Food as medicine and medicine as food. An adaptive framework for the interpretation of plant utilization among the Hausa of northern Nigeria

Abstract

The adaptive significance of plant utilization by a Hausa population is considered. An investigation of the multidimensional aspects of plant use focuses attention on botanicals which serve as constituents of both the local diet and an herbal pharmacopoeia. It is suggested that an examination of these plants within a therapeutic context facilitates a more comprehensive understanding of the role that these plants play in the diet. The appearance of these species as dietary constituents subsequently is discussed with reference to their potential effect on the occurence and expression of gastrointestinal disease. © 1982.