ISBN10: 1845450604, ISBN13: 9781845450601, [publisher: Berghahn Books, Oxford] Hardcover Hardcover. Plants have cultural histories, as their applications change over time and with place. Some plant species have affected human cultures in profound ways, such as the stimulants tea and coffee from the Old World, or coca and quinine from South America. Even though medicinal plants have always attracted considerable attention, there is surprisingly little research on the interface of ethnobotany and medical anthropology. This volume, which brings together (ethno-)botanists, medical anthropologists and a clinician, makes an important contribution towards filling this gap. It emphasises that plant knowledge arises situationally as an intrinsic part of social relationships, that herbs need to be enticed if not seduced by the healers who work with them, that herbal remedies are cultural artefacts, and that bioprospecting and medicinal plant discovery can be viewed as the epitome of a long history of borrowing, stealing and exchanging plants. Plants have cultural histories, and their culturally known applications change through time and across contexts. The impact of individual plant species on human cultures has been profound, whether it is the coca and quinine from South America or tea and coffee from the Old World. This pattern is seen in all types of uses that humans make of plants. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending ...