Ethnobotanical study on herbal market at the Dragon Boat Festival of Chuanqing people in China

Abstract

Abstract Background The Chuanqing people (穿青人) are a linguistic group native to the Guizhou Province of China, with unique culture and rich knowledge of traditional medicinal plants. Herbal market at Dragon Boat Festival (DBF) plays an important role in the inheritance of traditional medicinal knowledge among the Chuanqing people. This study aims to record the profile of medicinal plants of the Chuanqing people, discuss the dilemmas faced by their inheritance, and propose some strategies for passing down information, which is critical for the inheritance and protection of the Chuanqing people’s traditional medical knowledge. Methods Data were collected through key informants and semi-structured interviews and free listing. Collected voucher specimens were identified using by botanical taxonomy method and deposited in the herbarium. Data were analyzed through use-value (UV) and cultural importance index (CI) values. Medicinal plants were compared with the Information System of Chinese Rare and Endangered Plants of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Results were compared with the Pharmacopoeia of the People’s Republic of China (ChP), the Quality Standard of Traditional Chinese Medicine and National Medicine in Guizhou Province (QSG), and traditional medicines of Southeast Asian countries. Results A total of 102 species from 53 families and 92 genera were recorded, with Orchidaceae and Asparagaceae (six species each), and Berberidaceae and Asteraceae (five species each) as the predominant families. The whole plant (36%) was the most common medicinal part. Decoction (44%) was the most common preparation method. Seventy-one investigated human ailments were grouped into 12 categories. Diseases of the musculoskeletal system (34 mentions) were most frequently mentioned in this study. Moreover, the most frequently used taxon was Hedera sinensis (Tobler) Hand.-Mazz. (UV and CI = 0.29). The Chuanqing people’s medicine was highly similar to ChP and QSG. In comparison with Southeast Asian countries’ traditional medicines, except for the same preparation methods, the similarities in terms of medicinal ingredients, plants, and disease treatment were very low. Conclusions The herbal market at the DBF is an important platform for exchanging knowledge about the Chuanqing people’s traditional medicinal plants. The Chuanqing people’s traditional medicine is facing many challenges to its inheritance and development. To solve these problems, this study highlights the traditional medicinal knowledge of the Chuanqing people, providing basic data for further research and protection of minority medicine.