Importance Today
When is a plant not just a plant...?
"Throughout the history of medicine, secondary metabolites from plants have been shown to be valuable sources of novel anti-cancer drugs. Examples are the vinca alkaloids, the taxanes, and the camptothecins, derived from the Madagscan periwinkle plant Catharantus roseus, the Pacific yew Taxus brevifolia, and the Chinese tree Campotheca acuminata, respectively" (17, p. 441).
"Throughout the history of medicine, secondary metabolites from plants have been shown to be valuable sources of novel anti-cancer drugs. Examples are the vinca alkaloids, the taxanes, and the camptothecins, derived from the Madagscan periwinkle plant Catharantus roseus, the Pacific yew Taxus brevifolia, and the Chinese tree Campotheca acuminata, respectively" (17, p. 441).
"One of the best sources for finding plant species to test is still the healer's pouch, because such plants have been often been tested by generations of indigenous people" (12, p. 4).
So what?
(Photo by Melanie Tata)
As has been mentioned, more and more people have been seeking out traditional treatments and cures around the world. Some of the most potent and innovative drugs on the market today come from plants in areas where local people have been utilizing those same plants for years. A recent study by Gonzales and Valerio looks at the cancer fighting agents found in plants from Peru. They emphasize the importance of plants in many current drugs, citing that over 60% of pharmaceuticals for cancer are derived from natural sources. There have been many plants said to have cancer-fighting properties from Peru, but Gonzales and Valerio contend that the most common are Cat's Claw (Uncaria tomentosa), Dragon's Blood (Croton lechleri), and maca (Lepidium meyenii). They study the chemical composition of each of these to better understand what makes them special. Each has been in use for thousands of years and has a wide variety of effects on health (Don Miguel showed me a couple of these around the ranch!), which the researchers study by talking to locals and also by conducting experiments on humans and other animals. There has been a great increase in research of plants such as these as cancer-treating costs continue to skyrocket and are not always effective. Gonzales and Valerio find special properties in these plants, stating that they may be able to fight oxidative damage of cancer though "modulation of detoxification enzymes, scavenging of reactive oxygen species and and oxidative agents, stimulation of anti-inflammatory processes in immune system, hormone metabolism, and regulation of gene expression in cell proliferation and apoptosis. Collectively, the modulation of these properties by plant phytochemicals may have influence on the treatment of tumors" (17, p. 441).
Traditional knowledge and use of plants like these in Peru set the baseline for research and incorporation into different pharmaceuticals and medicines. Without a detailed understanding of the properties of these plants by Peruvian populations for millennia, trying to find anti-cancer drugs would be taking a shot in the dark. The medicinal knowledge in use by populations around the world has real world value. Is that not reason enough to preserve and maintain traditional knowledge?
Traditional knowledge and use of plants like these in Peru set the baseline for research and incorporation into different pharmaceuticals and medicines. Without a detailed understanding of the properties of these plants by Peruvian populations for millennia, trying to find anti-cancer drugs would be taking a shot in the dark. The medicinal knowledge in use by populations around the world has real world value. Is that not reason enough to preserve and maintain traditional knowledge?
Legitimizing Culture
Health promoter (right) with a mother from Copa Grande (photo by Jack Lazar)
It is also important to understand that the way a people views health and disease and the treatments they employ is a huge aspect of culture. By maintaining the legitimacy and dignity of those who choose to practice traditional medicine, it is also possible to help lend identity and value to that culture. Using similar forms of medicine creates a sense of community solidarity, particularly when these medicines and practices are formed out of a corresponding world view. The definitions and causes of disease for a particular group of people actually lend insight into their world: what is important, why it is important, what is wrong with the body and soul, and how to best remedy problems (10).
Specifically, Andean traditional medicine has a lot of powerful potential, according to many recent scholars. Experts in the field of Peruvian traditional medicine, another article by Bussmann et al. emphasizes the importance of the area in regards to medicinal herbs:
"Northern Peru is believed to be the center of the Central Andean Health Axis, and traditional medicinal practices in this region are still an important component of everyday life..." (7, p. 1).
They go on to describe their study of traditional healers (also known as curanderos) and their sophisticated use of plants and herbs of the area...
"Many traditional healers rely on herbal preparations, often consisting of complex ingredients and with very specific preparations, to treat their patients' illnesses, rather than just employing single plant extracts...a large number of plants used in traditional healing in Northern Peru are employed in often sophisticated mixtures, rather than as individual plants. Peruvian curanderos appear to employ very specific guidelines in the preparation of these cocktails, and seem to have a clear understanding of disease concepts when they diagnose a patient, which in turn leads them to often applyspecific mixtures for specific conditions. There seems to be a widespread exchange of knowledge about mixtures for treatment of bodily diseases, while mixtures for spiritual, nervous system and psychosomatic disorders appear to be more closely guarded by the individual healers" (7, p. 10).
Bussmann et al. illustrate the importance of researching not just individual plants and their properties, but of actually understanding how traditional healers use them in conjunction with one another. They believe that conducting more studies on this topic has the potential of yielding even more benefit from medicinal plants to treat an even wider array of disease (7).
Giving credence to these types of studies that underline the inherent value in traditional medicine of the Andes is a way to show respect to the culture. This is a culture that has undergone tremendous amounts of inequality, injustice, and exploitation. The people have value, and their medicinal knowledge has value, not just to them, but to outsiders. To have one's worth acknowledged by an outside force, especially one so powerful as Western medicine and its allies, is even more powerful in overcoming the societal issues of oppression that they have faced. To these people we should be communicating that their medicinal knowledge is important on multiple levels, not just as a means to preserve diversity, but also as a legitimate basis for expanding on our medical understanding and drug/treatment creation. By acknowledging the worth of their knowledge, we are also acknowledging that the culture has a priceless worth of its own.
If your traditions are valuable to the larger society, your cultural and self-value are rendered more potent.
Specifically, Andean traditional medicine has a lot of powerful potential, according to many recent scholars. Experts in the field of Peruvian traditional medicine, another article by Bussmann et al. emphasizes the importance of the area in regards to medicinal herbs:
"Northern Peru is believed to be the center of the Central Andean Health Axis, and traditional medicinal practices in this region are still an important component of everyday life..." (7, p. 1).
They go on to describe their study of traditional healers (also known as curanderos) and their sophisticated use of plants and herbs of the area...
"Many traditional healers rely on herbal preparations, often consisting of complex ingredients and with very specific preparations, to treat their patients' illnesses, rather than just employing single plant extracts...a large number of plants used in traditional healing in Northern Peru are employed in often sophisticated mixtures, rather than as individual plants. Peruvian curanderos appear to employ very specific guidelines in the preparation of these cocktails, and seem to have a clear understanding of disease concepts when they diagnose a patient, which in turn leads them to often applyspecific mixtures for specific conditions. There seems to be a widespread exchange of knowledge about mixtures for treatment of bodily diseases, while mixtures for spiritual, nervous system and psychosomatic disorders appear to be more closely guarded by the individual healers" (7, p. 10).
Bussmann et al. illustrate the importance of researching not just individual plants and their properties, but of actually understanding how traditional healers use them in conjunction with one another. They believe that conducting more studies on this topic has the potential of yielding even more benefit from medicinal plants to treat an even wider array of disease (7).
Giving credence to these types of studies that underline the inherent value in traditional medicine of the Andes is a way to show respect to the culture. This is a culture that has undergone tremendous amounts of inequality, injustice, and exploitation. The people have value, and their medicinal knowledge has value, not just to them, but to outsiders. To have one's worth acknowledged by an outside force, especially one so powerful as Western medicine and its allies, is even more powerful in overcoming the societal issues of oppression that they have faced. To these people we should be communicating that their medicinal knowledge is important on multiple levels, not just as a means to preserve diversity, but also as a legitimate basis for expanding on our medical understanding and drug/treatment creation. By acknowledging the worth of their knowledge, we are also acknowledging that the culture has a priceless worth of its own.
If your traditions are valuable to the larger society, your cultural and self-value are rendered more potent.
Other Perspectives
Andean highlands (photo by Jack Lazar)
Correa, in a report for the WHO, argues for the protection of traditional knowledge for several reasons...
"equity, the preservation of knowledge against erosion, preventing misappropriation, promoting self-determination, and the right to development..." (11, p. 5-26).
In line with Gonzales and Valerio, ethnobiologist Cox (also quoted above) touts the importance of preserving this kind of knowledge based on his work in Samoa and among Amerindians....
"Clearly, it is in the interests of Western societies to help protect indigenous cultures. By 1994, pharmacologist Norman Farnsworth had identified over 119 plant-derived substances that are used globally as drugs. Many of the prescription drugs sold in the United States contain molecules derived from, or modeled after, naturally occurring molecules in plants, and many of these (including reserpine, digitalis, and vincristine) come from plants used in traditional medicine" (10, p. 4).
"equity, the preservation of knowledge against erosion, preventing misappropriation, promoting self-determination, and the right to development..." (11, p. 5-26).
In line with Gonzales and Valerio, ethnobiologist Cox (also quoted above) touts the importance of preserving this kind of knowledge based on his work in Samoa and among Amerindians....
"Clearly, it is in the interests of Western societies to help protect indigenous cultures. By 1994, pharmacologist Norman Farnsworth had identified over 119 plant-derived substances that are used globally as drugs. Many of the prescription drugs sold in the United States contain molecules derived from, or modeled after, naturally occurring molecules in plants, and many of these (including reserpine, digitalis, and vincristine) come from plants used in traditional medicine" (10, p. 4).
Health post in Marcará (photo by Jack Lazar)
Traditional medicine in the Peruvian Andes is a rich and complex topic. A person can spend an entire career studying the subject and still not understand it all. It is also not a homogenous tradition--there are regional differences and even disagreements within communities about medicine. These are all important considerations to keep in mind when the future of traditional medicine is in question, especially when we make the translation to policy-making. Traditional medicine is a vital part of our world and a key component of culture. It should be analyzed for both its cultural strengths and legitimate biomedicine applications.
There is not one type of medicine, and we should stop acting like there is.
There is not one type of medicine, and we should stop acting like there is.
Next: Current Threats