CULTURAL CONSTRUCTION OF ETHNOMEDICINE IN PAKISTAN

Abstract

Since time immemorial, the prevention of disease, illness, sickness and for maintenance of health, all human societies have developed knowledge of healing. The present research on medical anthropology and health care is particularly appropriate at this wee time as it may be of great value to physicians, epidemiologists, program managers, and other international health professionals. Ethno-medicine is a part of the traditional lore of the community and this secret knowledge about medical plants and magical rituals is always subject to transfer orally through generations, and there were no written documents to store this knowledge in the past. Herbalism as a type of ethno medicine is the knowledge of using the plants and their extracts for the medical purposes. The study is an attempt to highlight the epidemiological issues in general and herbalist health interventions sought by the respondents of Bhara Kahu town, Islamabad. It further describes the nature of diseases and ailments treated by various ethno medicine practitioners in general and by herbalists in particular. The study finally explored the supporting factors among the respondents as well as healers, which end up reinforcing and sticking to herbalism as a mode of ethno medicine. The fieldwork for the present study commenced from June 2014 till May 2015. Purposive and convenient sampling techniques were used for the selection of households in order to conduct the socio-economic census (238), for interviewing respondents (238) as well as for conducting case studies of the herbalists (16). Due to pluralistic nature of the data i.e., both qualitative and quantitative, qualitative analysis was done during and soon after the fieldwork through thematic analysis, while quantitative data was coded and then analyzed through Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25, to obtain frequencies as well as to see the relationship of the variables. The extensive review cited, cover the debates within the health care as fundamental human right, evolution of indigenous health care system, medical anthropology and health care, conceptualizing epidemiological issues and their herbal treatment, socio-economic reasons of seeking herbal treatment, cultural construction of ethno medicine and belief system of health seekers, satisfaction of the patients and nature of diseases and ailments treated by ethno medicine practitioners. Extensive x multidimensional theoretical support has been taken particularly from medical ecological theory and cultural interpretive theory to synthesize a conceptual layout to explore the theoretical propensities of the present research. The study revealed that inhabitants of the area usually and preferably consult indigenous herbalist for their health issues although Rural Health Centre (RHC) and a few private medical centers and hospitals also exist in the vicinity of the town. Pertinent determinants of seeking recourse from herbalism were easy availability and efficiency of herbs, local terminology and indigenous knowledge of herbs, cheap prices of herbs and increase in inflation, patient’s satisfaction from herbalist treatment and side effects of bio-medicine. Other focused causes of seeking herbalist treatment were poverty, chronic diseases and ailments, support of cultural construction and belief system, use of natural herbs, home-processed drugs and herbal drugs amongst other reasons. Case studies of herbalists revealed the dynamics of herbalism as a business enterprise, the role of inheritance and professional skills, their work conditions, strategies of selling herbs, factors for increased patronage of herbalism and self-medication, modes of treatment, toxicity and adverse health effects of herbal medicines. The study lastly suggests effective and less costly ways to achieve a healthy and ‘green’ life.