within this we have Dioscorides, a Greek pharmacologist, who wrote the compendium Of Medical Matteras well as multiple explorers who were interested in the customs and customs of distant countries. Some examples are the chronicler Gutierre Tibón, of Italian origin, who arrived in Mesoamerica and informed Europe of his findings, Alexander von Humboldt who documented thousands of American plants and their uses, or Leopold Glück, a German who made a compendium on plants used in Bosnia.

However, it was not until 1895 when the term ethnobotany as such was coined by John William Harshberger. After him, Richard Evans Shultes undertook important expeditions to the Amazon, where he worked closely with the natives to learn about ritual and medicinal plants. Due to his important work, he is considered the father of ethnobotany.

Ethnobotany can be divided into different branches, which are the following:

• Food ethnobotany: which refers to plants for food consumption.
• Textile ethnobotany: studies methods of making fabrics from plants.
• Ethnopharmacology: studies the medical use of herbs.
• Ritual ethnobotany: which investigates the plants used in traditional ceremonies.
• Constructive ethnobotany: referring to plants integrated into construction materials.

Ahuejotes as pillars of chinampas

Ahuejotes are a type of willow that in pre-Hispanic times were used as pillars to support floating plots, called chinampas, on the lakes of Teotihuacán. In addition to the importance they had in supporting the food system in the Mexica culture, they are also considered sacred because they connect heaven with earth.

Cocoa as currency

Chocolate is made from cocoa today, but in Mesoamerica it functioned as currency to pay workers, collect fines, exchange for goods or as tribute.

There were different types of cocoa, some used as currency, others for rituals and others as an offering. This is an example of the great variability that a single plant can have within a culture.

Bamboo in Chinese culture

Bamboo is essential in Asian landscapes, but it also has great importance as a material. In ancient China, sticks were used as writing tools, large stems for building houses, and even for kitchen utensils.

adobe bricks

Adobe is a construction material used by multiple traditional cultures such as the Inca, Iranian, Castilian, Egyptian, among others, with small variations between the components, but it always has in common that dry straw with mud is used.

This material has allowed people to have a place to live, at a very low cost that is still used today in traditional rural communities.

Tomato as a food base

Tomato has become an essential ingredient for many cuisines, such as Italian cuisine, for example. This was not possible until after the conquest of America, since this fruit is native to that continent.

It used to be a wild plant, but the natives domesticated it to produce a fruit of great quality and flavor that could be used as food.

Quinoa

It is native to the Andes of Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador, and is a highly nutritional small seed. It was used both for food and for rituals.

This reveals the great importance that was given to sustenance, seeing it as elements worthy of respect and not just consumption, something that has been lost today.

Its use was limited during the conquest because it was considered a pagan rite, but today it has resurfaced again thanks to its great nutritional properties. Here you can learn more about Quinoa: properties, benefits and how to take it.

Ethnobotany is important because it allows us to better understand different cultures, while also making them visible, far from the conception that certain cultures are more advanced than others. By knowing valuable plants from certain cultures, they can be taken to other places to also be incorporated, as was the case with the tomato.

On the other hand, ethnobotany can be applied to modern techniques as part of development. For example, much of the traditional knowledge in medicine has been studied in depth in the medical field to rectify its functionality and incorporate it into new technologies.

Ethnobotany has a direct relationship with sustainability, and the traditional use of plants tends to have more sustainable practices than modern ones.

Since ancient times it was understood by the communities that an excessive amount could not be extracted because the resources will not be renewed or will not be renewed in time, and they could not continue taking advantage of them in the future. Thus, incorporating traditional techniques to be used in different spheres of human development could reduce the demand for invasive techniques.

On the other hand, the use of local plants will always be more sustainable than the importation of herbs from distant areas, due to the emissions that cause climate change that transportation implies. Knowing and using the plants of our region will help ecosystems survive, as long as it is done in a regulated manner.

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