ISE Newsletter November 2001, Volume 1, Issue 1 Conference Report editorial Building Bridges with Traditional Knowledge II Dear reader 28 May - 1 June 2001, Honolulu, Hawaii USA This is the first issue of the ISE News- Summary of the Conference letter, an information bulletin of the In- ternational Society for Ethnopharmacol- ogy. This bulletin will be published ap- The second in a series, this conference was conceived as an "Inter- proximately twice a year. We plan to national Summit Meeting on Issues Involving Indigenous Peoples, Conser- inform you about upcoming and past vation, Sustainable Development, and Ethnoscience." The Summit Co- activities and events in the field of eth- ordinator is Professor Will McClatchey, an ethnobotanist in the Department nopharmacology (e.g. conferences, news of Botany, University of Hawaii. from the ISE board meetings). We will Concurrent morning sessions ranged widely across such themes as also include breaking news from the intellectual property rights, traditional ecological knowledge, applied meth- publishing front (e.g. recent publications ods in ethnobiology, ethics, teacher education, and conservation of Hawai- and interesting web sites). Several col- ian knowledge. A plenary afternoon session on each conference day was de- umns will always be reserved for a stu- dent’s view points. Of course, we also voted to a major geographical region – Africa, North and South America, want to draw your attention to or remind Europe and the Mediterranean, Asia, and the Pacific. Cultural representa- you of our forthcoming conferences, the tives of these regions presented their views of traditional knowledge. Eve- next one to be held in Pretoria (Jan. ning sessions were organized around key speakers who addressed the rela- 2003). Unfortunately, this issue also tionship of traditional knowledge to health, conservation of cultural and bio- contains the obituary of two very distin- diversity, and identity. Hawaiian culture was highlighted throughout the guished ethnopharmacologist who conference through traditional chant, dance (hula), music, and crafts. passed away during the early months of As part of the conference the ISE convened an interim meeting, and this year. The Newsletter will only be vi- the Society for Economic Botany its 42nd annual meeting. ISE Past- able, if all contribute to it and we there- President Nina Etkin organized the symposium "Ethnopharmacology: fore would like to invite you to submit interesting material to us. Also, please Building Bridges between Natural Product Chemistry and Traditional let us know what you think about it Knowledge," which met for two morning sessions and included these pres- (mailing to [email protected]) and entations: we will try to include your advice and Nina Etkin, Paul Ross, Aki Funahashi, Jessica Busch, JD Baker: wishes in the upcoming issues. "Ethnopharmacology: Building Bridges to Where?" Rudi Bauer: "Traditional Chinese Drugs: Their Application and With our best regards, Evaluation in Western Medicine" Barbara Frei Haller (Editor) Walter Lewis: "Traditional and Western Medicine: How Bridges Can Lead Michael Heinrich (ISE President) to New Therapeutic Discoveries" Charles Wambebe: "Bridging Research to the Clinical Use of Plant Medi- P.S. In the future this newsletters will be available in a printed and an on-line cines" version, for you to choose (see p. 3) Continued on page 2 I n th is i ss ue Editorial Third International Congress on Ethno- Darrell Addison Posey Student’s Viewpoint 1 Report from Building 3 5 8 Bridges Conference; botany, Naples, Italy (Obituary) Honolulu, Hawaii, USA Impressum Richard E. Schultes Editorial of the Journal 4 Web Pages 6 (Obituary) 9 of Ethnopharmacology XVI Simpósio de Upcoming ISE- Plantas Medicinais do Conference, Preto- A Selection of More Up- Membership Application/ 2 Brasil; Recife, Brasil 7 10 Renewal 2002 ria, South Africa coming Conferences 1 . Elaine Elisabetsky and Gabriela Coelho de Souza: "Ethnobotany and Ethnopharmacology as Tools for Diversify- ing Economic Activities in a Mata Atlantica Biosphere Reserve Community" Gamaniel K. Shingu: "Ownership and Sustainability Issues in Botanical Medicine" Michael Heinrich: "Ethnopharmacology or Bioprospecting: Two Sides of the same (Western) Coin?" Barbara Frei Haller and Stefan Mueller: "Probing the Foundations - Reflections on the Actors and Their Envi- ronment in the Field of Ethnopharmacology" Patrick Owen: "Graduate Studies in Ethnopharmacology: Building Bridges Between Disciplines" Memory Elvin-Lewis: "Conceptual Similarities in Traditional Treatments for Hepatitis" Daniel Moerman: "Prescription sticks": Indigenous 19th Century Pharmacopoeias The symposium was organized around the theme of interdisciplinary inquiry, with a view toward a future in which we craft our diverse objectives and methods into an ethnopharmacology that yields not only collaboration among different researchers but also the application of that knowledge to practical ends for indigenous communi- ties. Participants were encouraged to address research objectives and methodology. We were challenged further to consider how we can reconcile that research conducted during the last two decades has yielded an enormous amount of information on plant constituents and activity, and on traditional uses, with virtually no practical appli- cation. Presentations and discussion addressed how the results of sophisticated medical ethnography and rigorous bioassays can be meaningfully integrated, translated, and applied to the populations who use those plants. Professor Nina L. Etkin, Past President ISE, Interim Chair, Department of Anthropology, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii USA Conference Report Brazil. With a growing number were eight poster sections: of participants and studies dis- Pharmacology and Microbiol- XVI Simpósio de Plantas played, from less than a 100 in ogy (247 works), Chemistry 1978 to more than 700 in 2000, (123), Pharmacognosy (118), Medicinais do Brasil this symposium is unique since and Pharmacotechnic and Qual- congregates pharmacologists, ity Control, Agronomy, Botany, The XVI Simpósio de Plantas chemists, botanists, agronomists Ethnopharmacology and Toxi- Medicinais do Brasil (Sympo- united by the common interest in cology. sium of Brazilian Medicinal studying and developing Bra- There were three satellites sym- th th Plants) happened 17 to 20 zilian medicinal plants. posium: Phytotherapy and pub- October last year, in Recife The last symposium approached lic health care: social-economic (Pernambuco State, NE Brazil). subjects of national and interna- aspects, acceptation and de- tional interest related to medici- mand; Medicinal plants, biodi- nal plants, like the national poli- versity and the future of tropical tics regarding biodiversity, re- ecosystems; Phytotherapics: re- search & development, technol- search, development and tech- ogy and public health care. nology. Round tables discussed: Moreover, the discussions of is- The Brazilian program of me- sues on the future of medicinal dicinal plants and the perspec- plant research were highlighted, tive of acquirement finish prod- such as the visible loss of diver- ucts; Anti-oxidative activity of sity in the tropical ecosystems. plants; Clinical pharmacology of The important role of Brazil in phytotherapics; Phytotherapics the international scenery of bio- regulatory issues; Biotechnology diversity and medicinal plant claims for phytotherapic pro- studies was discussed during the duction. conference by Dr. Gordon Eight mini courses were avail- Cragg from NCI (USA). able for undergraduate and Dr. Claude Léger, Université du graduate students: lichens as Monpellier (France) gave a very therapeutic agents, ethnophar- This national biannual meeting well attended conference on macology, standardization and is the reference meeting regard- “Mediterranean alimentation: an botanical control of phy- ing medicinal plant research, example of natural and sponta- totherapics, isolation and char- development and technology in neous phytotherapy”. There acterization of active principals 2 . Continued on page 3 ISE Newsletter from plants, lectines: biological Get upcoming issues of ISE Impressum activity, domestication and cul- Newsletter on-line! ISE Newsletter, Bulletin of the tivation of medicinal plants, ex- International Society for Ethno- perimental methodological ap- pharmacology proaches for studying active If you prefer to get the ISE Newsletter as principles from medicinal an on-line version, please send an email 2 issues per year to plants. [email protected] Barbara Frei Haller, PhD (Editor) Unfortunately, conservation is- [email protected] sues were overlooked, an area with the following text “ISE Newsletter Palü 142a which the Symposium has re- as on-line version” CH-7530 Zernez/ Switzerland peatedly being requested to as- Indicate whether you prefer: Acrobat sign the necessary importance. Reader format or plain text format. Michael Heinrich, PhD (Co-Editor) If you like a paper version, don’t do [email protected] Gabriela Coelho de Souza, Ana Paula anything and your postman will bring it Schulte Haas and Elaine Elisabetsky to you! Deadline for next issue: 01.03.02 Ethnopharmacology Laboratory UFRGS – RS - Brazil Future of Ethnobotany: tices to adapt to economic liber- Moving Fast, Going Where? alization, climate change, lan- Conference Report (Plenary Lecture). guage shift, migration and other Another (appropriate) focus was global trends. In addition, it de- THIRD on the Ethnobotany