MIELES Y PLANTAS EN LA MEDICINA CRIOLLA DEL NORTE DE MISIONES

ZAMUDIO, FERNANDO; HILGERT, NORMA INÉS

Bonplandia

Instituto de Botánica del Nordeste

Lugar: Corrientes; Año: 2011 vol. 20 p. 165 - 184

0524-0476

The uses of wild bees products and plants in the traditional medicine of the province of Misiones, Argentina, was studied; particularly regarding bee species and therapeutic uses of honey-based concoctions. In this paper, 412 different uses were reported, comprising 9 wild bees taxa. Among the useful products collected from wild bee hives, honey was the most frequently used; mainly for respiratory afflictions and as functional foods. Honeys are used as the basic ingredient of 61 concoctions, where 39 plant species, 6 manufactured products, and 5 products of animal origin may be mixed-in alternatively. Consensus between informants was found regarding primary products, but not in the combinations used in the recipes. Honeys produced by Tetragonisca fiebrigi and Apis mellifera stand out due to their widespread use and high value given by inhabitants. These honeys could be considered as complementary therapeutic products, but a priori not as interchangeable ones. However, specificities in the medicinal use of Tetragonisca fiebrigi and Apis mellifera honeys should be understood as a continuum, shaped by other factors such as availability and access.