Medicinal plants uses of the Tacana, an Amazonian Bolivian ethnic group

We present the results of an ethnopharmacological investigation of a Bolivi an lowland ethnic group, the Tacana. The Tacana have a long tradition of ex change with highland communities. Though facing rapid acculturation, highli ghted by the loss of the Tacana language among the younger generations, the knowledge and uses of medicinal plants are still alive. Of the approximate ly 450 different plant species collected during this survey, 33% had medici nal uses. We present an overview of the traditional Tacana ethnomedicine an d pharmacopoeia. (C) 2000 Published by Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All ri ghts reserved.