The screening of medicinal plants traditionally used to treat ...

8cultivation) and other disturbed habitats relatively near the home (Momsen,2004., Voeks, 2006). Women, as primary educators in indigenouscommunities, have sustained their frameworks and associated knowledgesystems for millennia, even while undergoing major social upheavals as aresult of transformative forces beyond their control (Zobolo and Mkabela,2006). In Northern India women and girls are exclusively responsible forcollection of fodder, leaves, herbs and grasses (Singh, 1988). The Mayawomen of the Guatemala highlands educate their -::hildren (daughters)through the chores of the garden (Keys, 1999). The African homesteadgardens (Muzis) contain a mixture of spiritual, protective and medicinal plants(Zobolo and Siebert, 2005).Indigenous women have extensive knowledge of medicinal plants due to theirrole as caretakers of children (Kothari, 2003). Groups of women who collectedmedicinal plants from the wild expressed their desire to record the informationso that their daughters could use it in the future as in the case of Zer Malik(interviewee), who noted that their daughters were not interested in traditionalremedies and were turning to modem allopathic medicine (FAO, 1997).Women are also knowledgeable about nutrition and storage of foods (Kelkar,1995). Rural women in South Africa have for decades played a central role insustaining, managing and making use of plants. In areas rich in useful plants,women manage most of the resources that are used and even grow theseplants around the house (Howard, 2003). The recognition and restoration ofindigenous women's knowledge through support of their effort to pass it on toMure generations would enhance sustainable use of natural resources(Mikkelsen, 2005). Nearly all adults, especially women, are competent to treatillness of the first type, drawing on an extensive knowledge of the therapeuticproperties of materia medica, above all plants. Women generally treat thesame disease in more than one way by using different plants. This dependsmainly upon plant availability in their territory and the wider the choice, thebetter the chance of a cure. But some plants are used for almost allcomplaints all over the world, for example Eremophila spp. These plants areso valued that in the past they were dried and stored for future applications(yanivand Bachrach, 2005).