Document Type
Research
Abstract
Much is known about the application of medicinal plants in health belief systems and in ethnopharmacological and botanical settings in Guatemala. What remains less understood is why and how rural women, the family's primary health care provider, use medicinal plants to treat family members' illnesses. Using an ethnographic approach, this work describes twenty women's responses about using medicinal plants as a traditional home remedy. Results suggest rural Guatemalan women traditionally use certain plants, because of their immediate availability at no cost, to treat psychological, gastrointestinal, and respiratory illnesses. Also discussed are the implications associated with honoring tradition, affordability, and availability that health care providers may wish to consider before offering modern day medicine to rural Guatemalan women for the purpose of treating health problems.
Publication Date
2002
Journal Title
International Journal of Global Health
Volume
2
Issue
1
First Page
6
Last Page
13
Copyright
©2002 International Journal of Global Health
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Goody, Cynthia M.
(2002)
"An Ethnographic Approach Describing Uses of Medicinal Plants by Rural Guatemalan Women,"
International Journal of Global Health, 2(1), 6-13.
Available at:
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/ijgh/vol2/iss1/3