For a long time, I was fascinated with ethnobotany (I still am) to the point where I considered pursuing a PhD in the subject so that I could travel the world to study the relationships between communities and their plants. My career path took me in a different direction, but I still greatly appreciate the lore and the attraction of learning about ancient cultures and how they used and revered plants. Even more, I like to learn about current ways we use plants -- from medicine to foods to tools and furniture to sacred ceremonies.

The following is an excerpt from a World Healing Tradition Essay from my documentary book Women Healers of the World:

Within ethnobotany, it is impossible to separate the person (or the tribe or community) from the plant, which is central to indigenous existence. Consider the remarkable variety of uses of plants for which humankind should be very grateful: preservative, drug/medicine, food and food thickener, fiber, veterinary medicine, dyes, cleaners, containers, ceremonial uses, tools, weapons, lighting, paint, musical instruments, lubricants, magic, insecticide, paper, smoking tools, snuff, soap, stable gear, toys and games, water indicator, water-proofing agent, clothing, furniture, fuel, incense, jewelry, fragrance and perfume, cosmetics, and building materials. These ideas stem from ethnobotanist Daniel Moerman, but a high school class I taught quickly created a similar list with only a little brainstorming. Ethnobotanist G.T. Prance divided tree use by Amazonian tribes into the following basic categories: food, construction material, technology, remedy, commerce, and other.

A Changing Mission in Ethnobotany

People are beginning, in the last century, to construct a more two-sided relationship with plants—whereby we acknowledge plant resources and give back in addition to taking. We’ve constructed national and state parks to conserve land and international governments are working to stop the extinction of endangered plants. In third-world countries people rely almost solely on plant medicines, while people in developed nations often use herbal medicines to supplement conventional health care and (increasingly) to enhance their relationship to the natural world. 

To read more about this and16 other incredible world healing and health traditions, see the book Women Healers of the World, available here, now celebrating its 10-year publication anniversary.