- From the U.S. Forest Service
Economic Botany is the interaction of people with plants. Economic botany is closely related to the field of ethnobotany - that word is based on two Greek roots: ethnos (race: people: cultural group) and botanikos (of herbs) and can mean the plant lore of a race or people as well as the study of that lore.
Economic botanists are scientists who study the interactions between humans and plants. Economic botanists study human-plant interactions from a variety of different angles. These skilled researchers rely on a variety of disciplines including archeology, sociology, and ecology in addition to basic botany to help them explain these interactions and their effects on plants, society and our dynamic planet.
Library Catalog
On the Shelf at CCBC Libraries
Botany by
As new information is introduced and environmental changes occur, Plant Biology continues to develop and evolve as a science. Updated and revised to keep pace with these developments, the Fifth Edition of Botany: An Introduction to Plant Biology provides a modern and comprehensive overview of the fundamentals of botany while retaining the important focus of natural selection, analysis of botanical phenomena, and diversity. Students are first introduced to topics that should be most familiar (plant structure), proceed to those less familiar (plant physiology and development), and conclude with topics that are likely least familiar to the introductory student (genetics, evolution, and ecology). Mauseth is sure to provide the latest material on molecular biology and plant biotechnology in an effort to keep pace with these advancing areas of study. All sections are written to be self-contained allowing for a flexible presentation of course material. Key Features: - Includes new content on molecular biology, plant biotechnology, and the most recent coverage of taxonomy and phylogeny of plants. - Now available with a new electronic laboratory manual. - Plants Do Things Differently boxes help students understand and compare plant biology with human biology. - End-of-chapter study guide includes nearly 50 or more questions in each chapter, urging students to test themselves on the most important points in the chapter. - Alternatives boxes encourage students to think expansively about alternative aspects of plant biology that are more advantageous in certain conditions.
Publication Date: 2014
Cannabis: evolution and ethnobotany by
Cannabis: Evolution and Ethnobotany is a comprehensive, interdisciplinary exploration of the natural origins and early evolution of this famous plant, highlighting its historic role in the development of human societies. Cannabis has long been prized for the strong and durable fiber in its stalks, its edible and oil-rich seeds, and the psychoactive and medicinal compounds produced by its female flowers. The culturally valuable and often irreplaceable goods derived from cannabis deeply influenced the commercial, medical, ritual, and religious practices of cultures throughout the ages, and human desire for these commodities directed the evolution of the plant toward its contemporary varieties. As interest in cannabis grows and public debate over its many uses rises, this book will help us understand why humanity continues to rely on this plant and adapts it to suit our needs.
Publication Date: 2013
Medicinal Plants of the World by
Medicinal plants and plant-derived medicine are widely used in traditional cultures all over the world and they are becoming increasingly popular in modern society as natural alternatives to synthetic chemicals. As more and more natural remedies are being commercialised, there is a need for a user-friendly reference guide to the plants and their products. The book gives the reader a bird's eye view of more than 350 of the best known medicinal plants of the world and their uses, in a compact, colourful and scientifically accurate reference text. It provides quick answers to the most obvious questions: Where does this plant originate? What does it look like? In which culture is it traditionally used? What is it used for? Which chemical compounds does it contain? How safe is it? What is known about its pharmacological activity? What evidence is there that it is effective? The authors also provide short overviews of the various health conditions for which medicinal plants are used and the active compounds (secondary metabolites) found in the plants and their modes of actions. This new edition has an additional 30 plant species, many new and improved photographs and the text has been fully updated to reflect the latest regulatory status of each plant.
Publication Date: 2017
The Garden Apothecary by
The Garden Apothecary shows us how to harvest and use commonly found plants, weeds and herbs to create our own healing home apothecaries. With tasty recipes, wild skincare, in-depth plant spotlights and a back-to-roots ethos, The Garden Apothecary will encourage the reader to become more connected to the natural world through learning the art of herbalism from plants growing in our gardens. Focusing on 20 herbs and plants, learn how to identify, grow and pick them from your garden or forage them, as well as discovering their medicinal properties. Each plant and herb spotlight includes at least two recipes to create a tincture, oil, infusion, skin balms or other beauty bits. The Garden Apothecary is a safe and mindful approach to the often overwhelming world of foraging and herbalism.
Publication Date: 2022
Native American Food Plants by
Based on 25 years of research that combed every historical and anthropological record of Native American ways, this unprecedented culinary dictionary documents the food uses of 1500 plants by 220 Native American tribes from early times to the present. Like anthropologist Daniel E. Moerman's previous volume, Native American Medicinal Plants, this extensive compilation draws on the same research as his monumental Native American Ethnobotany, this time culling 32 categories of food uses from an extraordinary range of species. Hundreds of plants, both native and introduced, are described. The usage categories include beverages, breads, fruits, spices, desserts, snacks, dried foods, and condiments, as well as curdling agents, dietary aids, preservatives, and even foods specifically for emergencies. Each example of tribal use includes a brief description of how the food was prepared. In addition, multiple indexes are arranged by tribe, type of food, and common names to make it easy to pursue specific research. An essential reference for anthropologists, ethnobotanists, and food scientists, this will also make fascinating reading for anyone interested in the history of wild and cultivated local foods and the remarkable practical botanical knowledge of Native American forbears.
Publication Date: 2010
Science and Technology Databases
- Science Database
Articles on both the applied and general sciences like aerospace, computers, transportation, and biology.
- Science (Journal)
A weekly, peer-reviewed journal that publishes significant original scientific research, plus reviews and analyses of current research and science policy.
- Biological Science Database
Articles on biology topics.
- Science Direct This link opens in a new window
Articles from journals on science, technology and medicine for advanced research.
- Environment Complete This link opens in a new window
Articles about ecology, energy, natural resources, science, technology, law, public policy, and social impacts.
Websites
- Ethnobotany - National Park Service
Search results from ethnobotany search on the NPS website. Click through to find different parks, forests, and more and their specific ethnobotany. - Intro to Ethnobotany Video SeriesThe following videos are intended to serve as educational modules of different topics in ethnobotany, ethnoecology and ethnobiological conservation.
- Socitey for Economic Botany
The Society for Economic Botany (SEB) is about people exploring the uses of, and our relationship with plants, cultures and our environment - plants and human affairs. You might well call our research and educational efforts, the science of survival. - Botanical Society of America
The BSA is one of the world's largest societies devoted to the study of plants and allied organisms, and functions as an umbrella organization covering all specialties.
Open Access Journals
- Ethnobotany Research and ApplicationsFree to read research articles on Ethnobotany.
- Journal of Ethnobiology and EthnomedicineFree to read research articles on Ethnobotany and Ethnomedicine (open access).
- PLOS EthnobotanyFree to read research articles about Ethnobotany (open access).
- Economic BotanyFree to read research articles about Economic Botany (open access).
- Plants and People - Society for Economic BotanyFree to read research articles about Economic Botany (open access).
Streaming Video: Introduction to Botany
Online From CCBC Libraries
Introduction to Ethnobotany by
The book "Introduction to Ethnography" discusses how indigenous people use plants for food, medicine, cultural customs, housing, fuel, and transportation. It discusses the evolution of ethnobotany and the formation of this field over the years. Ethnobotany is described as the study of the connection between people in their indigenous societies and their plant ecosystem. This book aims to study culturally based biological and environmental understanding, cultural perception and perception of the natural world, including related behaviors and activities. It also mentions the naming and classification process of plants by community members, and points out that different communities may use the same plants in different ways.
Publication Date: 2020
Mayo Ethnobotany by
The Mayos, an indigenous people of northwestern Mexico, live in small towns spread over southern Sonora and northern Sinaloa, lands of remarkable biological diversity. Traditional Mayo knowledge is quickly being lost as this culture becomes absorbed into modern Mexico. Moreover, as big agriculture spreads into the region, the natural biodiversity of these lands is also rapidly disappearing. This engaging and accessible ethnobotany, based on hundreds of interviews with the Mayos and illustrated with the authors' strikingly beautiful photographs, helps preserve our knowledge of both an indigenous culture and an endangered environment. This book contains a comprehensive description of northwest Mexico's tropical deciduous forests and thornscrub on the traditional Mayo lands reaching from the Sea of Cortés to the foothills of the Sierra Madre. The first half of the book is a highly readable account of the climate, geology, and vegetation of the region. The authors also provide a valuable history of the people, their language, culture, festival traditions, and plant use. The second half of the book is an annotated list of plants presenting the authors' detailed findings on plant use in Mayo culture.
Publication Date: 2002
Cannabis: evolution and ethnobotany by
Cannabis: Evolution and Ethnobotany is a comprehensive, interdisciplinary exploration of the natural origins and early evolution of this famous plant, highlighting its historic role in the development of human societies. Cannabis has long been prized for the strong and durable fiber in its stalks, its edible and oil-rich seeds, and the psychoactive and medicinal compounds produced by its female flowers. The culturally valuable and often irreplaceable goods derived from cannabis deeply influenced the commercial, medical, ritual, and religious practices of cultures throughout the ages, and human desire for these commodities directed the evolution of the plant toward its contemporary varieties. As interest in cannabis grows and public debate over its many uses rises, this book will help us understand why humanity continues to rely on this plant and adapts it to suit our needs.
Publication Date: 2013
Plants and People by
This first monograph in the EARTH series, The dynamics of non-industrial agriculture: 8,000 years of resilience and innovation, approaches the great variety of agricultural practices in human terms. It focuses on the relationship between plants and people, the complexity of agricultural processes and their organisation within particular communities and societies. Collaborative European research among archaeologists, archaeobotanists, ethnographers, historians and agronomists using a broad analytical scale of investigation seeks to establish new common ground for integrating different approaches. By means of interdisciplinary examples, this book showcases the relationship between people and plants across wide ranging and diverse spatial and temporal milieus, including crop diversity, the use of wild foodstuffs, social context, status and choices of food plants.
Publication Date: 2014
Uses of Plants by the Hidatsa of the Northern Plains by
In 1916 anthropologist Gilbert L. Wilson worked closely with Buffalobird-woman, a highly respected Hidatsa born in 1839 on the Fort Berthold Reservation in western North Dakota, for a study of the Hidatsas’ uses of local plants. What resulted was a treasure trove of ethnobotanical information that was buried for more than seventy-five years in Wilson’s archives, now held jointly by the Minnesota Historical Society and the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. Wilson recorded Buffalobird-woman’s insightful and vivid descriptions of how the nineteenth-century Hidatsa people had gathered, prepared, and used the plants and wood in their local environment for food, medicine, smoking, fiber, fuel, dye, toys, rituals, and construction. From courtship rituals that took place while gathering Juneberries, to descriptions of how the women kept young boys from stealing wild plums as they prepared them for use, to recipes for preparing and cooking local plants, Uses of Plants by the Hidatsas of the Northern Plains provides valuable details of Hidatsa daily life during the nineteenth century.
Publication Date: 2014
A Guide to Medicinal Plants by
This book presents up-to-date information on a total of 75 native and non-native medicinal plants growing in Singapore. Comprehensive and useful information from the published literature -- including plant descriptions and origins, traditional medicinal uses, phytoconstituents, pharmacological activities, adverse reactions, toxicities, and reported drug-herb interactions -- is presented in an easy-to-read manner for easy and quick reference. There is no minimum level of knowledge required to read this book, and botanical and medical glossaries are also provided for readers' convenience.The book will be of great practical benefit to a wide-ranging audience. Educators and students in complementary medicine and health, pharmacognosy, medicinal chemistry, natural products, pharmacology, toxicology, pharmacovigilance, medicine, pharmacy, nursing, botany, biology, chemistry and life sciences will find the information useful. The book will also appeal to clinicians, pharmacists, nurses and researchers, as it contains a comprehensive reference list at the end for further reading.
Publication Date: 2009
Nature's Pharmacopeia by
This beautifully illustrated textbook pairs research on the biochemical properties and physiological effects of medicinal plants with a history of the ways in which humans have cultivated plant species and investigated their effects. Nature's Pharmacopeia fosters an appreciation of the chemistry and cultural resonance of herbal medicine.
Publication Date: 2016
