Use of plants in the folk medicine of the molokans of armenia: Preliminary data

Abstract

The Molokan community developed in Russia in the eighteenth century as a Christian sect. Molokans have been settling on the territory of present-day Armenia since the middle of the nineteenth century and live mainly in the northern regions of the country. The traditions of nature exploitation and folk medicine of the Molokans of Armenia have not been documented and studied before. The authors of the article have started their interdisciplinary ethnobotanical study among the largest Molokan communities of Armenia, i.e. the villages of Fioletovo and Lermontovo (Lori Region). The pilot study they carried out allowed to document around 40 ethnotaxa of medicinal plants, which are the most gathered and used in the folk medicine of Molokans: thyme, mint, St. John’s wort, calendula, melissa, oregano, white yarrow, immortelle, motherwort, several types of “daisies”, lesser meadow-rue, elecampane, burdock, plantain, celandine, three-part beggarticks, coltsfoot, chicory, dandelion, wormwood, etc. Having examined the collected botanical material, we identified biological species of the wild plants which Molokans use for medicinal and nutritional purposes, as condiments and aromatics, for preparation of teas, etc. These medicinal plants are mainly used by Molokans in the form of an aqueous infusion made of their aerial parts, which is taken as a recuperative and an anti-inflammatory agent. The article also discusses some circumstances that indicate the Russian origins and authenticity of the traditions of plant-use by Molokans living in Armenia.