Etnopharmaceutical study of natural medicinal substances used in the environs of Varėna District in 2014 years.

The aim of the research is to collect and to systematize the preserved ethno-pharmaceutical knowledge in the environs of Varėna District. The tasks of the research are to group the ethno-pharmaceutical materials collected in the environs of Varėna District according to the nature of remedies used for treatment purposes; to determine medicinal plants, animals, types of fungi, and mineral substances that are most frequently used for treatment purposes; to determine the origin of medicinal substances most frequently used in the research area; to determine illnesses treated with medicinal plants in the research area; to determine methods of preparing medicinal plant-based raw materials in the research area. Three key methods were applied in the thesis: theoretical, empirical, and content analysis. The analysis of scientific and specialized literature was carried out using the theoretical method. The empirical method was helpful in conducting the public survey and preparing the structured interview. 24 residents were interviewed during the survey; respondents were randomly selected. During the survey, 82 remedies used for treatment purposes were recorded. The major part (78%) consisted of remedies of plant origin. Only few (7%) remedies of animal origin were recorded. Judging by answers of the respondents, it appears that fungi are most rarely (6%) used for treatment purposes, while other treatment methods make up 9%. 64 raw materials of plant origin, grouped in 32 plant families, were recorded. The respondents particularly emphasized medicinal plantsof thefamilyAsteraceae. It was determined that the common chamomile (called „ramunėle“ by Dzūkija is the most popular medicinal raw material used for the treatment of different illnesses (it was mentioned 44 times). Honey, snake or toad infusions, and hare tallow were indicated among substances of animal origin. The eddible boletus (19%) and the red fly-agaric (18%) were mentioned among types of mushrooms most frequently used for treatment purposes. The survey and the systematized data revealed illnesses for treatment and prevention of which natual remedies were most frequently by the respondents. Respiratody diseases are among most frequently treated by these remedies (20%). The main treated respiratory diseases are acute viral respiratory infection, head cold, cough, influenza, bronchitis, sore throat. Bronchial asthma and whooping-cough are less frequently treated by these remedies. Judging by the feedback from the respondents, it may be concluded that the residents of Varėna Districtmost frequently use medicinal plants of the family Asteraceae Dumort. 11 plants of this family were mentioned. The respondents most frequently mentioned one-component formulae of mixtures of plant-based raw materials; however, multi-component formulae were also mentioned. The majority of the respondents (83%) shared the unanimous opinion that herbs which are out-of-date and unsuitable for treatment should better be burned. The majority of the respondents (20%) use plant-based raw materials for preapring teas or for applying compresses (17%)