The following sections of this BookRags Literature Study Guide is offprint from Gale's For Students Series: Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Commonly Studied Works: Introduction, Author Biography, Plot Summary, Characters, Themes, Style, Historical Context, Critical Overview, Criticism and Critical Essays, Media Adaptations, Topics for Further Study, Compare & Contrast, What Do I Read Next?, For Further Study, and Sources.
(c)1998-2002; (c)2002 by Gale. Gale is an imprint of The Gale Group, Inc., a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Gale and Design and Thomson Learning are trademarks used herein under license.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Encyclopedia of Popular Fiction: "Social Concerns", "Thematic Overview", "Techniques", "Literary Precedents", "Key Questions", "Related Titles", "Adaptations", "Related Web Sites". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Guide to Literature for Young Adults: "About the Author", "Overview", "Setting", "Literary Qualities", "Social Sensitivity", "Topics for Discussion", "Ideas for Reports and Papers". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
All other sections in this Literature Study Guide are owned and copyrighted by BookRags, Inc.
This branch of pharmacology studies the use and lore of drugs that have been discovered and developed by sociocultural (or ethnic) groups. It involves the direct observation and report of interactions between the societies and the drugs they have found in their natural environments and the customs that have evolved around such drugs, whether ceremonial, therapeutic, or other. These drugs, usually found in plants (hence similar study by ethnobotanists as well as ethnologists), are described—as are their effects within the customs, beliefs, and histories of a traditional culture or a specific society.
Examples include descriptions of the use of coca leaves (Erythroxylon coca) by indigenous populations of Colombia and Peru, for increased strength and endurance in high altitudes; the ceremonial use of PEYOTE (Lophophora sp.) by Native Americans of the Southwest and Mexico; and the use of KAVA (Piper methysticum) in ceremonial drinks by the indigenous populations of many South Pacific islands.
Asia, Drug Use In; Dover's Powder; Plants, Drugs From)
EFRON, D. H. (Ed.). (1967). Ethnopharmacological search for psychoactive drugs. Public Health Service Publication No. 1645. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare.