Taibai Materia Medica: Unofficial ‘Herb Physicians’ in North Western China

In a habitat of mountains in North West China, with few roads and covered in forest and rock, mostly autodidact part-time ‘herb physicians’ gather medicinal plants. Around Mount Taibai, the highest spot in the Han-dominated Eastern half of present-day China, they claim geopolitical legitimacy of the...

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Main Author: Lena Springer
Format: Article
Language:fra
Published: Pôle de Recherche pour l'Organisation et la diffusion de l'Information Géographique 2019-04-01
Series:EchoGéo
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/echogeo/17396
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author Lena Springer
author_facet Lena Springer
author_sort Lena Springer
collection DOAJ
description In a habitat of mountains in North West China, with few roads and covered in forest and rock, mostly autodidact part-time ‘herb physicians’ gather medicinal plants. Around Mount Taibai, the highest spot in the Han-dominated Eastern half of present-day China, they claim geopolitical legitimacy of their materia medica. Due to its complex climate, the Taibai habitat supplied a complete set of Chinese medical drugs, the unofficial knowledge holders report, and they introduce additional unique local delicacies. Collectively, they enact the picking, cultivation, and storage of the medicinals, and they represent and export them as ‘Taibai materia medica’. Representation has caused changes of the gatherers’ status. One mode is botany-based official regulation of production and pharmaceutical trade. A second mode is cultural heritage preservation based on Daoist lineages.
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institution Kabale University
issn 1963-1197
language fra
publishDate 2019-04-01
publisher Pôle de Recherche pour l'Organisation et la diffusion de l'Information Géographique
record_format Article
series EchoGéo
spelling doaj-art-b067b9b8d43c4b1aa1edadfcd64e54ef2025-01-30T12:43:28ZfraPôle de Recherche pour l'Organisation et la diffusion de l'Information GéographiqueEchoGéo1963-11972019-04-014710.4000/echogeo.17396Taibai Materia Medica: Unofficial ‘Herb Physicians’ in North Western ChinaLena SpringerIn a habitat of mountains in North West China, with few roads and covered in forest and rock, mostly autodidact part-time ‘herb physicians’ gather medicinal plants. Around Mount Taibai, the highest spot in the Han-dominated Eastern half of present-day China, they claim geopolitical legitimacy of their materia medica. Due to its complex climate, the Taibai habitat supplied a complete set of Chinese medical drugs, the unofficial knowledge holders report, and they introduce additional unique local delicacies. Collectively, they enact the picking, cultivation, and storage of the medicinals, and they represent and export them as ‘Taibai materia medica’. Representation has caused changes of the gatherers’ status. One mode is botany-based official regulation of production and pharmaceutical trade. A second mode is cultural heritage preservation based on Daoist lineages.https://journals.openedition.org/echogeo/17396materia medicageopolitical legitimacyNorth West Chinacultural heritagebotanical biodiversityfolk nomenclature
spellingShingle Lena Springer
Taibai Materia Medica: Unofficial ‘Herb Physicians’ in North Western China
EchoGéo
materia medica
geopolitical legitimacy
North West China
cultural heritage
botanical biodiversity
folk nomenclature
title Taibai Materia Medica: Unofficial ‘Herb Physicians’ in North Western China
title_full Taibai Materia Medica: Unofficial ‘Herb Physicians’ in North Western China
title_fullStr Taibai Materia Medica: Unofficial ‘Herb Physicians’ in North Western China
title_full_unstemmed Taibai Materia Medica: Unofficial ‘Herb Physicians’ in North Western China
title_short Taibai Materia Medica: Unofficial ‘Herb Physicians’ in North Western China
title_sort taibai materia medica unofficial herb physicians in north western china
topic materia medica
geopolitical legitimacy
North West China
cultural heritage
botanical biodiversity
folk nomenclature
url https://journals.openedition.org/echogeo/17396
work_keys_str_mv AT lenaspringer taibaimateriamedicaunofficialherbphysiciansinnorthwesternchina