Ethnobotanical study of Miao Nationality medicinal plants in Leishan County, Guizhou Province, China

Introduction: Miao medicine in Guizhou dates back to ancient times. This study aimed to investigate the local botanical medicines, medicinal plants, and naming conventions used by Miao doctors in Leishan County, Guizhou Province. It is expected that the findings of this study would enhance understanding of the local medicinal plants used in Miao remedies for the treatment of various diseases. Methods: Structured and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 27 ethnobotanical experts in Leishan through participatory surveys.Results: The survey results showed that the Miao people of Leishan use 226 wild plant species belonging to 197 genera and 97 families for medicinal purposes. Of these plant families, 10 families (of which Compositae is the most abundant) comprise at least 5 species each, collectively constituting 36.80% of all Leishan medicinal plant species. The surveys and interviews conducted also showed that male elders possessed extensive knowledge of Miao medical practices, including the categorization of medicinal plants, plant parts and their key medicinal properties, morphological characteristics, such as odor and color, and growth conditions (e.g., environmental habitat and season). Moreover, Miao doctors apply a unique set of rules to assign names to medicinal plants, based on the aforementioned plant characteristics and the specific diseases each plant type or structural part is used to treat. Notably, the analysis showed that 34.51% of medicinal plant names are derived from their shape, 26.55% on effective plant organ or position, and 21.24% from their medicinal properties.Conclusions: Medicinal plants are abundant in Leishan County, Guizhou Province. Local ethnic medicine doctors possess extensive knowledge of medicinal plants and their applications for disease prevention and treatment.