Home garden medicine plants of inhabitants of different cultural traditions in Chaco Forests of Córdoba, Argentina

Abstract

Cultural, ecological, social and economic elements interrelate in home gardens, so the cultural tradition of inhabitants define the floristic composition of orchards; we propose that the medicine plants of “Gringo’s” (Italians) domestic environment are different from the "Criollo’s" (Spanish and ethnic groups) ones. Besides, the distance between the orchard and the natural forest is another key factor in the amount of ethno medical knowledge of inhabitants. From 28 semi-structured interviews and botanical surveys, 88 medicinal species were registered. The "Criollos" mention 62 exclusive species, most of them native. Whereas the "Gringos" mention 6 exclusive exotic species. The cultural origin of the owner is the most important factor to define the diversity of home gardens. In second place, the proximity of the house to the forest in mountain towns also explains the amount of knowledge about medicine plants.