MEDICINAL PLANTS IN TAJIKISTAN: AN ALTERNATIVE LIVELIHOOD OPTION

A local women’s co-operative in south Tajikistan identified medicinal plants as a method of generating income. The preliminary components of an implementation plan identified the following herbs as good pilot project candidates: Glycyrrhiza glabra, Inula helenium, Matricaria recutita, Melissa officinalis, and Calendula officinalis. This paper reports on ethnobotanical research on medicinal plants in south Tajikistan to inform a strategy for their use in the support of alternative livelihood generation. Twenty-three ‘medicinal plant expert’ respondents were interviewed in Muminabad town, South Tajikistan. Of those 23, 69.57% were female, 56.52% of the respondents learned about medicinal plant use from a family or community member, almost half (47.83%) of the respondents used herbal preparations daily and the majority of herbs used are collected near the home. None of the herbs selected for a pilot initiative were used extensively by the respondents; however M. recutita was used by 13.04% of the people interviewed. Recommendations based on the research conducted included the identification of local experts to act as medicinal plant processing mentors, home-garden cultivation of some plants, proximity of medicinal plants to harvesters’ homes (ease of access), differentiation from existing ‘free’ treatments, and the incorporation of sustainable harvesting workshops into the livelihood strategy.