สำนักราชบัณฑิตยสภา

The Journal of the Royal Institute of Thailand Vol. 30 No. 4 Oct.-Dec. 2005 966 Researching Traditional Medicine: A Review and Evaluation of Objectives and Methodologies studies of two communities in Mexico were compared to provide evidence of the antiquity of their medical plant use knowledge. These two linguistically related commu- nities were located in the same area but had had no historical contact or interchange over the past 2000 years. Statistical analysis was used to compare the use of medicinal plant species and cognate names. The results showed a high incident of similarity which proved the antiquity of their plant use knowledge. This is the first study to use a botanico- linguistic approach for understanding plant use in cultures without a written history. It also tests and validates a method for contextualising indige- nous plant use knowledge. Bioprospecting Bioprospecting objectives have played a large role in developing research of traditional medicine. Once hailed as a potentially vast source for new and improved drugs, pharmaceutical companies have been losing interest in the search for natural remedies since the early 1990’s. This change may be related to declarations made at the Conven- tion on Biological Diversity which grants indigenous peoples ownership of their medicinal plant knowledge and applications. 48 In any case, the present face of bioprospecting research within traditional medicine is changing. Bioprospecting research now focuses on applying results within the traditional populations who use the plants. Future studies are encouraged to address ways to integrate, translate and apply the results of medical ethnography and pharmaceutical bioassays towards developing the traditional medicine of these com- munities. Promising herbal remedies must be studied in more depth and the continued use and sustainable cultivation of medicinal plants should be encouraged. 44 A study in Mexico used ethno- botanical methods (plant collection and informal interviews) and ethnogra-phic methods (free-listing and semi-structured interviews) to collect data on treatments used for gastro-intestinal diseases. 49 Eight of the total forty-four plants were mentioned most frequently by interviewees and these plants were selected for bio-assays and anti- bacterial screening. The results showed that the plants with the highest antibacterial acti-vities also had the highest frequency of mentions by the informants. Sexually transmitted diseases are a common health problem in communities of Zimbabwe. 50 In- terviews and questionnaires were used to collect ethnobotanical data on medicinal plants used to treat these diseases by both expert and non- expert informants. Out of the fifteen plant species mentioned, six were mentioned repeatedly. All six plants tested positive in antibacterial tests, and further studies aim to isolate and identify the structure of the plants’ bioactive compounds. Both studies use descriptive research as a basis to select plants for bioactivity screening. Positive results from bioassay screenings of these medicinal plants validate the purpose of bioprospecting-to identify, verify, and upgrade the use of herbal re- medies by local people, as well as contributing useful information to modern pharmaceutical science. The future for traditional medicine research The structure of this manuscript may honestly reflect the present state of traditional medical research. The section on descriptive research methods is lengthy and detailed, while applied and advanced research, such as hypothesis testing and bioprospecting, is relatively short and undefined. It is clear that the future for traditional medicine research requires more studies based on hypothesis testing, in order to rigorously examine and effectively use interdisciplinary research methods, develop theore- tical domains, and apply results. Truly interdisciplinary research should reflect an equal integration of both the western and traditional concepts of medicine. An ethnophar- macology study, for example, should include sufficient descriptive data to generate and test hypotheses, substantive statements concerning medicinal plant use in the actual human populations, and suggestions for applying phytochemical know- ledge towards the formulation of new pharmaceuticals for the benefit of both local and Western needs. 44