AN ETHNOBOTANICAL STUDY OF WILD HERB USE IN BULGARIA BY KERRY L. PLOETZ submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE IN FORESTRY MICHIGAN TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY 2000 The thesis, “An Ethnobotanical Study of Wild Herb Use in Bulgaria”, is hereby approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE IN FORESTRY. School of Forestry and Wood Products Signatures: Thesis Advisor:_______________________________ Blair Orr Dean:_______________________________ Glenn Mroz Date:____________ ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF FIGURES ………………. v LIST OF TABLES………………………………………………………………… vi ABSTRACT……………………….
ix CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION…. 1 CHAPTER 2 STUDY AREA………….…………………………………………4 Geography and Mineral Resources…………………………………………4 Climate……………………………………….6 Flora and Fauna………………………………. 10 Herb Use, Personal and Commercial …………………………………….…… 14 Survey Design………………………………………………………………14 Survey Distribution…………………………………………………………16 Town Descriptions……………………………………………………….… 16 Survey Data Compilation…………………………………………….… 27 CHAPTER 4 GENERAL RESULTS AND DISCUSSION………………….…… 33 iii CHAPTER 5 THE FIFTEEN MOST COMMONLY USED HERBS, RESULTS AND DISCUSSION………………………………………….……37 Descriptions of the Fifteen Most Commonly Used Herbs…………….……40 CHAPTER 6 REGIONAL RESULTS AND DISCUSSION…………….……… 47 Regional Differences of Individual Herb Use………………………….… 49 Regional Differences for Methods of Acquiring Herbs………………….…59 Regional Differences of Uses of Herbs……………………………….…… 63 Regional Conclusions……………………………………………………… 67 CHAPTER 7 CONCLUSION…………………………………………………… 73 LITERATURE CITED………………………………………………………….… 75 APPENDIX 1 SAMPLE SURVEY…………………………………………….… 77 APPENDIX 2 DATA FOR EACH OF THE 21 SURVEY SETS………….……82 iv LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1. Bulgaria within Europe………………………………………………….
Cities Surveyed and Regional Distribution………………………………. Areas Where Medicinal Plants are Threatened…………………………………57 v LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. Age Structure of Bulgarians…………………………………………………. Average Herb Use and Population According to Town…………………….
Average Percentages of How Herbs are Acquired for Each Town…………. Average Percentages of How Herbs are Used for Each Town……………. The Fifteen Most Commonly Used Herbs and the Percentages of Surveys That Indicated Use of Them…………………………………………………… 38 7. Average Percentages of Methods of Acquisition for the Fifteen Most Commonly Used Herbs……………………………………….
Average Percentages of How the Fifteen Most Commonly Used Herbs are Used…………………………………………………………………………. Average Herb Use According to Region……………………………………. Herbs with Significant Chi Square Values in the Pirin Mountains Region…. Herbs with Significant Chi Square Values in the Rila Mountains Region….
Herbs with Significant Chi Square Values in the Central Part of the Northern Balkan Mountains Region………………………………………………………51 13. Herbs with significant Chi Square Values in the Plains South of the Balkan Mountains Region………………………………………………………………52 14. Herbs with Significant Chi Square Values in the Rhodope Mountains Region. Herbs with Significant Chi Square Values in the Western Part of the Northern Balkan Mountains Region…………………………………………………….
Significant Chi Square Values for Methods of Acquiring Herbs for the Pirin Mountains Region………………………………………………………………59 17. Significant Chi Square Values for Methods of Acquiring Herbs for the Rila Mountains Region………………………………………………………………60 18. Significant Chi Square Values for Methods of Acquiring Herbs for the Central Part of the Northern Balkan Mountains Region………………………. Significant Chi Square Values for Methods of Acquiring Herbs for the Plains South of the Balkan Mountains Region…………………………….
Significant Chi Square Values for Methods of Acquiring Herbs for the Rhodope Mountains Region…. Significant Chi Square Values for the Methods of Acquiring Herbs for the Western Part of the Northern Balkan Mountains Region……………………… 62 22. Significant Chi square Values for the Uses of Herbs for the Pirin Mountains Region………………………………………………………. Significant Chi Square Values for the Uses of Herbs for the Rila Mountains Region………………………………………………………………………….
Significant Chi Square Values for the Uses of Herbs for the Central Part of the Northern Balkan Mountains Region……………………. Significant Chi Square Values for the Uses of Herbs for the Plains South of the Balkan Mountains Region………………………………. Significant Chi Square Values for the Uses of Herbs for the Rhodope Mountains Region………………………………………………………………66 27. Significant chi Square Values for the Uses of Herbs for the Western Part of the Northern Balkan Mountains Region……………………………….
Summary of Regional Data………………………………….…………………68 vii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I cannot express enough gratitude to my advisor, Blair Orr, for his unending assistance and support throughout my graduate career in the “The Loret Miller Ruppe Peace Corps Masters International Program in Forestry at Michigan Technological University”. While serving in Bulgaria, he kept me connected to the home front and provided invaluable words of wisdom. Since my return Blair has made sure I kept on track with what once seemed an insurmountable task, completing my masters. I would also like to thank the remainder of my committee; Peg Gale for giving me the opportunity to broaden my horizons by assisting her in a wetlands study and for always giving an encouraging smile and kind words; Jim Pickens for providing some friendly advice or a humorous story when I needed to hear something uplifting; and to Ron Gratz, for his valuable suggestions and for understanding and supporting the Peace Corps experience.
Thank you all for your support, time, and critiques. A warm thank you to Janet Locatelli, a resourceful librarian, for finding some obscure information that I had lost hope of ever finding. Bulgaria is a beautiful country with warm people and a diverse environment. My service in Peace Corps would not have been as enjoyable or as rewarding without my friends there.
I would especially like to thank Silvia, Ivanka, and Stephen Angelova, our Bulgarian family, for their constant support and generosity. I will always cherish our friendship and remember the daily acts of kindness you gave. Special thanks to Ani and Gergana for their friendship. This study would not have been possible without the Peace Corps Volunteers that administered the surveys, and the Peace Corps Bulgaria office for their assistance.
Many thanks! Lastly, I would like to thank my family. All of you have contributed with your love and support. Thank you Mom, for supporting me throughout college and life, and for teaching me how important it is to enjoy whatever I choose to do. Larry and Denise, thank you for your editing skills and all of your support.
Special thanks to Jeff, for loving Peace Corps and Bulgaria as much as I do, looking forward to our next adventure together, and for sharing the grueling process of writing a thesis with me. viii ABSTRACT Bulgaria is a country rich in history, culture and traditions which include the use of herbs. Herbs are commonly used throughout Bulgaria for medicinal purposes, in the preparation of food, and as decoration. Bulgaria is a country in political, economic, and cultural transition.
Many privatized herb companies opened after the fall of communism; a high unemployment rate led to a larger available work force for collecting. Bulgaria is currently the largest exporter of herbs in Europe. Herbs play an integral part in the Bulgarian household. I decided to design an ethnobotanical study to learn which herbs are used, how they are used, and the methods used to acquire them.
I also wanted to learn if the local people believe herbs are threatened, and if they do, what are those threats? To accomplish these goals, I designed a multiple choice format survey, listing 128 herbs and short answer questions, that would be administered by other Peace Corps Volunteers. In this way a wide range of towns throughout Bulgaria could be surveyed. Nineteen towns were surveyed. The responses indicate that herbs are primarily used medicinally and in the preparation of food.
The people surveyed indicated that herbs play an important role in their families and that Bulgarians are knowledgeable on various uses of herbs, traditional and modern. The responses also indicated that Bulgarians are concerned about the abundance of herbs because of problems associated with herb companies, improper gathering techniques, pollution, and deforestation. Results from the nineteen towns surveyed show that fifteen herbs are commonly used in Bulgaria. These herbs are primarily popular medicinal species or are commonly ix used in traditional Bulgarian cuisine.
These herbs usually have a widespread natural range or can be easily cultivated and are readily available to most of the population. Even though some herbs are commonly used throughout Bulgaria, there are significant regional differences of herb use. Fourteen of the towns were grouped into six geographic regions. The distinct regions use varying amounts of herbs, different individual herbs, and have different uses for and methods of acquiring herbs.
Local topography, natural diversity of herbs in proximity to the regions, and traditional knowledge all affect regional use of herbs. x Motherland beloved, with beauty so supreme! Your boundless skies unfold their wondrous azure! Your fleeting images enchant so like a treasure! Every glance reveals fresh marvels yet unseen: Here merry valleys, yonder giant mountains, The land profuse with flowers, the sky with diamonds abounds… Motherland beloved, with beauty so supreme! Is there a country more generous in colour, in largesse? You are a crucible replete with kindness and grace: Bread, roses, nectar, flowers, fruit and lace, The radiance of the East, the South’s lush caress, Your forests are endowed with harmony and calm, The valleys full of blossoms, the bosom full of charm. Is there a country more generous in colour, in largesse? Motherland, are you not worthy of devotion? What wanderer ever left you not uttering a sigh? Ivan Vazov xi CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION During my first year in Bulgaria I spent time observing the people and the culture that surrounded me. I came to the conclusion that herbs are an integral part in most Bulgarians’ lives.
They use them medicinally, for cooking, decoration, and to generate income. I decided to design an ethnobotanical study, using a survey, that could be used to determine which herbs Bulgarians used most, how they are acquired and how they are used. According to Martin (1995), ethnobotany is defined as the study of people’s classification, management and use of plants. Ethnobotanical studies can be applied almost anywhere because plants are an integral part of many societies.
The study of ethnobotany can include many fields of research - botany, biochemistry, pharmacology, toxicology, medicine, nutrition, agriculture, ecology, evolution, religion, sociology, anthropology, linguistics, history and archaeology. Therefore, there are numerous approaches and applications of ethnobotanical studies (Alexiades, 1996). The following passage from the Encyclopedia of World Cultures (Bennett,1992) describes what I observed, and what Bulgarians described to me. “Treatment for illness traditionally included a variety of possibilities: religious actions, such as drinking holy water and kissing icons; non-Christian magical incantations believed to counter or exorcise evil forces; herbal treatments using local plants and their products (such as garlic, wine, and brandy); and consulting a physician.
Traditionally, the last option was the last resort, but in contemporary Bulgaria it is more often the first response to sickness, though often in combination with folk treatments.” 1 In the following chapter I will discuss the study area, Bulgaria. I will begin by discussing the geography and environment of Bulgaria, followed by the demographics information, agriculture, industry, and education. I will conclude with a brief section on Bulgaria’s history, including a history of their herb practices. The methods will be described in Chapter 3.
The methods are split into five sections; survey design, survey distribution, town descriptions, survey data compilation, and potential problems. I will begin by discussing how I designed and then distributed the surveys. A brief description of each of the nineteen towns that participated will be given. A section follows this on the methods used to compile and analyze the data.
Chapter 3 concludes by addressing potential problems with the methodology. In Chapter 4 I will describe the data collected from the nineteen towns that were surveyed and then discuss those results. This includes the average number of herbs used in each to town, along with the population information. Statistically, population size and herb use are correlated.
Herb use data, and methods of acquiring herbs for each town are also presented in this chapter. Results from the short answer section of the survey are included in this chapter. Chapter 5 focuses on the acquisition and uses of the fifteen most commonly used herbs. The chapter concludes with a description of each of the fifteen most commonly used herbs and a discussion of why these herbs are frequently used in Bulgaria.
The regional results will be presented in Chapter 6.
