Plant Ethnomedicinal Knowledge Changes Following Ethnic Migration

Plant ethnomedicinal knowledge (PEK) is abundant among ethnic minorities who migrated to Thailand centuries ago. However, the flora in Thailand is different from where they migrated from. We asked whether their current PEK is conserved knowledge developed in their original habitat or whether it is new knowledge developed after settling in Thailand. Data on PEK from all accessible sources from 1990 to 2014 were collected. All studied villages were clustered based on their PEK. Similarity of PEK in villages of each tribe was evaluated using Informant Consensus Factors (ICFs), which ranges from 0 – 1, where the higher of ICF values, the more similar of PEK. The results showed that the clustering diagram showed different patterns depending on their migration history and ICF analysis showed low similarity of PEK in any given tribe. This suggests that much PEK possessed by the ethnic minorities has developed after they settled in Thailand.