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Background <p>The Guoshan Yao, a subgroup of the Yao ethnic minority in China, inhabit the biodiverse Nanling Mountain region. Their traditional knowledge (TK) of medicinal plants is increasingly threatened by socio-economic development, generational knowledge loss, and conservation policies. This study documents the medicinal plant diversity, and usage trends, analyzes TK transmission pathways, assesses influencing factors on the medicinal plant use knowledge and compares use knowledge with other Yao groups.</p> Methods <p>A total of 86 respondents (aged 20–90) from Guoshan Yao households were interviewed in the villages of Nanling National Nature Reserve, Guangdong, China. The Relative Importance (RI) index of the recorded plant species was calculated, negative binomial regression was used to assess factors influencing medicinal plant use knowledge, and the Jaccard index of similarity (JI) was used for the cross cultural analysis.</p> Results <p>A total of 61.6% of respondents relied on medicinal plants for primary healthcare; however, 41.8% of respondents reported declining trend in this practice. We documented 224 medicinal plants from 188 genera and 90 families. The most common therapeutic use was for traumatic injuries and orthopedic conditions (71 species, 31.7%). Among the recorded species, <i>Polygala japonica</i> had the highest RI value (2). The negative binomial regression indicated that medicinal plant use knowledge was significantly associated with the source of knowledge transfer, with vertical and multiple sources being significant. Cross-cultural analysis with the Yao of Guangxi and Hunan showed that knowledge of medicinal plants is quite similar among the Yao of Gongcheng Guangxi (JI = 0.18) .</p> Conclusion <p>The Guoshan Yao maintain substantial TK of medicinal plants, the conservation of which depends on vertical and multiple sources knowledge transmission systems. To conserve this knowledge, we recommend promoting the dissemination of knowledge beyond familial boundaries through community awareness programs, and inter-generational interaction.</p>

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Ethnomedicinal plants used by Guoshan Yao minority communities in the foothills of Nanling Mountain, Guangdong, China

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年6月15日

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  • Dipak Khadka,
  • Baidong Chen,
  • Yong Xie,
  • Kunchun Shui,
  • Xinyi Zhang,
  • Zhifa Liu,
  • Liyuan Song,
  • Chuhui Zhang,
  • Yuanqiu Li,
  • Tien Ming Lee,
  • Wenbo Liao,
  • Shi Shi,
  • Qiang Fan

摘要

Background

The Guoshan Yao, a subgroup of the Yao ethnic minority in China, inhabit the biodiverse Nanling Mountain region. Their traditional knowledge (TK) of medicinal plants is increasingly threatened by socio-economic development, generational knowledge loss, and conservation policies. This study documents the medicinal plant diversity, and usage trends, analyzes TK transmission pathways, assesses influencing factors on the medicinal plant use knowledge and compares use knowledge with other Yao groups.

Methods

A total of 86 respondents (aged 20–90) from Guoshan Yao households were interviewed in the villages of Nanling National Nature Reserve, Guangdong, China. The Relative Importance (RI) index of the recorded plant species was calculated, negative binomial regression was used to assess factors influencing medicinal plant use knowledge, and the Jaccard index of similarity (JI) was used for the cross cultural analysis.

Results

A total of 61.6% of respondents relied on medicinal plants for primary healthcare; however, 41.8% of respondents reported declining trend in this practice. We documented 224 medicinal plants from 188 genera and 90 families. The most common therapeutic use was for traumatic injuries and orthopedic conditions (71 species, 31.7%). Among the recorded species, Polygala japonica had the highest RI value (2). The negative binomial regression indicated that medicinal plant use knowledge was significantly associated with the source of knowledge transfer, with vertical and multiple sources being significant. Cross-cultural analysis with the Yao of Guangxi and Hunan showed that knowledge of medicinal plants is quite similar among the Yao of Gongcheng Guangxi (JI = 0.18) .

Conclusion

The Guoshan Yao maintain substantial TK of medicinal plants, the conservation of which depends on vertical and multiple sources knowledge transmission systems. To conserve this knowledge, we recommend promoting the dissemination of knowledge beyond familial boundaries through community awareness programs, and inter-generational interaction.