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Q’eqchi’ Maya Reproductive Ethnomedicine

  • Book
  • © 2014

Overview

Authors:
  1. Jillian De Gezelle

    1. Dept. of Plant & Microbial Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, USA

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  • First scholarly book on medicinal plants of Belize
  • First book on traditional women’s healing practices of Belize
  • Reproductive health and fertility utilizing 60 plant species
  • Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Part of the book series: SpringerBriefs in Plant Science (BRIEFSPLANT)

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Table of contents (5 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xi
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  2. Introduction

    • Jillian De Gezelle
    Pages 1-25

  3. Traditional Q’eqchi’ Maya Reproductive Ethnomedicine

    • Jillian De Gezelle
    Pages 27-70

  4. Use of Phytoestrogens in Q’eqchi’ Maya Ethnomedicine

    • Jillian De Gezelle
    Pages 71-86

  5. Q’eqchi’ Women’s Lives, Healthcare and Cultural Loss

    • Jillian De Gezelle
    Pages 87-111

  6. Conclusions

    • Jillian De Gezelle
    Pages 113-122

  7. Back Matter

    Pages 123-125
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Keywords

About this book

​The Q’eqchi’ Maya of Belize have an extensive pharmacopoeia of medicinal plants used traditionally for reproductive health and fertility, utilizing more than 60 plant species for these health treatments. Ten species were selected for investigation of their estrogenic activity using a reporter gene assay. Nine of the species were estrogenic, four of the species were also antiestrogenic, and two of the extracts were cytotoxic to the MCF-7 breast cancer cell line. Women’s healing traditions are being lost in the Q’eqchi’ communities of Belize at an accelerated rate, due to a combination of factors including: migration from Guatemala disrupting traditional lines of knowledge transmission; perceived disapproval by biomedical authorities; women’s limited mobility due to domestic obligations; and lack of confidence stemming from the devaluation of women’s knowledge. Q’eqchi’ medicinal plant knowledge is highly gendered with women and men using different species in traditional health treatments. Revitalizing women’s healing practices is vital for maintaining the traditional knowledge needed to provide comprehensive healthcare for Belize’s indigenous communities.

Authors and Affiliations

  • Dept. of Plant & Microbial Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, USA

    Jillian De Gezelle

About the author

Jillian De Gezelle, PhD

Teaching Assistant Professor

Department of Plant & Microbial Biology

North Carolina State University

Raleigh, NC, USA

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