Witoto Ash Salts from the Amazon

Ethnopharmacological relevance: This article presents the results of an anthropological and ethnobotanical study of the vegetable salts used by the Witoto Indians of the Amazon. It thoroughly documents the species used, the processing of the salts, their chemical composition and their anthropologica...

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Detalhes bibliográficos
Autor: Echeverri, Juan Alvaro
Formato: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2011
País:Colombia
Recursos:Universidad Nacional de Colombia
Repositorio:Repositorio UN
Idioma:español
OAI Identifier:oai:repositorio.unal.edu.co:unal/9295
Acesso em linha:https://repositorio.unal.edu.co/handle/unal/9295
http://bdigital.unal.edu.co/6141/
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palavra-chave:39 Constumbres, etiqueta, folclor / Customs, etiquette and folklore
54 Química y ciencias afines / Chemistry
58 Plantas / Plants
Ethnobotany
Ash salts
Witoto
Northwest Amazonia
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spelling Witoto Ash Salts from the AmazonEcheverri, Juan Alvaro39 Constumbres, etiqueta, folclor / Customs, etiquette and folklore54 Química y ciencias afines / Chemistry58 Plantas / PlantsEthnobotanyAsh saltsWitotoNorthwest AmazoniaEthnopharmacological relevance: This article presents the results of an anthropological and ethnobotanical study of the vegetable salts used by the Witoto Indians of the Amazon. It thoroughly documents the species used, the processing of the salts, their chemical composition and their anthropological, nutritional and medicinal relevance. Materials and Methods: Salts from 57 plant species known to the Witoto were processed using the same materials and techniques employed by the Indians: burning plant material, lixiviating the ashes with water, and boiling down the brine to desiccate the salt. Chemical analyses of macroelements of 49 of the salts, and of microelements of 24, were conducted. Tests on the taste of the salts as perceived by the native persons were carried out. Results: Average ratio ashes/raw material was 3.05% (from 0.71% to 10.14%); average ratio dry salt/ashes was 11% (from 1% to 37%). All the samples analyzed presented a high proportion of potassium (26.9% - 44.6%); contents of phosphorus, sodium, calcium and magnesium were less than 1%; contents of carbonate, chloride and sulfate varied greatly among the salts. Boron, molybdenum and vanadium were present in all or almost all the samples analyzed; copper, barium and strontium were also frequent; manganese, zinc and iron were less frequent. Conclusions: There is a correlation between the concentration of the three anions and the perceived taste of the salts, the "sweet" flavor of chloride being the preferred taste. Our research shows that the culinary function of these salts is secondary to their ritual, medicinal and cosmological meaning. The search for chloride is one of the reasons to produce and consume these salts; other reasons are also important: their alkaline pH, which liberates the alkaloid of the tobacco with which the salts are mixed; and their contents of microelements, which, although not discernible in taste, are inferred from symbolic associations of the species used.Elsevier2019-06-24T20:57:20Z2019-06-24T20:57:20Z2011-11-15Artículo de revistainfo:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionhttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501http://purl.org/coar/version/c_970fb48d4fbd8a85Texthttp://purl.org/redcol/resource_type/ARTapplication/pdfapplication/pdfISSN: 0378-8741https://repositorio.unal.edu.co/handle/unal/9295http://bdigital.unal.edu.co/6141/spahttp://www.elsevier.com/Universidad Nacional de Colombia Sede Amazonía Instituto Amazónico de Investigaciones (IMANI)Instituto Amazónico de Investigaciones (IMANI)Echeverri, Juan Alvaro (2011) Witoto Ash Salts from the Amazon. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 138 (2). pp. 492-502. ISSN 0378-8741Derechos reservados - Universidad Nacional de ColombiaAtribución-NoComercial 4.0 Internacionalhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessreponame:Repositorio UNinstname:Universidad Nacional de Colombiainstacron:Universidad Nacional de Colombia2021-04-29T15:29:09Z
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Witoto Ash Salts from the Amazon
title Witoto Ash Salts from the Amazon
spellingShingle Witoto Ash Salts from the Amazon
Echeverri, Juan Alvaro
39 Constumbres, etiqueta, folclor / Customs, etiquette and folklore
54 Química y ciencias afines / Chemistry
58 Plantas / Plants
Ethnobotany
Ash salts
Witoto
Northwest Amazonia
title_short Witoto Ash Salts from the Amazon
title_full Witoto Ash Salts from the Amazon
title_fullStr Witoto Ash Salts from the Amazon
title_full_unstemmed Witoto Ash Salts from the Amazon
title_sort Witoto Ash Salts from the Amazon
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Echeverri, Juan Alvaro
author Echeverri, Juan Alvaro
author_facet Echeverri, Juan Alvaro
author_role author
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv 39 Constumbres, etiqueta, folclor / Customs, etiquette and folklore
54 Química y ciencias afines / Chemistry
58 Plantas / Plants
Ethnobotany
Ash salts
Witoto
Northwest Amazonia
topic 39 Constumbres, etiqueta, folclor / Customs, etiquette and folklore
54 Química y ciencias afines / Chemistry
58 Plantas / Plants
Ethnobotany
Ash salts
Witoto
Northwest Amazonia
description Ethnopharmacological relevance: This article presents the results of an anthropological and ethnobotanical study of the vegetable salts used by the Witoto Indians of the Amazon. It thoroughly documents the species used, the processing of the salts, their chemical composition and their anthropological, nutritional and medicinal relevance. Materials and Methods: Salts from 57 plant species known to the Witoto were processed using the same materials and techniques employed by the Indians: burning plant material, lixiviating the ashes with water, and boiling down the brine to desiccate the salt. Chemical analyses of macroelements of 49 of the salts, and of microelements of 24, were conducted. Tests on the taste of the salts as perceived by the native persons were carried out. Results: Average ratio ashes/raw material was 3.05% (from 0.71% to 10.14%); average ratio dry salt/ashes was 11% (from 1% to 37%). All the samples analyzed presented a high proportion of potassium (26.9% - 44.6%); contents of phosphorus, sodium, calcium and magnesium were less than 1%; contents of carbonate, chloride and sulfate varied greatly among the salts. Boron, molybdenum and vanadium were present in all or almost all the samples analyzed; copper, barium and strontium were also frequent; manganese, zinc and iron were less frequent. Conclusions: There is a correlation between the concentration of the three anions and the perceived taste of the salts, the "sweet" flavor of chloride being the preferred taste. Our research shows that the culinary function of these salts is secondary to their ritual, medicinal and cosmological meaning. The search for chloride is one of the reasons to produce and consume these salts; other reasons are also important: their alkaline pH, which liberates the alkaloid of the tobacco with which the salts are mixed; and their contents of microelements, which, although not discernible in taste, are inferred from symbolic associations of the species used.
publishDate 2011
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2011-11-15
2019-06-24T20:57:20Z
2019-06-24T20:57:20Z
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv Artículo de revista
info:eu-repo/semantics/article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501
http://purl.org/coar/version/c_970fb48d4fbd8a85
Text
http://purl.org/redcol/resource_type/ART
format article
status_str publishedVersion
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv ISSN: 0378-8741
https://repositorio.unal.edu.co/handle/unal/9295
http://bdigital.unal.edu.co/6141/
identifier_str_mv ISSN: 0378-8741
url https://repositorio.unal.edu.co/handle/unal/9295
http://bdigital.unal.edu.co/6141/
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv spa
language spa
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv http://www.elsevier.com/
Universidad Nacional de Colombia Sede Amazonía Instituto Amazónico de Investigaciones (IMANI)
Instituto Amazónico de Investigaciones (IMANI)
Echeverri, Juan Alvaro (2011) Witoto Ash Salts from the Amazon. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 138 (2). pp. 492-502. ISSN 0378-8741
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv Derechos reservados - Universidad Nacional de Colombia
Atribución-NoComercial 4.0 Internacional
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
rights_invalid_str_mv Derechos reservados - Universidad Nacional de Colombia
Atribución-NoComercial 4.0 Internacional
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
application/pdf
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv Elsevier
publisher.none.fl_str_mv Elsevier
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv reponame:Repositorio UN
instname:Universidad Nacional de Colombia
instacron:Universidad Nacional de Colombia
instname_str Universidad Nacional de Colombia
instacron_str Universidad Nacional de Colombia
institution Universidad Nacional de Colombia
reponame_str Repositorio UN
collection Repositorio UN
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