Abstract

SANCHEZ-GONZALEZ, A.; GRANADOS-SANCHEZ, D.  and  SIMON-NABOR, R.. Plant medicinal use by otomies of Nicolas Flores municipality, Hidalgo, Mexico. Rev. Chapingo Ser.Hortic [online]. 2008, vol.14, n.3, pp.271-279. ISSN 2007-4034.

The otomies (the hñähñü) of the Nicolás Flores municipality, Hidalgo, have maintained their knowledge of medicinal plants over generations. Allopathic medicine is limited mostly to prevention of diseases such as poliomyelitis, measles, smallpox, and malaria. It is considered that traditional medicine is more viable for this group of people because of the socioeconomic, cultural and physiographic conditions prevalent in the region. The objectives of this work were to identify the medicinal plant species used by the hñähñü, the diseases treated with them, and their geographic affinity. For the field study, interviews were conducted with people in the municipality, and plant samples in different "ethno-ecological units" were collected. The use of 112 species was reported in treatment of disorders such as shock ("susto"), stomach pain, kidney pain, diarrhea, fever, and "mal de ojo" ("evil eye"), among others. Although most of the inhabitants know the medicinal use of some plant species, the elders are the keepers of the deepest knowledge. In hñähñü wisdom, magical-religious thought is part of their cosmovision. Like other Mexican ethnic groups, they consider the duality cold-hot in the treatment of diseases. The range of diseases the plants presumably heal is very broad, from colds to cancer. 75% of the species used by this ethnic group are native to the American continent, principally Mexico and Central America (39%), suggesting that the basic stock of traditional botanical knowledge is still observed.

Keywords : traditional medicine; hñähñüs; Nicolás Flores; Hidalgo; biogeography; etnobotany.

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