Plants, People, and Culture: The Science of Ethnobotany

Botanical wisdom of indigenous peoples has led to discoveries of new pharmaceuticals, chemical compounds, and a myriad of other products. Using riveting stories of fieldwork in remote villages, two of the world's leading ethnobotanists argue that the very roots of human culture are deeply intertwined with plants. One out of four prescription drugs, for example, was discovered from plants used by indigenous peoples for healing. Today ethnobotanical searches for new remedies for Alzheimer's, ALS, and other neurodegenerative illnesses are proceeding at a rapid pace. However, rapid changes in diets of indigenous peoples are linked to increasing levels of diabetes and arteriosclerosis. Yet this understanding of indigenous diets can possibly lead to new strategies for preventing and treating disease. The wisdom of indigenous shipwrights and weavers provides further evidence of the botanical sophistication of indigenous peoples, as does the shaman's use of plants as a doorway into the other world--a realm populated by both angelic and demonic beings. Indigenous claims that plants themselves are sacred leads to a startling reconsideration of biological conservation. The authors, who have spent decades in remote villages argue that rain forest conservation can best be accomplished by learning from, rather than opposing, indigenous peoples. *&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A highly readable narrative that encourages the user to personally engage with the relationship between plants, people, and culture *&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Full-color illustrations throughout--including many original photographs captured by the authors during field work *&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; New to this edition--Plants that Harm, a chapter that examines the toxicology of plant poisons, but also the remarkable modification and re-appropriation of these compounds for use in treating disease and addiction *&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A wealth of useful references and further reading at the end of each chapter *&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Boxed features on selected topics that offer further insight&nbsp; *&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Study questions for students to facilitate classroom discussions Designed for the college classroom as well as for the general lay reader, Plants, People, and Culture, Second Edition, entices the reader with first-hand stories of fieldwork, spectacular illustrations, and a deep respect for both indigenous peoples and the earth's natural heritage.

Politics & Social Sciences

Balick, Michael J.

Cox, Paul Alan

Social Sciences

Garland Science

The author describes his work in a remote Samoan village studying rain-forest remedies and discusses how this led to his collaboration with village elders to protect the Falealupo rain forest

Nafanua: Saving the Samoan Rain Forest

Anthropology

W.H.Freeman & Co.

Paul Alan Cox has been honored worldwide for his work as an ethnobotanist, searching for plants that can be used to cure breast cancer, AIDS, and other diseases. Cox was recently hailed by Time magazine as a "hero of medicine" and awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize for his work in Samoa, where in one year he made important ethnobotanical discoveries, gained official protection for a rare species of flying fox, launched an international campaign to save a 30,000-acre rain forest from logging, and then helped to rebuild a village destroyed by a hurricane. 
In Nafanua, Cox describes his experiences in Samoa, where he studied traditional rain forest remedies with native healers and was honored by the villagers of Falealupo with the chiefly title of Nafanua, the legendary goddess who saved Samoa. A gifted storyteller, Cox describes a world that is an amalgam of the indigenous and the industrial, where ancient beliefs and communal values coexist with Jeeps, SPAM, and transistor radios. In addition to describing his research, Cox discusses the historic misperception of the South Seas, early explorers, and missionaries, who today are more often ecological than religious. A beautifully written story of scientific and personal discovery, Nafanua is a testament to the power of nature to both heal and destroy - and to the equally powerful human capacity for faith and perseverance against seemingly impossible odds.

Business & Money

Economics

Ethnobotanists Cox and Balick share two decades of experience living with the indigenous peoples of Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Southeast Asia, conducting fieldwork in the study of how people use plants. The result of their efforts details a story of human culture in relationship to the plants they have traditionally used for medicinal, recreational, and ornamental purposes. This legacy continues today in the form of pharmacology research, aided by the fields of anthropology and botany. The authors' cautionary admonition against the destruction of native communities and environments draws authority from their scientific, but passionate engagement with the subject. Includes color photographs and illustrations. Distributed by Freeman. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

Plants, People, and Culture: The Science of Ethnobotany (Scientific American Library)

Science & Math

Biological Sciences

Using riveting stories of fieldwork in remote villages, the authors show how plants have affected nearly every aspect of our lives, deeply influencing the trajectory of human civilization. Includes illustrations. Paper. DLC: Ethnobotany.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Cox, Paul Alan. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Cox, Paul Alan

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Cox, Paul Alan. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Plants, People, and Culture: The Science of Ethnobotany

Nafanua: Saving the Samoan Rain Forest

Nafanua: Saving the Samoan Rain Forest

Plants, People, and Culture: The Science of Ethnobotany (Scientific American Library)

Plants, People, and Culture: The Science of Ethnobotany

Plants, People, and Culture: The Science of Ethnobotany