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Book Cover
E-book
Author De Gezelle, Jillian, author.

Title Q'eqchi' Maya reproductive ethnomedicine / Jillian De Gezelle
Published Cham : Springer, [2014]
©2014

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Description 1 online resource (xi, 125 pages) : illustrations
Series SpringerBriefs in plant science, 2192-1229
SpringerBriefs in plant science.
Contents Introduction -- Traditional Q'eqchi' Maya Reproductive Ethnomedicine -- Use of Phytoestrogens in Q'eqchi' Maya Ethnomedicine -- Q'eqchi' Women's Lives, Health Care and Cultural Loss -- Conclusions -- Appendix I: Interview Questions
Summary The Q'eqchi' Maya of Belize have an extensive pharmacopoeia of medicinal plants used traditionally for reproductive health and fertility, utilizing more than 60 plant species for these health treatments. Ten species were selected for investigation of their estrogenic activity using a reporter gene assay. Nine of the species were estrogenic, four of the species were also antiestrogenic, and two of the extracts were cytotoxic to the MCF-7 breast cancer cell line. Women's healing traditions are being lost in the Q'eqchi' communities of Belize at an accelerated rate, due to a combination of factors including: migration from Guatemala disrupting traditional lines of knowledge transmission; perceived disapproval by biomedical authorities; women's limited mobility due to domestic obligations; and lack of confidence stemming from the devaluation of women's knowledge. Q'eqchi' medicinal plant knowledge is highly gendered with women and men using different species in traditional health treatments. Revitalizing women's healing practices is vital for maintaining the traditional knowledge needed to provide comprehensive healthcare for Belize's Indigenous communities
Analysis geneesmiddelen
drugs
plantenecologie
plant ecology
genomica
genomics
plantengenetica
plant genetics
plantensamenstelling
plant composition
biochemie
biochemistry
geneeskunde
medicine
Medicine (General)
Geneeskunde (algemeen)
Bibliography Includes bibliographical references
Notes Print version record
Subject Kekchi Indians -- Medicine
Ethnopharmacology -- Belize
Traditional medicine -- Belize
Medicine, Traditional
MEDICAL -- Pharmacology.
Ethnopharmacology
Traditional medicine
Belize
Form Electronic book
ISBN 9783319107448
3319107445