Ethnobotanical research project

Summary of findings

Knowledge transmission
From what was discovered about the nature of the acquisition of healers' knowledge, there is little danger of it being lost. There is usually no formal handing over of knowledge or skills. Instead, knowledge is inherited by someone on the death of a healer, usually a parent or grandparent, and commonly through a dream. Many healers use clairvoyant practices such as cards or, in many cases, mirrors, in order to communicate with their ancestors so as to diagnose illness and treatment.

Ethnobotanical knowledge, belief in and use of medicinal plants and distance from the rainforest.
Although use of forest plants is generally higher in villages near the forest, some healers living near the forest use exclusively savannah-originating plants, and some living far from the forest use forest plants.

Such patterns of medicinal plant use often result from the method of plant collection; some healers having plants come to them overnight by a supernatural force, some sending people to collect them, and some buying from people or the market in Ambalavao. Migration is another cause; some healers originating from forested areas moving at marriage to savannah land, but keeping their traditional knowledge of forest plants. Medicinal plant knowledge therefore changes more according to the speciality of the healer, and the healer's origin, as opposed to their proximity to the forest.

Many healers also conserve plants by drying them, thus having a long supply and making frequent collection unnecessary.

Ethnobotanical knowledge and generations.
Older people generally have more faith in traditional medicines, and use them more frequently, than younger people. However, young people are often also very knowledgeable and it is often them who harvest the plants.

Ethnobotanical knowledge and use of western medicine.
Distance from the hospital does not diminish the use of western medicine, or increase the use of traditional medicine dramatically, since most people go to the weekly market in Ambohimahamasina (of close proximity to the hospital) or are able to send someone in their place.

Availability of biomedicine is almost irrelevant to the use of traditional medicine. People often go to both healers and the hospital, depending on the disease they are suffering from and, to a lesser extent, the cost of treatment. Often healers are consulted when people have an illness which they do not believe western medicine can cure. People also use the two in combination, or they resort to one having found the other ineffective. If symptoms of a disease are recognised, people often self-administer treatment. Some health problems of a sensitive nature, such as gynaecological problems and STDs, are commonly treated by healers, as well as conditions of a more psychological or supernatural nature, such as phobias and spirit possessions. Healers often specialise in certain diseases or subjects, such as children or adults only.

Ethnobotanical knowledge and environmental change.
Environmental deterioration and change in Ambohimahamasina is widespread. However, people living close to the forest did not suggest any dramatic change in medicinal plant abundance as a result, only stating that they have to go slightly further afield to find them. In fact, users of medicinal plants originating from secondary vegetation noted that medicinal plant abundance has actually increased as a direct result of deforestation due to a growth in shrubland and savannah. Some healers also grow their own medicinal plants, and so there is no danger of extinction. However, many healers do not collect plants themselves and therefore could not comment on abundance.

Preliminary Conclusions

It was found that traditional healers are very abundant and still much solicited in the commune. Traditional healing does not appear to be dying out and western medicine does not appear to pose a real threat. Instead, perhaps the greatest threat is from religion, Christians believing healing to be devil's work as it comes from the power of the ancestors rather than the power of god.

Although the same medicinal plants were used by many healers and villagers and there was much anecdotal evidence to suggest their effectiveness, this is another question which needs further research. It is difficult to know to what extent people are successfully cured by the plant's medicinal properties and how much is psychological.

Many healers are blessed with healing hands, so that the medicinal plants they use would not have the same healing effect if self-administered. The diagnostic powers of healers are all-important, and are the reason why healers could never be replaced. Sometimes, even if the disease is known, treatment will vary depending on what is diagnosed as the cause of that illness. Often there is no fixed recipe and some healers update treatments annually, on the advice of their ancestors. The percentage of plants used by different healers to treat the same disease shall be analysed, in order to compare common healing properties for different diseases.