PLAWOMAD

Plant-words and the transformation of personhood in Masikoro healing practices in Madagascar

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'My tenure at the Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology in Oxford would be used to examine the mechanisms which guide indigenous therapeutic practices and to critically examine conventional scholarly approaches which regard these practices as "traditional pharmacopoeia" and tend to incorrectly equate them with the pharmacopoeia of Western biomedicine. My research at the ISCA aims to set up the methodology and to develop and refine the following two hypotheses that will be used in the field;1) traditional medical treatments dynamically integrate newly introduced plants; 2) plants and animals used in cures for everyday ailments involve ritual and symbolic dimensions. For this complex study which draws from several disciplines, 12 months of pre-field study preparation is essential. Indeed, one of my central aims is the creation of an approach that combines medical anthropology, botany. Among many other things, residence at ISCA will provide me access to experts from medical anthropology. In particular, my project will benefit from collaboration with renowned experts in my topics, notably E. Hsu, a specialist on medical anthropology and ethnobotany. As concerns my first hypothesis, the first step requires establishing a general overview of the known invasive plants in the tropical areas of the Indian Ocean and in particular in Madagascar (see for example P. Binggeli, 2003). This work will be done through an analysis of bibliographic resources, of Herbarium resources in Kew Garden including databases from Kew Garden and Sonnerat. As concerns the second hypothesis, I will analyze the information on plants and animals in the southwest of Madagascar (see for example Goodman, 2003) in light of my working hypotheses on the logic of local therapeutic practices in Madagascar. In particular, I will undertake an exhaustive bibliographic search to develop theories on the physical traits of plants that the Malagasy are likely to draw upon when naming and using them.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

A study into traditional medicine practices in Madagascar has revealed the ritualistic and symbolic importance of plants thought to have healing properties.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

Humans have used plants and animals for medicinal purposes for thousands of years. While modern medicine now predominates in the west, traditional medicine is still practised among many indigenous populations.

The EU-funded 'Plant-words and the transformation of personhood in Masikoro healing practices in Madagascar' (PLAWOMAD) project combined anthropology and botany to better understand indigenous therapeutic practices. In particular, PLAWOMAD sought to update the traditional pharmacopoeia (an exhaustive publication of medicinal drugs and their uses) of the Indian Ocean island of Madagascar.

While scientists have extensively analysed and categorised medicinal plants for both western and traditional medicine, the anthropological (human) perspective is lacking. PLAWOMAD researchers therefore reasoned that criteria for compiling western pharmacopoeia cannot be applied to the traditional version, since plants have both symbolic and pharmacological importance.

During the course of an academic and ethnographic study on the use of traditional medicine, PLAWOMAD addressed two previously held misconceptions. The first is that contrary to popular belief, traditional medicinal knowledge is not under threat from western society introducing new plants and ideas. Researchers found that rather than traditional knowledge being handed down unchanged through generations, non-indigenous or newly introduced plants have long been incorporated into traditional practices.

PLAWOMAD also addressed the misconception that pharmacological properties of plants alone explain their healing properties, when in fact their symbolic value is just as important. Indeed, 'symbolic plants' are used in ritualistic therapies for serious diseases, while 'pharmacological plants' are used as teas, baths or decoctions for physiological complaints.

This study highlights the fact that both symbolic and pharmacological uses for plants in traditional medicine should be taken into account when compiling traditional pharmacopoeia. As such, researchers now have deeper insight into indigenous healing practices in Madagascar.