Cultural conservation of medicinal plant use in the Ozarks

While a number of recent health care studies have focused on the availability of modern health care services among rural U.S. populations, the commensurate study of access to folk medical systems has been relatively neglected. In this paper we explore the cultural conservation of folk medicinal plant use in 14 communities across the Ozark Mountain region of Arkansas and Missouri. Six relevant socioeconomic and demographic factors are examined in relation to the number of medicinal plant applications reported by expert informants in each locale. Using a multiple correlation and regression analysis, we find that the preservation of traditional medicine and praxis in the Ozarks is inversely related to community "delocalization." It is suggested that the survival of esoteric, albeit dynamic, medical knowledge and praxis among rural populations ultimately depends upon sustaining biological and cultural diversity.