Yao herbal medicinal market during the Dragon Boat Festival in Jianghua County, China

Binsheng Luo,Yan Liu,Chunlin Long,Zhiyong Guo,Beixi Zhang,Sizhao Liu,Chunrui Lin,Linghan Zhang,Edward J Kennelly,Bo Liu,Yujing Liu

doi:10.1186/s13002-018-0260-5

Abstract

BackgroundThe traditional medicinal markets held during the Dragon Boat Festival are common and important in China’s countryside. In Jianghua, a Yao autonomous county in Hunan Province in China, the medicinal market also plays an important role for the application, conservation, and communication of traditional Yao medicinal knowledge.MethodsDuring the Dragon Boat Festival in 2016 and 2017, ethnobotanical surveys and inventories were conducted in the medicinal market of Jianghua County, and voucher plant specimens were collected, identified, and deposited in a herbarium. Quantitative analysis included measurement of frequency of occurrence for species in the marketplace and the relative importance index for the number of uses for a given species.ResultsA total of 306 plant species (249 genera, 113 families) and their related information about the medicinal market were collected. Some major findings include the following: (1) Using the whole plant as medicine is more common than other medicinal plant parts; (2) treating rheumatism and clearing inner heat are the most frequent medicinal uses; and (3) taking a medicinal bath is the most frequent modality to administer the traditional medicine. The frequency of occurrence and the relative importance index of some medicinal plants were analyzed, as well as the demographics and the number of stalls and the status of traditional Yao medicinal knowledge in Jianghua. Based on the investigation, suggestions were proposed for better protecting the medicinal market and preserving traditional medicinal knowledge in Jianghua County.ConclusionThe medicinal market during the Dragon Boat Festival in Jianghua County possesses an important cultural value and helps to conserve the traditional Yao medicinal knowledge. The medicinal plants sold at the market showed great diversity and unique local characteristics. The medicinal market is facing some challenges in such a rapidly developing era. Cultivation of young healers and maintaining the local biodiversity might be the key solutions for the development of local medicinal market and local Yao medicinal knowledge.

Highlights

The traditional medicinal markets held during the Dragon Boat Festival are common and important in China’s countryside
In Jianghua, a county with the largest population of Yao people in China [1], the Dragon Boat Festival is a special opportunity for the local people to trade medicinal plants in a large market
This study evaluates the status of the Jianghua medicinal market and analyzes the relationship among this medicinal market, local community, and local natural environment

Summary

Introduction

The traditional medicinal markets held during the Dragon Boat Festival are common and important in China’s countryside. In Jianghua, a county with the largest population of Yao people in China [1], the Dragon Boat Festival is a special opportunity for the local people to trade medicinal plants in a large market. It has become the most important tradition in Jianghua. They share and exchange the experiences of identifying, harvesting, and applying their medicinal plants with each other and with consumers This unique medicinal market has already become a great platform for different people to communicate with and learn from each other [2]. This spontaneous traditional activity is making vital contributions to the sustainable conservation, transmission, and expansion of related traditional knowledge [3]

Methods

Results

Conclusion