Bridging past and present: exploring Cannabis traditions in Armenia through ethnobotanical interviews and bibliographic prospecting
Abstract Background Cannabis sativa L. (Cannabaceae) has been widely used by humans throughout its history for a variety of purposes (medicinal, alimentary and other uses). Armenia, with its rich cultural history and diverse ecosystems, offers a unique context for ethnobotanical research about tradi...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Journal of Cannabis Research |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s42238-025-00259-x |
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| author | Manica Balant Teresa Garnatje Daniel Vitales Marine Oganesian Joan Vallès Nina Stepanyan-Gandilyan Airy Gras |
| author_facet | Manica Balant Teresa Garnatje Daniel Vitales Marine Oganesian Joan Vallès Nina Stepanyan-Gandilyan Airy Gras |
| author_sort | Manica Balant |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Cannabis sativa L. (Cannabaceae) has been widely used by humans throughout its history for a variety of purposes (medicinal, alimentary and other uses). Armenia, with its rich cultural history and diverse ecosystems, offers a unique context for ethnobotanical research about traditional uses of Cannabis. The present work aims to study and preserve the local traditional knowledge about Cannabis in Armenia by conducting interviews with informants and through a literature review. Methods The first part of the dataset was gathered with ethnobotanical surveys, through questionnaires conducted with 27 informants. The second part of the data was obtained from a comprehensive bibliographic search in English, Armenian and Russian language. Since the data acquisition was different, the quantitative analyses (calculation of the number of use reports and percentages) were performed separately. Results During the interviews 52 use reports and 3 vernacular names were recorded, while the bibliographic data from 20 references, provided us with 56 use reports and 17 Cannabis vernacular names, from the 5th century to 2020. Our results indicate that medicinal applications, particularly for human ailments, and fibre use have markedly dwindled, contrasting with earlier epochs. However, the Cannabis seeds continue to be consumed in celebrative and symbolic dishes such as aghandz and tolma. Conclusions The recent decline in the medicinal use of Cannabis contrasts with earlier periods when access to pharmacological remedies was limited, and societal views of the plant were more positive. This shift can be partly attributed to the impact of legal restrictions. In contrast, the use of Cannabis seeds for alimentary purposed is importantly maintained nowadays. As medicinal use, fibre use has also declined, largely due to the availability of more competitive modern products. The loss of vernacular names over time, as detected in this study, also reflects the erosion of traditional knowledge, which correlates with diminishing use. Despite the small sample size and limited geographic scope, the combination of two approaches—information from contemporary informants and a systematic bibliographic review—has provided valuable insights into the changes in the traditional use of Cannabis in Armenia, that has not been explored in this way before. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-46a19adb4b3942788b3ada74a2ab72d9 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2522-5782 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Cannabis Research |
| spelling | doaj-art-46a19adb4b3942788b3ada74a2ab72d92025-02-02T12:40:56ZengBMCJournal of Cannabis Research2522-57822025-01-017111410.1186/s42238-025-00259-xBridging past and present: exploring Cannabis traditions in Armenia through ethnobotanical interviews and bibliographic prospectingManica Balant0Teresa Garnatje1Daniel Vitales2Marine Oganesian3Joan Vallès4Nina Stepanyan-Gandilyan5Airy Gras6Institut Botànic de Barcelona (IBB), CSIC-CMCNBInstitut Botànic de Barcelona (IBB), CSIC-CMCNBInstitut Botànic de Barcelona (IBB), CSIC-CMCNBInstitute of Botany ’A. Takhtajyan’, National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of ArmeniaLaboratori de Botànica (UB), Facultat de Farmàcia i Ciències de l’Alimentació—Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Unitat Associada al CSIC, Universitat de BarcelonaYerevan State UniversityLaboratori de Botànica (UB), Facultat de Farmàcia i Ciències de l’Alimentació—Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Unitat Associada al CSIC, Universitat de BarcelonaAbstract Background Cannabis sativa L. (Cannabaceae) has been widely used by humans throughout its history for a variety of purposes (medicinal, alimentary and other uses). Armenia, with its rich cultural history and diverse ecosystems, offers a unique context for ethnobotanical research about traditional uses of Cannabis. The present work aims to study and preserve the local traditional knowledge about Cannabis in Armenia by conducting interviews with informants and through a literature review. Methods The first part of the dataset was gathered with ethnobotanical surveys, through questionnaires conducted with 27 informants. The second part of the data was obtained from a comprehensive bibliographic search in English, Armenian and Russian language. Since the data acquisition was different, the quantitative analyses (calculation of the number of use reports and percentages) were performed separately. Results During the interviews 52 use reports and 3 vernacular names were recorded, while the bibliographic data from 20 references, provided us with 56 use reports and 17 Cannabis vernacular names, from the 5th century to 2020. Our results indicate that medicinal applications, particularly for human ailments, and fibre use have markedly dwindled, contrasting with earlier epochs. However, the Cannabis seeds continue to be consumed in celebrative and symbolic dishes such as aghandz and tolma. Conclusions The recent decline in the medicinal use of Cannabis contrasts with earlier periods when access to pharmacological remedies was limited, and societal views of the plant were more positive. This shift can be partly attributed to the impact of legal restrictions. In contrast, the use of Cannabis seeds for alimentary purposed is importantly maintained nowadays. As medicinal use, fibre use has also declined, largely due to the availability of more competitive modern products. The loss of vernacular names over time, as detected in this study, also reflects the erosion of traditional knowledge, which correlates with diminishing use. Despite the small sample size and limited geographic scope, the combination of two approaches—information from contemporary informants and a systematic bibliographic review—has provided valuable insights into the changes in the traditional use of Cannabis in Armenia, that has not been explored in this way before.https://doi.org/10.1186/s42238-025-00259-xArmeniaCannabis sativaEthnobotanical surveyTraditional knowledgeTraditional uses |
| spellingShingle | Manica Balant Teresa Garnatje Daniel Vitales Marine Oganesian Joan Vallès Nina Stepanyan-Gandilyan Airy Gras Bridging past and present: exploring Cannabis traditions in Armenia through ethnobotanical interviews and bibliographic prospecting Journal of Cannabis Research Armenia Cannabis sativa Ethnobotanical survey Traditional knowledge Traditional uses |
| title | Bridging past and present: exploring Cannabis traditions in Armenia through ethnobotanical interviews and bibliographic prospecting |
| title_full | Bridging past and present: exploring Cannabis traditions in Armenia through ethnobotanical interviews and bibliographic prospecting |
| title_fullStr | Bridging past and present: exploring Cannabis traditions in Armenia through ethnobotanical interviews and bibliographic prospecting |
| title_full_unstemmed | Bridging past and present: exploring Cannabis traditions in Armenia through ethnobotanical interviews and bibliographic prospecting |
| title_short | Bridging past and present: exploring Cannabis traditions in Armenia through ethnobotanical interviews and bibliographic prospecting |
| title_sort | bridging past and present exploring cannabis traditions in armenia through ethnobotanical interviews and bibliographic prospecting |
| topic | Armenia Cannabis sativa Ethnobotanical survey Traditional knowledge Traditional uses |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s42238-025-00259-x |
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