Traditional Uses of Medicinal Plants in South-Western Part of Lithuania

Abstract

Changes in people’s dependence on the resources of the immediate natural environment and in the ways in which information is transmitted may result in the loss of some of the traditional knowledge of plants and their uses. In order to investigate and preserve this knowledge, a comprehensive ethnobotanical study was carried out in a little-studied ethnographic region. Knowledge about the plants used for treatment was collected through open-ended and semi-structured interviews in villages and small rural settlements in southwestern Lithuania. In total, 30 informants reported 103 plant and 1 lichen species. Although the survey was carried out in a small area, up to five local names per species were recorded. The most frequently used species were Matricaria chamomilla, Tilia cordata, Artemisia absinthium and Plantago major. The largest number of plant species was used to treat digestive and respiratory system disorders. Wild plants were mentioned in 71.0% of all use reports, while a relatively higher proportion of cultivated plants was recorded among the new uses. Decoction and infusion were the most commonly used, while some unusual preparations have been recorded in past uses. Research showed that the diversity of plant species used for healing has declined over the last 20 years and that part of traditional ethnobotanical knowledge is disappearing.