Overview

"Despite its small size, Belize is one of the most ecologically and culturally diverse nations in Central America. Over 3,400 species of plants can be found here, within a diversity of ecological habitats. Because of this, Belize is paradise for ecotourists, hosting over 900,000 visitors annually, who enjoy the natural habitat and friendly people of this nation. Many of the plants of Belize have a long history of being ""useful,"" with properties that have served traditional herbal healers of the region as well as those who use plants as food, forage, fiber, ornament, in construction and ritual, along with many other purposes.With Messages from the Gods: A Guide to the Useful Plants of Belize, Drs. Michael Balick and Rosita Arvigo give us the definitive resource on the many species of plants in Belize and their folklore, as well as the natural history of the region and a detailed discussion of ""bush"" uses of plants, including for traditional healing and life in the forest, past and present. Both Balick and Arvigo bring important perspectives to the project, Balick as ethnobotanical scientist from The New York Botanical Garden, and Arvigo as a former apprentice to a Belizean healer and an experienced physician. The book has been decades in the making, a culmination of a biodiversity research project that The New York Botanical Garden and international and local collaborators have had in motion since 1987. Drs. Balick, Arvigo and their colleagues have collected and identified thousands of plants from the region, and have worked extensively with hundreds of Belizean people, many of them herbal healers and bushmasters, to record uses for many of the species. This collaboration with local plant experts has produced a fascinating discussion of the intersection of herbal medicine and spiritual belief in the area, and these interviews are used to compliment and contextualize the numerous species accounts presented. The book is both a cultural study and a specialized field guide; information is provided on many different native and introduced plants in Belize and their traditional and contemporary uses including as food, medicine, fiber, in spiritual practices and many other purposes. Richly illustrated with over 600 images and photographs, Messages from the Gods: A Guide to The Useful Plants of Belize will serve as the primary reference and guide to the ethnobotany of Belize for many years to come."

Full Product Details

Author:   Michael J. Balick (Vice President for Botanical Science, Vice President for Botanical Science, New York Botanical Garden) ,  Rosita Arvigo (Director, Director, The Arvigo Institute)
Publisher:   Oxford University Press Inc
Imprint:   Oxford University Press Inc
Dimensions:   Width: 23.60cm , Height: 3.30cm , Length: 16.00cm
Weight:   1.216kg
ISBN:  

9780199965748

ISBN 10:   0199965749
Pages:   560
Publication Date:   25 June 2015
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Tertiary & Higher Education ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   To order  
Stock availability from the supplier is unknown. We will order it for you and ship this item to you once it is received by us.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents Chapter 1: Introduction and Background The Setting Origins of the Belize Ethnobotany Project Project Objectives Traditional Healing in Belize Methodology Chapter 1 Figures Chapter 2: Traditional Healers, Bushmasters and their Sacred Realm The Discovery of Therapeutic Plants Generalist and Specialist Healers in Belize Culture Bound Syndrome (Culturally Specific Illness) in Belize Preparation of Plant Medicines The Vanishing Medicine Chest Profile of a Traditional Healer's Practice: Don Eligio Panti Foods as Therapies Poisons that Heal Psychoactive Species Solving a Mystery- Capoche Chapter 2 Figures Chapter 3: Traditional Healers, Bushmasters and their Backgrounds Juana and Antonio Cuc Barbara Fernandez Thomas Green Winston Harris Don Eligio Panti Andrew Ramcharan Percival Hezekiah Reynolds Hortense Robinson Leopoldo Romero Beatrice Waight Juana Xix In Their Own Words Thomas Green Winston Harris Don Eligio Panti Percival Reynolds Hortense Robinson Leopoldo Romero Beatrice Waight The Unbroken Chain Chapter 3 Figures Chapter 4: Plants of Belize and their Uses in Ancient and Contemporary Times: An Ethnobotanical Compendium Non-Flowering Plants Ferns, Fern Allies Gymnosperms Figures- Fern and Fern Allies, Gymnosperms Flowering Plants Monocotyledons Figures- Monocotyledons Dicotyledons Figures- Dicotyledons Bibliography

Reviews

2016 Klinger Book Award Finalist. Over the course of more than 25 years, Michael Balick and Rosita Arvigo have forged one of the most significant partnerships in the history of ethnobotany. This splendid book, the culmination of their collaboration, will live on as the definitive text on the traditional uses of plants in Belize for generations. --Wade Davis, Ph.D. Professor of Anthropology and LEEF Chair in Cultures and Ecosystems at Risk, University of British Columbia. Featured in The Quarterly Review of Biology.

Over the course of more than 25 years, Michael Balick and Rosita Arvigo have forged one of the most significant partnerships in the history of ethnobotany. This splendid book, the culmination of their collaboration, will live on as the definitive text on the traditional uses of plants in Belize for generations. Wade Davis, Ph.D. Professor of Anthropology and LEEF Chair in Cultures and Ecosystems at Risk, University of British Columbia

Author Information

Dr. Michael J. Balick, PhD, is the Vice President for Botanical Science and Director & Philecology Curator of the Institute of Economic Botany at The New York Botanical Garden. Dr. Rosita Arvigo, D.N., is a naprapathic physician with a clinical practice in Belize.

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