An ethnobotanical study on medicinal food plants used by the Kazakh people in Altay, Xinjiang, China.

IF 3.7 2区 医学 Q1 BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION
Ya-Qin Zhao, Bo Lei, Yuan-Jin Qiu, Ji-Zhao Zhang, Wen-Dan Song, Yelxat Danabek, Cong-Zhao Fan, Guo-Ping Wang
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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background: The Kazakh people of Altay, Xinjiang, possess rich traditional knowledge associated with medicinal food plants (MFPs), shaped by their nomadic pastoralist heritage and the unique mountain-grassland ecosystems of the region. However, this biocultural heritage remains insufficiently documented and is increasingly threatened by human's economic activities, rapid globalization, climate change, and generational knowledge loss. This study aimed to record MFPs, evaluate their cultural and ecological relevance, and assess their conservation challenges.

Methods: Ethnobotanical fieldwork was conducted in 2012 and 2017 across Altay Prefecture. Data were obtained through semi-structured interviews with 100 key informants, including traditional healers, herders, and merchants, complemented by focal group discussions, field observations, and voucher specimen collection. Voucher specimens were deposited at the Herbarium of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ethnomedicine (XJNM). Use-value (UV) index was calculated to assess the relative importance of each species. Traditional knowledge, edible applications, and sustainability concerns were systematically documented.

Results: A total of 118 MFP species were identified, belonging to 37 families and 85 genera. Rosaceae (12.7%), Asteraceae (7.6%), Polygonaceae (7.6%) and Fabaceae (7.6%) were the most represented families. Herbaceous plants dominated (69.5%), with fruits (33.9%) and roots (20.3%) being the primary edible parts. Species with the highest medicinal UV included Glycyrrhiza uralensis (UV = 0.56), Taraxacum officinale (UV = 0.41), and Codonopsis pilosula (UV = 0.34). MFPs were primarily used to treat digestive (26.1%) and respiratory (17.7%) ailments, reflecting the health challenges associated with a nomadic lifestyle. These plants are also deeply embedded in cultural practices, including seasonal dietary customs (e.g., sea buckthorn jam), spiritual rituals, and ecological taboos such as phenology-based harvest timing. Key threats to MFPs sustainability include overharvesting (30.5% of species are now cultivated to mitigate pressure), climate change impacts on alpine habitats, and the erosion of traditional knowledge, as only 9% of informants with rich knowledge of MFPs were under the age of 30.

Conclusions: Kazakh MFPs represent a culturally integrated "medicine-food continuum" intricately adapted to local ecological conditions. Sustainable utilization requires the incorporation of traditional knowledge-such as phenology-informed harvesting practices-into conservation strategies, the promotion of community-led cultivation of vulnerable species, and the documentation of associated cultural practices. Given accelerating environmental and sociocultural shifts, urgent efforts are needed to preserve this fragile biocultural heritage.

中国新疆阿勒泰哈萨克族人食用药用植物的民族植物学研究。
背景:新疆阿勒泰哈萨克族人拥有丰富的药用食品植物相关传统知识,这些知识是由他们的游牧文化遗产和该地区独特的山地草原生态系统塑造的。然而,由于人类经济活动、快速全球化、气候变化和代际知识流失,这一生物文化遗产仍未得到充分的记录,并日益受到威胁。本研究旨在记录mfp,评估其文化和生态相关性,并评估其保护挑战。方法:2012年和2017年在阿勒泰地区进行民族植物学野外调查。通过对包括传统治疗师、牧民和商人在内的100名关键信息提供者进行半结构化访谈获得数据,并辅以焦点小组讨论、实地观察和代金券标本收集。代金券标本存放于新疆维吾尔自治区中医药民族医药研究所植物标本室。计算使用价值(UV)指数来评估每个物种的相对重要性。系统地记录了传统知识、食用应用和可持续性问题。结果:共鉴定出MFP种118种,隶属于37科85属。蔷薇科(12.7%)、菊科(7.6%)、蓼科(7.6%)和豆科(7.6%)为代表性科。草本植物占主导地位(69.5%),果实(33.9%)和根(20.3%)为主要可食部位。药用紫外值最高的种有甘草(glycyrhiza uralensis) (UV = 0.56)、蒲公英(Taraxacum officinale) (UV = 0.41)和党参(Codonopsis pilosula) (UV = 0.34)。mfp主要用于治疗消化(26.1%)和呼吸(17.7%)疾病,反映了与游牧生活方式相关的健康挑战。这些植物也深深植根于文化习俗中,包括季节性饮食习俗(如沙棘酱)、精神仪式和生态禁忌,如基于物候的收获时间。对森林资源可持续性的主要威胁包括过度捕捞(目前有30.5%的物种被培育以减轻压力)、气候变化对高山栖息地的影响以及传统知识的侵蚀,因为只有9%的对森林资源有丰富知识的信息提供者年龄在30岁以下。结论:哈萨克的mfp代表了一个文化整合的“药食连续体”,复杂地适应了当地的生态条件。可持续利用需要将传统知识(如物候信息采集实践)纳入保护战略,促进社区主导的脆弱物种种植,并记录相关的文化习俗。鉴于环境和社会文化的加速变化,迫切需要采取措施保护这一脆弱的生物文化遗产。
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来源期刊
CiteScore
7.30
自引率
16.70%
发文量
66
审稿时长
>12 weeks
期刊介绍: Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine publishes original research focusing on cultural perceptions of nature and of human and animal health. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine invites research articles, reviews and commentaries concerning the investigations of the inextricable links between human societies and nature, food, and health. Specifically, the journal covers the following topics: ethnobotany, ethnomycology, ethnozoology, ethnoecology (including ethnopedology), ethnogastronomy, ethnomedicine, ethnoveterinary, as well as all related areas in environmental, nutritional, and medical anthropology. Research focusing on the implications that the inclusion of humanistic, cultural, and social dimensions have in understanding the biological word is also welcome, as well as its potential projections in public health-centred, nutritional, and environmental policies.
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