Abstract
Despite increasing interest in phytotherapy, little is known about patterns of herb utilization in modern society. Ethnobotanical studies are useful tool to evaluate the dynamics of traditional knowledge. To our knowledge, there is no study focused on collection of information about herbal utilization from a wide range of people in Bulgaria. 1) the attitudes toward benefits of medicinal plants; 2) the most popular herbal application; 3) the manner in which herbs are being obtained; 4) how specific demographic features of the participants related to their attitude. This survey was carried out in different regions in Bulgaria, between May and July 2013 using the face-to-face interview technique. A descriptive statistic procedure and chi-square test were employed for data analysis. Simple linear coefficient test is calculated to determine the correlation between herbal knowledge and demographic features of the informants. The results revealed that 93.89% of the respondents believed that herbs are beneficial for their health; age exerted impact on this statement. A larger proportion of the respondents uses herbs frequently and if necessary. About 60% of the informants use medicinal plants for disease treatment and prophylaxis. Only 11.37% of respondents reported to gather herbs from natural habitats; impact of age and place of residence was established. Self-gathering is preferred by the respondents belonging to groups with low socio-economic status. More than a half of the respondents (61.92%) prefer to buy herbs from the pharmacy. The survey shows the persistence of traditional knowledge in contemporary Bulgarian population. The impact of modern society on herbal application is obvious. Demographic features exerted negligible influence on the attitudes toward herbal utilization. Key words: Ethnobotanical survey, traditional knowledge, herbal utilization.
Highlights
Plants have been used by people since ancient times to treat diseases worldwide
The aim of our study was to establish the statement of a representative random sample of Bulgarian people about herbal utilization in order to find out: 1) the attitudes toward benefits of medicinal plants; 2) the most popular herbal application; 3) the manner in which herbs are being obtained; 4) how specific demographic features of the participants related to their attitude
The analysis revealed that the sample in present study was representative of the Bulgarian population in terms of sex, age, level of education and place of residence (Figures 2, 3, 4 and 5)
Summary
Plants have been used by people since ancient times to treat diseases worldwide. A tendency of increasing utilization of medicinal plants in developing and industrialized countries has been reported (Fakeye et al, 2009; Popat et al, 2001; Staines, 2011; van Andel and Carvalheiro, 2013). Attribution License 4.0 International License known about patterns of herbal utilization and why people choose to use herbs. Nowadays ethnobotany as interdisciplinary subject is focused on use of food and medicinal plants (Alcorn, 1995). One of the main goals of the ethnobotanical studies is to document the dynamics of traditional knowledge about plants (Pardo-deSantayana et al, 2013). Different factors lead to changes of herbal utilization in modern society: globalization, migration from villages to cities, cultural changes etc
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