Medicinal plants used by latino healers for women’s health conditions in New York City

• DOI: 10.1007/bf02864786
• Publication Date: 2010-12-04T02:16:57Z
• Authors: Michael J. Balick; Fredi Kronenberg; Andreana L. Ososki; Marian Reiff; Adriane Fugh-Berman; O’Connor Bonnie; Maria Roble; Patricia Lohr; Daniel Atha
• Keywords: Ethnobotany; Voucher

This paper examines the use of medicinal plants by Latino healers in New York City to treat various women’s illnesses. Eight Latino healers collaborated on the study through consultations with female patients who had one of the following conditions as diagnosed by biomedically trained physicians: uterine fibroids, hot flashes, menorrhagia, or endometriosis. The study identified a total of 67 plant species prescribed by the healers in the form of mixtures or as individual plants. Voucher specimens were collected from local botanicas and identified by specialists at The New York Botanical Garden. Studies of immigrant traditional healers and the plants they use in an urban setting can provide interesting ethnobotanical data and information to assist in diagnosing conditions and contributing to treatment of patients from Latino as well as non-Latino communities.