J Ethnopharmacol. 1996 Mar; 50(3): 147-56.

The ethnopharmacopoeia of Rotuma.

McClatchey W.

Florida Museum of Natural History, Herbarium (FLAS), University of Florida, Gainesville 32611-0530, USA.

The traditional Rotuman herbal pharmacopoeia consists of many plants, each of which is used in a specific way for specific disease states. The practitioners of traditional medicine are specialists recognized by the culture as having spiritual power to promote health. These individuals have been interviewed in order to determine which plants are presently in use. The healers interviewed represent a disappearing tradition which is not being passed on to the next generation. An effort has been made to record all of the plants used by all of the healers which remain in the Rotuman culture (on the island). This information is presented as a table of plant species and their respective indications.