A Brief Note on Georgia’s Ethnobotany

 

 

 

 

 

Our class trip to Roosevelt State Park allowed me the chance to explore the medicinal history of Georgia’s natural flora, a topic of great personal interest. Through the study of a region’s ethnobotanical traditions, I find a very tangible relationship with the area. The cultivation and co-existence between human beings and the plants which sustain and occasionally heal them is a visceral connection, and turning away from the non-industrial side of agriculture and medicine is a great way to lose touch with that connection.

This entry contains two brief illustrated guides to plants with medicinal purposes found in Georgia’s Piedmont/Foothills, as well as some descriptions of a few particularly invasive species.

Pictured above: Yellow Root, Sweet Gum, Solomon’s Seal, Golden Rod, Pipissewa, Magnolia, Dogwood, Foamflower, and Beautyberry.Pictured above: Black Walnut, Honeysuckle, Bloodroot, Chinese Privet, Wisteria, and Mimosa.

 

Sources:

“Dogwood or Cornel.” The Columbia Encyclopedia. New York: Columbia University Press, 2008. Credo Reference. Web. 17 September 2012.

Godowski, KC (1989). “Antimicrobial action of sanguinarine”. The Journal of clinical dentistry1 (4): 96–101.

Hunn, Eugene S. (1990). Nch’i-Wana, “The Big River”: Mid-Columbia Indians and Their Land. University of Washington Press. p. 352.

Kim, JH; Kim, SY; Lee, SY; Jang, CG (2007). “Antidepressant-like effects of Albizzia julibrissin in mice: Involvement of the 5-HT1A receptor system”. Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior 87 (1): 41–7.

“Plants Profile for Ligustrum sinense (Chinese privet).” Natural Resources Conservation Service. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Sept. 2014.

“Plant Walks.” Whole Idea Healing. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Sept. 2014. <http://hollirichey.com/medicinal-edible-plant-walks/past-plant-walks/some-of-the-plants-youll-meet/>.

Pons, Luis. ” Learning from our elders: Folk Remedy Yields Mosquito-Thwarting Compound.” United States Department of Agriculture. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Sept. 2014.

Rocky Graziose , Patricio Rojas-Silva , Thirumurugan Rathinasabapathy , Carmen Dekock , Mary H. Grace , Alexander Poulev , Mary Ann Lila , Peter Smith , Ilya Raskin (2012). “Antiparasitic compounds from Cornus florida L. with activities against Plasmodium falciparum and Leishmania tarentolae”. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 142: 456–461.

Scott, Caitlyn. “The Japanese Honeysuckle.” George Mason University. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Sept. 2014.

Silverthorne, E. (2002). Legends and Lore of Texas Wildflowers. Texas A&M University Press. pp. 61–.

Wujisguleng, W., et al. (2012). Ethnobotanical review of food uses of Polygonatum (Convallariaceae) in China.Acta Societatis Botanicorum Poloniae 81(4) 239-44.