Society for Ethnopharmacology

Society for Ethnopharmacology
Name	Society for Ethnopharmacology
Abbrev	SFE
Formation	1990s
Type	Learned society
Purpose	Promotion of ethnopharmacology, traditional medicine research, conservation of medicinal plants
Headquarters	India
Region served	International
Leader title	President

Society for Ethnopharmacology is an international learned society that promotes research on traditional remedies, medicinal plants, phytochemistry, and ethnobotany. The society interacts with institutions such as University of Delhi, Indian Council of Medical Research, World Health Organization, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and Smithsonian Institution to advance dialogue among scholars, policy makers, and practitioners. It emphasizes intersections with fields represented by organizations like International Society of Ethnobiology, American Botanical Council, Royal Society of Chemistry, Royal Society, and National Institutes of Health.

History

Founded in the 1990s amid renewed interest sparked by events such as the Convention on Biological Diversity, the society emerged alongside institutions like Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, and All India Institute of Medical Sciences. Early activities referenced conferences similar to World Congress of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences and collaborations with bodies such as UNESCO, United Nations Development Programme, and Food and Agriculture Organization. Founding figures worked with academic departments at Banaras Hindu University, Jamia Millia Islamia, Jadavpur University, and research centers like Institute of Advanced Study to map traditional knowledge in regions including Kerala, Assam, Andhra Pradesh, and Nagaland.

Mission and Objectives

The society's mission aligns with objectives articulated by World Health Assembly resolutions and strategic priorities of International Union for Conservation of Nature, emphasizing documentation of medicinal flora, validation of traditional therapies, and protection of indigenous knowledge. Objectives reference collaborations with legal frameworks such as the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Nagoya Protocol, and institutions like National Biodiversity Authority to promote ethical access, benefit-sharing, and intellectual property considerations in projects involving communities in Amazon Basin, Himalayas, Sundarbans, and Western Ghats.

Organizational Structure

Governance follows a council model with elected officers similar to committees in Royal Society and National Academy of Sciences, including a president, secretary, treasurer, and advisory board comprising researchers from University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Harvard University, Stanford University, and University of Tokyo. Operational units mirror centers like Centre for Development Studies and Indian Botanical Survey and include ethics committees, editorial boards, and regional coordinators referencing networks such as Asia Pacific Association of Agricultural Research Institutions and European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations.

Activities and Programs

Programs include ethnobotanical surveys in collaboration with Botanical Survey of India, capacity-building workshops echoing efforts by Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, community outreach similar to Greenpeace campaigns, and training modules aligned with curricula at Banaras Hindu University and Jawaharlal Nehru University. Activities span seed conservation with partners like Millennium Seed Bank Project, pharmacognosy training modeled on American Society of Pharmacognosy offerings, and policy dialogues engaging Parliament of India, Ministry of AYUSH, and international delegations from European Commission, African Union, and ASEAN.

Publications and Conferences

The society publishes proceedings and newsletters comparable to journals such as Journal of Ethnopharmacology, Phytomedicine, Economic Botany, Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, and Fitoterapia. It organizes conferences paralleling events like the International Congress of Ethnobiology, regional symposia reminiscent of Asian-Pacific Botanical Congress, and thematic meetings in cities like New Delhi, Bangalore, Kolkata, London, and New York City. Editorial collaborations reference publishers such as Elsevier, Springer Nature, Wiley-Blackwell, and Taylor & Francis.

Membership and Chapters

Membership comprises academics from University of Madras, Tezpur University, University of Edinburgh, practitioners affiliated with Ayurveda College, Siddha institutions, and students from Banaras Hindu University, with chapters in countries including India, United Kingdom, United States, Australia, and South Africa. Local chapters operate similarly to networks like Society for Conservation Biology and coordinate with botanical gardens such as Singapore Botanic Gardens and research councils like Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation.

Collaborations and Impact

Collaborative projects have linked the society with National Institute of Nutrition, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, European Research Council, and NGOs like Nature Conservancy to influence policy frameworks akin to the Bonn Guidelines and contribute to databases used by Global Biodiversity Information Facility and International Union for Conservation of Nature. Impact is seen in capacity building modeled after Wellcome Trust grants, influence on curricula at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, and contributions to ethnopharmacological literature cited alongside works from Alexander von Humboldt, Carl Linnaeus, Richard Evans Schultes, and E.O. Wilson.

Category:Learned societies