CONICET | Buscador de Institutos y Recursos Humanos

Ethnopharmacological relevance: Analyzing how and why phytotherapeutical practices survive in a migratory process is important for understanding migrants? health seeking behavior and health demand. Contrary to most studies, which focus on migrants form warm climates who settle in European and American cities, this study explores the continuations in herbal pharmacopoeia of Eastern European peasants who settled down in rural subtropical areas of Argentina. The study also explores the pharmacopoeia among the descendents from the first generation born in Argentina. Material and methods: In this study primary and secondary sources were employed. Data were collected during over 200 interviews (semi-structured, free lists, in-depth) directed to 94 study participants. Voucher specimens of mentioned species were gathered and identified. Illnesses were reported according to local ethnomedical terminology and classification. Only the reports of self-experience were included in the analysis. The unit of analysis was a plant use report (plant species x plant part x ailment x informant). The frequency of mentions was calculated for plant part used and mode of preparation and administration of herbal medicines, also the Informant Diversity Value was estimated. The secondary information was obtained from ethnobotanical and ethnomedical literature concerning whole Poland. A list of medicinal plant species known form Poland available in the study area was made. Then, the similarity between the available species and the used ones by Polish migrants was evaluated by applying Simpson index. Results: An exhaustive list of 129 plant species used by Polish community in Misiones, Argentina, was obtained. Among 37 available species in Misiones, known form Poland, 19 are used by this community. There has been low consensus in the health conditions treatment with legacy plants between Polish migrants and the Polish folk pharmacopoeia. The reasons for relative low use of heritage species are explained. More continuation has been observed in forms of application and administration of medicinal plants. Most of the continued species are food plants and have been predominantly applied as medicinal food. Conclusions: In the migratory process Polish peasants have preserved culturally salient species with a wide range of therapeutic applications and easily accessible. Polish migrants, and their descendents, have incorporated a great number of local medicinal plant species into their home medicine but at the same time retained traditional ways of herbal medicines administration. Based on the theory of acculturation, the observed pattern of medicinal plant use in Polish migrant colonies in Misiones indicates well adaptation to predominant cultural environment.