Abstract
The results of an ethnobotanical study conducted in the pristine village of Prokoško Lake (Vranica Mountain, Bosnia and Herzegovina) in summer 2007 is presented. Informal interviews involving 12 informants known as “traditional healers” provided data from 43 plants used in 82 prescriptions. The applied plants were used for a broad spectrum of indications. The most frequent were gastro-intestinal tract ailments, blood system disorders, skin ailments, respiratory tract ailments and urinary-genital tract ailments. The most frequent preparation was an infusion. Other often used preparations were ointments or balms and decocts. The special Bosnian balms known as “mehlems” were prepared from freshly chopped or freshly pressed herbal parts of various plant species. Warmed resins from Abies or Picea species, raw cow or pig lard, olive oil and honey served as basis. The traditional doctors, who usually worked as a team, enjoyed such a good reputation that people from all over the country were visiting in search of alternative ways to cure their ailments and diseases. The practical techniques applied by the healers and some of their attitudes and values are reported.
Highlights
Traditional medicine is as old as human kind and is practised by virtually all cultures, each one with its own indigenous knowledge, health practices and beliefs
Still after the 2nd World War and even today, when medical care became free in hospitals, many people kept with folk medicine
The history of this country indicates that traditional medicine in Bosnia and Herzegovina has Ottoman roots, which explains the observed similarities in medical practice, the obvious floristic differences among these countries promoted the development of unique applications specific to Bosnia & Herzegovina
Summary
Traditional medicine is as old as human kind and is practised by virtually all cultures, each one with its own indigenous knowledge, health practices and beliefs. Use of traditional plant medicine didn’t decline. The book of the Bosnian famous herbs collector Sadiković [2] was the only found reference on traditional use of plants from Bosnia and Herzegovina available to the people. It was not until 2007, that Redžić published the first “systematic” study about the ethnobotanical use of wild plants in Bosnia and Herzegovina [3].
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