Documenting traditional knowledge
Ethnobotany links plant use to culture. Ethical frameworks require informed consent, community benefit-sharing, and respect for indigenous intellectual property.
Methods
- Structured interviews with traditional healers
- Participatory mapping of gathering areas
- Voucher specimens deposited in herbaria with use notes
- Quantitative use-value indices ranking plant importance
Validation pathway
Ethnobotanical leads → phytochemical screening → in vitro bioassays → animal studies → clinical trials (where appropriate).