[MPWG] Gentiana tianschanica

[Elisabeth Dodinet]

hello,

For an accurae description see the MBG tropicos site Flora of China  
at the following url (direct for the taxon):
mpwg at lists.plantconservation.org

The confusion is grounded by the fact that Gentianine (a compound  
quite close to gentiopicroside) has been reported in the plant  
(Rakhmatullaev, T.U. 1971 Alakaloids from gentiana olgae, Gentiana  
vvedenskyi, Gentiana tanscianica (sic), and Swertia connata,  
Khim.pri. Soedin. 7:128

The fact is that as far as tibetan medicine is concerned there is not  
such a thing as one name = one species. Over time and as the tibetan  
medical system extended over a huge territory, plus due to the fact  
that an oral tradition of teaching has always been part of the  
system, the tibetan doctors have adapted to different floras and  
developped alternative options for the plants they could not (or with  
difficulty) find in a given area. So "substitutes" so to call are a  
very common feature of the tibetan medicine pharmacopeia.

The current trend in scientification and the political situation are  
currently reducing this feature with the development in the official  
teachings of a one plant-one species reference corpus. The Men Tsee  
Khang current identifications are, thus, marked by the new  
localisation in India and tend to rely on indian himalyan or nepalese  
species (western himalayan), rather than tibetan and China  
authorities develop their own identifications (obivously derived from  
eastern himalayan species).

Regards


Elisabeth Dodinet
20 avenue de Longchamp
92 210 Saint-Cloud

Tél/Fax: 01 47 71 16 09
Portable: 06 11 89 98 93

E-mail: e.dodinet at wanadoo.fr

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