Michael J Balick
Biographic Data
| ID | 669770 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Michael J Balick |
| GIVEN NAMES | Michael J |
| FAMILY NAME | Balick |
| SIGNATURE | BALICK M J |
| AFFILIATIONS | New York Botanical Garden |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-3729-1756 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 43 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 127 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 43 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1979 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2024 |
| H-INDEX | 6 |
Wind Lore as Environmental Knowledge in Southern Vanuatu
Wind lore constitutes an important domain of environmental knowledge in eight cultures of southern Vanuatu (Aneityum, Futuna, Aniwa, Nafe, Naka, Netwar, Nanu, and Nahual). Our study reviews previous studies in Oceania which document wind systems as used primarily for long-distance navigation. The named winds of southern Vanuatu are not merely abstract directional markers, nor primarily for use in navigation, but are closely tied to the local geog…
Message plants of Southern Vanuatu
People in the southern Vanuatu islands of Aneityum and Tanna use plants as communication devices, a function which we call ‘message plants’. Certain species of plants are held, worn, or placed in specific locations with the intention of delivering messages with varied semantic content. In the cultural context of southern Vanuatu, message plants serve as an important parallel channel of communication, alongside spoken languages, and in some cases …
Calendar Plants in Southern Vanuatu
The Palolo Worm as a Cornerstone of Pacific Ecological Time-Reckoning
Indigenous knowledge systems that uniquely encode environmental knowledge are vanishing globally in tandem with environmental changes and globalization. In this paper we explore knowledge and uses of the palolo polychaete worms (Palola spp.) in time-reckoning, as documented in the anthropological literature on Polynesia and Melanesia. We then introduce preliminary findings from three contemporary cultures, the Raga-, Vureas-, and Netwar-speaking …
Weather Magic as Environmental Knowledge in Southern Vanuatu
This paper presents weather magic practices from the islands of Tanna and Aneityum, in southern Vanuatu, and highlights how this phenomenon is a critical domain of Indigenous environmental knowledge, particularly knowledge involving plants. Recent literature suggests that diverse cultural systems, such as music, can be viewed as domains of environmental knowledge, and we propose that magical systems should be afforded the same recognition. Althou…
A Classic Maya Mystery of a Medicinal Plant and Maya Hieroglyphs
The Maya employed the k’an |K’AN| glyph in Late Classic (~750 CE) hieroglyphs on murals and polychrome pottery as an adjective meaning precious, yellow. On cacao drinking vessels, the k’an glyph was suggested as a descriptor for a flavoring ingredient, allspice, Pimenta dioica (L.) Merr. (Myrtaceae). However, our previous consensus ethnobotanical fieldwork with Q’eqchi’ Maya healers of Belize revealed another candidate among antidiabetic plants, …
Traditional medicines used by Q’eqchi’ Maya to treat diabetic symptoms and their antiglycation potential
Plant-Knowledge Adaptation in an Urban Setting: Candomblé Ethnobotany in New York City
An ethnobotany of the Lukomir Highlanders of Bosnia & Herzegovina
BackgroundThis aim of this study is to report upon traditional knowledge and use of wild medicinal plants by the Highlanders of Lukomir, Bjelašnica, Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H). The Highlanders are an indigenous community of approximately 60 transhumant pastoralist families who speak Bosnian(Bosanski)and inhabit a highly biodiverse region of Europe. This paper adds to the growing record of traditional use of wild plants within isolated communiti…
Does the name really matter? The importance of botanical nomenclature and plant taxonomy in biomedical research
Lime for Chest Congestion, Bitter Orange for Diabetes: Foods as Medicines in the Dominican Community in New York City
Globalization and Loss of Plant Knowledge: Challenging the Paradigm
The erosion of cultural knowledge and traditions as a result of globalization and migration is a commonly reported phenomenon. We compared one type of cultural knowledge about medicinal plants (number of plants reported to treat thirty common health conditions) among Dominican laypersons who self-medicate with plants and live in rural or urban areas of the Dominican Republic (DR), and those who have moved to New York City (NYC). Many plants used …
The importance of botellas and other plant mixtures in Dominican traditional medicine
Screening of the topical anti-inflammatory activity of the bark of Acacia cornigera Willdenow, Byrsonima crassifolia Kunth, Sweetia panamensis Yakovlev and the leaves of Sphagneticola trilobata Hitchc…
Costus spicatus tea failed to improve diabetic progression in C57BLKS/J db/db mice, a model of type 2 diabetes mellitus
The Feral Forests of the Eastern Petén
A traditional method of Cinnamomum carolinense preparation eliminates safrole from a therapeutic Pohnpean tea
The value of plant collections in ethnopharmacology: A case study of an 85-year-old black cohosh (Actaea racemosa L.) sample
The Purposes and Teaching of Applied Ethnobotany
Treatment of fibroids: The use of beets (Beta vulgaris) and molasses (Saccharum officinarum) as an herbal therapy by Dominican healers in New York City
Ethnobotanical and Floristic Research in Belize: Accomplishments, challenges and lessons learned
Ethnobotanical and floristic research in Belize was con- ducted through the Belize Ethnobotany Project which was launched in 1988 as a multi-disciplinary effort of a number of individuals and institutions in Belize and internationally. The objectives of the project were the preservation of cul- tural and traditional knowledge, natural products research (through the National Cancer Institute), technology trans- fer, institutional strengthening and…
Ethnomedicine in the Urban Environment: Dominican Healers in New York City
New York City has a large Dominican community that utilizes a variety of traditional healing resources, yet relatively little is known about their ethnomedical concepts and practices. This paper focuses on six Dominican traditional healers who participated in a cross-cultural study on therapies for women's health problems in New York City. Healers were located through community networks and botanical shops and were interviewed about their backgro…
Screening of anti-bacterial activity of medicinal plants from Belize (Central America)
Double incision wound healing bioassay using Hamelia patens from El Salvador
Ethnobotanical literature survey of medicinal plants in the Dominican Republic used for women's health conditions
Medicinal plants used by latino healers for women’s health conditions in New York City
Cultural dynamism and change—An example from the Federated states of Micronesia
Subsistence benefits from the babassu palm (Orbignya martiana)
Plant-Knowledge Adaptation in an Urban Setting: Candomblé Ethnobotany in New York City
The value of undiscovered pharmaceuticals in tropical forests
An ethnobotany of the Lukomir Highlanders of Bosnia & Herzegovina
BackgroundThis aim of this study is to report upon traditional knowledge and use of wild medicinal plants by the Highlanders of Lukomir, Bjelašnica, Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H). The Highlanders are an indigenous community of approximately 60 transhumant pastoralist families who speak Bosnian(Bosanski)and inhabit a highly biodiverse region of Europe. This paper adds to the growing record of traditional use of wild plants within isolated communiti…
Lime for Chest Congestion, Bitter Orange for Diabetes: Foods as Medicines in the Dominican Community in New York City
Production of coyol wine fromAcrocomia mexicana (Arecaceae) in Honduras
Amazonian oil palms of promise: A survey
Economic botany of the Guahibo. I. Palmae
Ethnobotanical and Floristic Research in Belize: Accomplishments, challenges and lessons learned
Ethnobotanical and floristic research in Belize was con- ducted through the Belize Ethnobotany Project which was launched in 1988 as a multi-disciplinary effort of a number of individuals and institutions in Belize and internationally. The objectives of the project were the preservation of cul- tural and traditional knowledge, natural products research (through the National Cancer Institute), technology trans- fer, institutional strengthening and…
Plants, People and Culture: The Science of Ethnobotany
Notes on economic plants
Nutritional evaluation of theJessenia bataua palm: Source of high quality protein and oil from tropical America
The Palolo Worm as a Cornerstone of Pacific Ecological Time-Reckoning
Indigenous knowledge systems that uniquely encode environmental knowledge are vanishing globally in tandem with environmental changes and globalization. In this paper we explore knowledge and uses of the palolo polychaete worms (Palola spp.) in time-reckoning, as documented in the anthropological literature on Polynesia and Melanesia. We then introduce preliminary findings from three contemporary cultures, the Raga-, Vureas-, and Netwar-speaking …
Calendar Plants in Southern Vanuatu
A Classic Maya Mystery of a Medicinal Plant and Maya Hieroglyphs
The Maya employed the k’an |K’AN| glyph in Late Classic (~750 CE) hieroglyphs on murals and polychrome pottery as an adjective meaning precious, yellow. On cacao drinking vessels, the k’an glyph was suggested as a descriptor for a flavoring ingredient, allspice, Pimenta dioica (L.) Merr. (Myrtaceae). However, our previous consensus ethnobotanical fieldwork with Q’eqchi’ Maya healers of Belize revealed another candidate among antidiabetic plants, …
Plants, People, and Culture: The Science of Ethnobotany
Amazonian oil palms of promise: A survey
Economic botany of the Guahibo. I. Palmae
Nutritional evaluation of theJessenia bataua palm: Source of high quality protein and oil from tropical America
Modern medicine and shamanistic ritual: A case of positive synergistic response in the treatment of a snakebite
Medicinal uses of South American palms
Subsistence benefits from the babassu palm (Orbignya martiana)
Lycopodium spores used in condom manufacture: Associated health hazards
Production of coyol wine fromAcrocomia mexicana (Arecaceae) in Honduras
The Ethnobotanical Approach to Drug Discovery
The value of undiscovered pharmaceuticals in tropical forests
Field Guide to the Palms of the Americas
Notes on economic plants
Plants, People and Culture: The Science of Ethnobotany
Plants, People, and Culture: The Science of Ethnobotany
Medicinal plants used by latino healers for women’s health conditions in New York City
Cultural dynamism and change—An example from the Federated states of Micronesia
Ethnobotanical literature survey of medicinal plants in the Dominican Republic used for women's health conditions
Screening of the topical anti-inflammatory activity of some Central American plants
Capoche-Rediscovery of a Forgotten Febrifuge (Ocotea veraguensis [Meisn.] Mez) from Belize, Central America, Including a New Floristic Record
Ethnomedicine in the Urban Environment: Dominican Healers in New York City
New York City has a large Dominican community that utilizes a variety of traditional healing resources, yet relatively little is known about their ethnomedical concepts and practices. This paper focuses on six Dominican traditional healers who participated in a cross-cultural study on therapies for women's health problems in New York City. Healers were located through community networks and botanical shops and were interviewed about their backgro…
Screening of anti-bacterial activity of medicinal plants from Belize (Central America)
Double incision wound healing bioassay using Hamelia patens from El Salvador
Treatment of fibroids: The use of beets (Beta vulgaris) and molasses (Saccharum officinarum) as an herbal therapy by Dominican healers in New York City
Ethnobotanical and Floristic Research in Belize: Accomplishments, challenges and lessons learned
Ethnobotanical and floristic research in Belize was con- ducted through the Belize Ethnobotany Project which was launched in 1988 as a multi-disciplinary effort of a number of individuals and institutions in Belize and internationally. The objectives of the project were the preservation of cul- tural and traditional knowledge, natural products research (through the National Cancer Institute), technology trans- fer, institutional strengthening and…
A traditional method of Cinnamomum carolinense preparation eliminates safrole from a therapeutic Pohnpean tea
Biology (33 works) · Geography (27 works) · Medicine (18 works) · Traditional medicine (18 works) · Ecology (16 works) · Botany (15 works) · Ethnobotanical and Medicinal Plants Studies (13 works) · Medicinal plants (13 works) · Ethnobotany (12 works) · Ecology (11 works)