The The Granny-Woman’s Materia Medica: Reproductive Health Herbs in Ozark Folklore Collections

Vollständiger Abstract

Worum geht es in dieser Arbeit?

Reproductive health care is an important use of plant-based medicine worldwide and throughout history, but in many regions remains under-documented. This study uses data collected by folklore students at the University of Arkansas and the University of Central Arkansas between the 1940s and the 1970s to document plants historically used for reproductive medicine in the Ozarks and the reproductive health concerns for which these plants were used. A total of 2,957 plant-medicinal use combinations were documented, 139 of which pertained specifically to women’s health. Thirty-eight percent of uses were related to menstruation, 30% to abortion and miscarriage, 22% to pregnancy and childbirth, and 10% to other uses. Forty-seven plant taxa were documented by common name, 39 of which could be associated with scientific names. The most frequent plant-use combinations were cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) and cedar (Juniperus virginiana) used to induce abortion, and black haw (Viburnum prunifolium) and ginger (Zingiber officinale) for menstrual pain relief. Though this article touches on the potential efficacy of herbs used for reproductive health, the question of whether plants “work” for their intended purpose is of secondary concern here. Instead, this article offers a snapshot of how women of the Ozarks used local plant resources to treat reproductive concerns, including for care that today is politically controversial such as abortion.