Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42298665›Full record

ArticleJournal of ethnobiology and ethnomedicine2026

Ethnomedicinal plants used by Guoshan Yao minority communities in the foothills of Nanling Mountain, Guangdong, China.

Dipak Khadka, Baidong Chen, Yong Xie, Kunchun Shui, Xinyi Zhang, Zhifa Liu, Liyuan Song, Chuhui Zhang, Yuanqiu Li, Tien Ming Lee and 3 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of ethnobiology and ethnomedicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Dipak KhadkaState Key Laboratory of Biocontrol and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China.
Baidong ChenState Key Laboratory of Biocontrol and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China.
Yong XieGuangdong Nanling National Nature Reserve Administration, Shaoguan, 512727, China.
Kunchun ShuiGuangdong Nanling National Nature Reserve Administration, Shaoguan, 512727, China.
Xinyi ZhangState Key Laboratory of Biocontrol and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China.
Zhifa LiuGuangdong Nanling National Nature Reserve Administration, Shaoguan, 512727, China.
Liyuan SongState Key Laboratory of Biocontrol and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China.
Chuhui ZhangState Key Laboratory of Biocontrol and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China.
Yuanqiu LiGuangdong Shimentai National Nature Reserve Administration, Qingyuan, 513000, China.
Tien Ming LeeNational Park and Nature Education Research Institute, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China.
Wenbo LiaoState Key Laboratory of Biocontrol and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China.
Shi ShiGuangdong Key Laboratory for Innovative Development and Utilization of Forest Plant Germplasm, College of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China. shis@scau.edu.cn.
Qiang FanState Key Laboratory of Biocontrol and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China. fanqiang@mail.sysu.edu.cn.

Funding

the Comprehensive Scientific Investigation of Biodiversity in Nanling National Park 2025267
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe Guoshan Yao, a subgroup of the Yao ethnic minority in China, inhabit the biodiverse Nanling Mountain region. Their traditional knowledge (TK) of medicinal plants is increasingly threatened by socio-economic development, generational knowledge loss, and conservation policies. This study documents the medicinal plant diversity, and usage trends, analyzes TK transmission pathways, assesses influencing factors on the medicinal plant use knowledge and compares use knowledge with other Yao groups.

methodsA total of 86 respondents (aged 20-90) from Guoshan Yao households were interviewed in the villages of Nanling National Nature Reserve, Guangdong, China. The Relative Importance (RI) index of the recorded plant species was calculated, negative binomial regression was used to assess factors influencing medicinal plant use knowledge, and the Jaccard index of similarity (JI) was used for the cross cultural analysis.

resultsA total of 61.6% of respondents relied on medicinal plants for primary healthcare; however, 41.8% of respondents reported declining trend in this practice. We documented 224 medicinal plants from 188 genera and 90 families. The most common therapeutic use was for traumatic injuries and orthopedic conditions (71 species, 31.7%). Among the recorded species, Polygala japonica had the highest RI value (2). The negative binomial regression indicated that medicinal plant use knowledge was significantly associated with the source of knowledge transfer, with vertical and multiple sources being significant. Cross-cultural analysis with the Yao of Guangxi and Hunan showed that knowledge of medicinal plants is quite similar among the Yao of Gongcheng Guangxi (JI = 0.18) .

conclusionThe Guoshan Yao maintain substantial TK of medicinal plants, the conservation of which depends on vertical and multiple sources knowledge transmission systems. To conserve this knowledge, we recommend promoting the dissemination of knowledge beyond familial boundaries through community awareness programs, and inter-generational interaction.

Indexed as

Medicine, Chinese TraditionalMedicine, TraditionalPlants, MedicinalAdultAgedChinaFemaleHealth Knowledge, Attitudes, PracticeHumansKnowledgeMiddle AgedMinority GroupsPhytotherapyYoung AdultCultureEthnomedicineKnowledge transferPlantsYao

Identifiers

PMID42298665
PMCPMC13277214

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.