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Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Although quantitative surveys of traditional medicine markets are widely used to gain insights into the economic value, popularity or conservation status of traditional medicinal species, there have been very few repeat surveys. This study is an exception. The research was carried out in Sanyuejie Market in North-west Yunnan Province in China for three reasons. Firstly, Sanyuejie Market is large and historically significant, having operated since the Tang Dynasty (794 CE). Secondly, Sanyuejie Market is located along the "Tea-Horse Road" and "Southern Silk Road", and as such the trade from this market radiates widely throughout China and into neighboring countries such as Myanmar, Nepal and India. Thirdly, a comprehensive and systematic survey of the market was completed in 1987/88 and so this provided a unique opportunity to conduct a repeat quantitative survey. The findings, highlighting changes in species sold and the reasons why the changes have occurred, are highly relevant to ethnopharmacology at a time of substantial socio-economic and cultural change throughout China., Aim of the Study: To understand the changes in the medicinal plants trade at Sanyuejie Market between 1987/88 and 2012/13., Materials and Methods: A quantitative ethnobotanical re-surveying involving literature review, key informant interviews and visual observations of vendor booths at the market and village investigations, was carried out in Sanyuejie., Results: In 1987/88, 401 types of herbal preparations derived from 505 species in 111 families and 315 genera were sold in the market. In 2012/13, 623 herbal preparations derived from 709 species in 173 families and 451 genera were being sold. There were 105 types of herbal preparations originating from 115 species that were recorded in 1987/88 but are no longer sold at the market 25 years later. In addition, 326 types of herbal medicine preparations originating from 336 species have been added to the market since the original survey. Labor divisions have also appeared in the market., Conclusion: This study validates that the diversity of herbal medicines sold at Sanyuejie Market has increased and changed greatly. The growing demands for traditional herbal medicines combined with government initiatives to develop the local economy are drivers of the observed changes., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

In China, traditional markets are considered as important places for trading of medicinal plants harvested by rural villagers, which also play a social role of exchanging traditional use of herbal medicine among different cultural and social groups at local level. Market survey is often engaged in ethnobotanical studies for documenting locally used herbal plants and associated traditional knowledge. Information collected from market survey is also useful for plant conservation in the habitat areas. However, information on the market traded medicinal plants is not well documented from traditional markets in Honghe Prefecture, Yunnan. The study aimed to look into medicinal plants that are used by local people for curing various ailments. Ethnobotanical market survey methods, interviews, Participatory Action Research (PAR) and field visits were planned to elicit information on the uses of various medicinal plants. It was found that 216 plant species are commonly used by local people for curing various diseases, of which 173 species (80.1%) are wild plants and 43 species (19.9%) are home garden plants. A total of 278 records of medical uses in 60 herbal recipes for the treatment of 16 types of common diseases were recorded. In most of the recipes recorded, digestion diseases (30.6%) were used. The rest are rheumatological diseases (13.0%), respiratory system diseases (10.4%), infectious diseases (7.9%) and surgery uses (7.9%). The knowledge about the number of medicinal plants available in that area and used by interviewees was positively correlated with the threats on medicinal plants in the wild habitats of the study area, indicating that the diversity of medicinal plants and the associated traditional knowledge trends to disappear in the area.

Xishuang Banna, a particularly rich area for ethnobotanical research, borders on Burma and Laos, and contains some of the last undisturbed tropical rainforests in China. Xishuang Banna is ethnically very diverse; the largest group is the Dai followed by the Hani (Aini) and various smaller national minorities. Since the various groups inhabit different parts of the environment (from river valleys to steep mountain slopes) their awareness of, and use of plants varies considerably. The Dai people for example, have a tradition of forest preserves for each village as well as family home gardens around each house. This study lists 218 plant species that are frequently used by the various nationalities included in the survey.