Ethnobotany

Ethnobotany is the interdisciplinary study of the relationships between people and plants, focusing on how cultures classify, use, and manage plant life. It examines traditional medical systems, foodways, material culture, spiritual and ritual uses, and knowledge of plant ecology and cultivation. The field seeks to document, understand, and preserve the biocultural heritage embedded in plant use and to illuminate how people adapt plant resources to changing environments.

Historically, ethnobotany emerged from botany and anthropology in the 20th century. Pioneering fieldwork by Richard Evans Schultes in the Amazon and subsequent researchers such as Mark J. Plotkin and Michael Balick helped establish methods of recording indigenous knowledge in a rigorous, collaborative way. The discipline has since expanded globally and increasingly emphasizes ethics, reciprocity, and partnerships with Indigenous and local communities.

Methods include long-term field immersion, interviews and participant observation, collection of herbarium specimens, documentation of local plant names and classifications, and integration with phytochemical screening and pharmacology to explore plant-based medicines.

Applications span medicine, nutrition, agriculture, conservation, sustainable resource management, and cultural preservation. Ethnobotany informs biodiversity policy, conservation planning, and the equitable sharing of benefits arising from the use of plant resources. It also intersects with linguistic, anthropological, and ecological studies to build a holistic view of human-plant interactions.

Ethical considerations, such as informed consent, benefit-sharing, and respect for intellectual property, are central to contemporary ethnobotany, reflecting its commitment to culturally appropriate research and the protection of indigenous knowledge.