Ethnobotany

Ethnobotany is the discussing of the region's plants together with their practical uses through the traditional knowledge of a local culture as well as people. An ethnobotanist thus strives to or situation. document the local customs involving the practical uses of local flora for numerous aspects of life, such as plants as medicines, foods, intoxicants and clothing. Richard Evans Schultes, often referred to as the "father of ethnobotany", explained the discipline in this way:

Ethnobotany simply means ... investigating plants used by societies in various parts of the world.

Since the time of Schultes, the field of ethnobotany has grown from simply acquiring ethnobotanical cognition to that of applying it to a innovative society, primarily in the have of pharmaceuticals. Intellectual property rights and benefit-sharing arrangements are important issues in ethnobotany.

Issues

Many instances of gender bias hit occurred in ethnobotany, making the risk of drawing erroneous conclusions. Anthropologists would often consult with primarily men. In Las Pavas, a small farming community in Panama, anthropologists drew conclusions about the entire community's use of plant from their conversations and lessons with mostly men. They consulted with 40 families, but the women only participated rarely in interviews and never joined them in the field. Due to the division of labor, the knowledge of wild plants for food, medicine, and fibers, among others, was left out of the picture, resulting in a distorted picture of which plants were actually important to them.

Ethnobotanists have also assumed that ownership of a resource means familiarity with that resource. In some societies women are excluded from owning land, while being the ones who work it. Inaccurate data can come from interviewing only the owners.

Other issues include ethical concerns regarding interactions with indigenous populations, and the International Society of Ethnobiology has created a script of ethics to guide researchers.