XVI International Botanical Congess

The Shuar and Quichua are the largest indigenous cultures in Amazonian Ecuador. Each maintains a primary pharmacopoeia of 200+ spp. Many are common to both cultures and a comparison shows several patterns. The Quichua name for Brunfelsia grandiflora is chiri caspi, the Shuar name is chini kiasip. Based on linguistic clues, this shows that the name, and likely knowledge of use, originated with the Quichua. In other cases, the polarity is uncertain. In both languages, the indigenous name for Vismia baccifera translates as annatto tree, referring to its use as a substitute for annatto (Bixa orellano). Other spp. occur in the pharmacopoeias of a single culture. A comparative approach to ethnopharmacology helps validate a plant's therapeutic potential and it addresses a question seldom considered by ethnobotanists - why is a species used.