Analysis of ethnomedicinal practices for treating skin diseases in communities on Jeju Island (Korea)

Abstract

The aim of this study is to record and analyze the first to the orally transmitted traditional knowledge for the treatment of skin disease in East Asia. Data was collected using participant observations and in-depth interviews. Quantitative analyses were accomplished through the informant consensus factor, fidelity level, and social network analysis. The 68 ethnomedicinal practices recorded from the communities for treating 12 types of skin diseases were classified into 27 families, 30 genera, and 31 species that included plants and animals. The highest degree of consensus from the informants was atopic dermatitis (1.00) and the lowest degree was for herpes labialis (0.67). This study determined 16 species of plants with a FL of 100%. The social network analysis between skin diseases and the medicinal species depicts the four ailment groups. This research suggests the use of social network analysis as a new approach for various interpretations to ethnomedicinal practices within communities.