The Ethnobotany Program
at the University of Hawaii at Manoa

Botany 442: Medical Ethnobotany

Medical Ethnobotany is the scientific study of the interactions between human cultures (medicinal systems) and medicinal plants (ethnopharmacopoeias.) Medical Ethnobotany draws heavily from studies of Medical Anthropology, Ethnopharmacology, Biochemistry, Taxonomy, and Pharmacognosy. This course focuses upon a) the sources, nature, and types of medicinal plants from the perspective of biochemical pathways, taxonomic classes of plants and pharmacological action, and b) some specific pharmacopoeias and disease categories treated by medicinal plant drugs in western and non-western medicine. Along the way, drugs of plant origins used in the United States are discussed in light of their cultural and/or taxonomic origins. Throughout, the interactions between cultural systems of health/wellness and medicinal plants will be stressed.

Each lecture period (50 minutes) will consist of a 10 minute quiz over the daily assigned reading followed by 40 minutes of lecture/discussion on the topic of the day. Students are expected to read the assigned materials prior to the lecture. Students are expected to participant in class discussions.

Prerequisites

Recommended prerequisites are listed below. This is not strictly enforced, but students without biochemistry, botany or anthropology backgrounds may struggle. Students with different backgrounds are encouraged to discuss enrollment with the instructor, prior to registration for the course.

1) A course in Economic Botany, Ethnobotany or Ethnoecology

2) An Organic Chemistry and/or Biochemistry sequence

3) A course in Cultural Anthropology

4) A course in Systematic Botany, Plant Physiology, or Survey of the Plant Kingdom

Return to: Ethnobotany Program Home Page

Last Updated: 08/25/02