The use of marine organisms in folk medicine and horticulture: A preliminary study

This paper reports briefly on the use of marine organisms in folk medicine and horticulture among the coastal people of northern Mindanao and the Visayan Islands of Bohol, Cebu, and Negros in central Philippines. This island group seemed to us a good starting point for what could eventually be a broad and in-depth study of this subject. For one thing, the common folk medicinal and horticultural practices in these areas are, for the most part, based on efficacious use of marine plants and animals. For another, the people on these islands are linked by a common dialect that is spoken by two of us, a distinct advantage that precluded the need for translation during interveiws with local folks. (author)