The purpose of the present investigation was to compare similarities and differences in immune response among Echinacea species, which are commonly used to treat upper respiratory infections. The investigation involved two components: acquisition of immunomodulatory data reported here for the first time, and combined phenetic analysis of these data along with previous reports. Experimental data were obtained by stimulating human PBMC in vitro with extracts from Echinacea spp. and assaying production of three cytokines (interleukin–1β [IL–1β], interleukin–2 [IL–2], and tumor necrosis factor–α [TNF–α]). Phenetic analyses were employed to compare responses across the entire data set, including UPGMA (Unweighted Pair Group Method with Arithmetic Mean) and neighbor-joining methods. In the immune experiments conducted for this investigation, E. angustifolia, E. paradoxa, E. purpurea, E. simulata, and E. tennesseensis extracts significantly augmented IL–1 β and TNF–α production, whereas no extracts significantly modulated IL–2. All phenetic methods produced similar dendrograms, revealing two species pairs (E. angustifolia E. simulata and E. pallida E.sanguinea) where both species cluster tightly and have similar immune-response profiles. These two species-pairs are maximally dissimilar from each other. The remaining species (E. paradoxa, E. purpurea, and E. tennesseensis) occupy intermediate positions in the dendrogram. Our results suggest that Echinacea spp. act heterogeneously on immune function. The utility of these data for science and industry is discussed.

Two species, Canarium salomonense B. L. Burtt and C. indicum L. were formerly used by Solomon Islands cultures as principal sources of food (seeds), resin, and wood as well as a variety of ceremonial activities. Although the species are botanically quite similar, Babatana and Ririo speakers from Lauru (Choiseul) Island consider C. salomonense superior for many uses, particularly in activities of special spiritual significance. Ethnographic interviews were used to quantitatively evaluate hypotheses about community perceptions of differences between the species. Weighted and unweighted evaluations were made within emic activity categories based upon frequency of interaction with Canarium and importance of species selectivity within the interaction activity. No significant difference was found between the species based upon unweighted frequency of use within activity categories. However, C. salomonese is significantly more important for use in activities when its relative cultural importance was used to weight the comparison. This example supports a broad conclusion that importance of a species to a culture is more complex than its simple usefulness.

Tibetan medicine historically has had multiple medical lineages, despite ancient, shared literary medical canons. However, since the second half of the 20th century in Tibet, increasing state control and commoditization has lead to centralization and standardization of Tibetan medicine. Here we investigate how much variation in the use of medicinal plants remains in contemporary Tibetan medicine. Medicinal plants used and/or sold by fifteen Tibetan medical institutions, markets, and doctors, as well as two additional non-Tibetan markets, are inventoried and vouchered (where allowed). The data are ordered by Non-metric Multidimensional Scaling. Four distinct groups are defined: (1) government recognized Tibetan medical institutions and their disciples both in Lhasa and elsewhere, (2) local herbal doctors near Mt. Khawa Karpo, eastern Himalayas, (3) Tibetan medicinal markets in Lhasa and near Mt. Khawa Karpo, and (4) non-Tibetan medicinal markets near Dali and Kunming, Yunnan. This clearly documents the plurality of Tibetan medical traditions—official, local, and market—while differentiating these from non-Tibetan markets.

Of the twelve species of Chamaedorea palm recorded for Belize, three are of international economic value because their cut leaves (xaté) are traded in the floricultural industry. Traditionally, Belize has not harvested xaté, the industry being based in Mexico and Guatemala. However, a decline in wild xaté stocks in these countries means Guatemalan leaf harvesters now illegally harvest xaté in Belize. To assess the local abundance of the Belizean Chamaedorea resource, its economic value, and the extent to which it has been illegally harvested, 209 plots measuring 20 meters (m) by 20 m were established in the Greater Maya Mountains (GMM) in western Belize, which includes the Chiquibul Forest Reserve (CFR). We estimate that 37.8 million leaves with a value of U.S. $0.3 million to xateros have been extracted from the CFR. The standing export value is calculated as U.S. $1.8 million for the CFR and U.S. $5 million for the GMM.

We report the harvesting of an average of 4,000 kg of saffron milk caps (Lactarius deliciosus Fr.) per day during four to six weeks between mid-October and mid-November in a village of 200 inhabitants in northern Spain. Nearly every inhabitant picks saffron milk caps, for which they receive an average of 2 €/kg. A family of four could make a profit of 5,600–8,400 € in a season (average annual income per family in the area is 18,727 €). Pickers sell the harvested mushrooms either to a local middleman or directly to the buyer, who then takes the produce to the final point of sale, usually in Catalonia, where the demand for saffron milk caps is increasing yearly. This trade has occurred for 30 years, and began when saffron milk caps started to appear in the area after pine trees were introduced to replace the native oaks. This study provides evidence that the collection and marketing of wild edible fungi is a profitable task on a local and national scale.