The properties of medicinal plants attributed by the herbalists of the San Roque market in Quito, Ecuador: a cultural legacy
Keywords:
medicinal plants, interculturality, decoloniality.Abstract
Knowledge about medicinal plants has been very important to humans since ancient times. Today, they are used as both a medicinal and commercial resource. In Ecuador, their ancestry can be found among indigenous populations, in their traditional cultural practices, although they are used by pharmaceutical companies. Many medicinal herbs are sold in the public market of San Roque, Quito, Ecuador, where dynamic economic activity and a complex system of interactions are evident. The study allowed for an understanding of power relations, intercultural implications, and the policies arising from the case. The methodology was based on a qualitative approach that considered various variables, including medicinal plants, their properties, their capacity to generate income, and the attributes incorporated as use values by the herbalists (sellers). Decoloniality constituted a basic methodological principle that served as a guide for the analysis of the scientific results. Hence, the objective of this work is to determine the properties of medicinal plants attributed by the herbalists of the San Roque market in Quito, Ecuador, as a key resource for the healing of diseases, commercial, intercultural, and decolonial.
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