Medicinal plants for rich people vs. medicinal plants for poor people: a case study from the Peruvian Andes
Entity
UAM. Departamento de BiologíaPublisher
MDPIDate
2021-08-09Citation
10.3390/plants10081634
Plants-Basel 10.8 (2021): 1634
ISSN
2223-7747 (online)DOI
10.3390/plants10081634Project
Gobierno de España. CGL2016-75414-PEditor's Version
https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10081634Subjects
Ethnobotany; Traditional Knowledge; Medicinal Plant; Biología y Biomedicina / BiologíaRights
© 2021 by the authorsAbstract
Traditional knowledge (TK) of medicinal plants in cities has been poorly studied across
different inhabitants’ socioeconomic sectors. We studied the small city of Chachapoyas (~34,000 inhabitants) in the northern Peruvian Andes. We divided the city into three areas according to the
socio-economic characteristics of its inhabitants: city center (high), intermediate area (medium), and
city periphery (low). We gathered information with 450 participants through semi-structured interviews. Participants of the city periphery showed a higher TK of medicinal plants than participants of
the intermediate area, and the latter showed a higher TK than participants of the city center. The
acquisition of medicinal plants was mainly through their purchase in markets across the three areas,
although it was particularly relevant in the city center (94%). Participants of all socioeconomic levels
widely used the same medicinal plants for similar purposes in Chachapoyas, which is likely based on
a common Andean culture that unites their TK. However, participants with the lowest socioeconomic
level knew and used more plants for different medicinal uses, indicating the necessity of these plants
for their livelihoods. City markets with specialized stores that commercialize medicinal plants are
key to preserve the good health of poor and rich people living in Andean cities and societies
Files in this item
Google Scholar:Corroto de la Fuente, Fernando
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Rascón, Jesús
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Barboza, Elgar
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Macía Barco, Manuel Juan
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