Miller, Janelli F.
Washington University in St. Louis
Medicinal Plant Use among Rarámuri Women during the Childbearing Years.
Knowledge and utilization of plant remedies for pregnancy and birth is widespread among the Rarámuri of N. Mexico, yet there is little mention of plant use by women for childbirth in the literature. Previous ethnobotanical studies among the Rarámuri were undertaken primarily by male researchers and focus on plants used ceremonially or by men, including male ritual curers. Information about plants discussed in this paper was elicited from Rarámuri women and Mestiza midwives between 1999 and 2003 in the Northern Sierra Madre. Plants used by Rarámuri women also used by the Hopi and Navajo are noted, with an eye towards similarities and differences in usage. How does knowledge about plant use in women’s reproductive cycle vary between the groups and what cultural, ecological, and sociopolitical factors need to be taken into consideration of these differences?
