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Todd Pesek
Center for Healing Across Cultures, and School of Health Sciences, Cleveland State University, 2121 Euclid Avenue-HS 101, Cleveland, OH 44115, USA

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Letter
Published: 22 April 2020 in Heritage
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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, Tynanthus guatemalensis Donn. Sm. (Bignoniaceae), which was the healers’ top selection for treatment of diabetes and an exceptionally active extract in an antidiabetic assay for inhibition of protein glycation. Traits of T. guatemalensis observed after cross sectioning the liana were: (1) a cross-shaped xylem organization similar to the k’an glyph; (2) an allspice-like aroma; and (3) yellow color. Based on taxonomy and ethnobotany, confirmation of the allspice-like aromatic compound eugenol, and antidiabetic activity, we determined the plant described by the k’an glyph to be T. guatemalensis (chib’ayal in Q’eqchi’), not P. dioica (allspice). In contemporary Q’eqchi’ tradition, the section of the chib’ayal vine with its cross is associated with the eighth day of their Tzolk’in calendar, which is called the “nawal” (energy) of “q’anil” (ripe, full yellow). This day is represented with a different glyph from the k’an glyph, but notably has a cross representing the four cardinal points. The identification of a potent medicinal plant used in the late classic as well as contemporary times may suggest the long-term preservation of traditional medicinal knowledge in Maya culture for pharmacologically significant plants.

ACS Style

Jonathan Ferrier; Todd Pesek; Nicholas Zinck; Sharon Curtis; Phillip Wanyerka; Victor Cal; Michael Balick; John Thor Arnason. A Classic Maya Mystery of a Medicinal Plant and Maya Hieroglyphs. Heritage 2020, 3, 275 -282.

AMA Style

Jonathan Ferrier, Todd Pesek, Nicholas Zinck, Sharon Curtis, Phillip Wanyerka, Victor Cal, Michael Balick, John Thor Arnason. A Classic Maya Mystery of a Medicinal Plant and Maya Hieroglyphs. Heritage. 2020; 3 (2):275-282.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Jonathan Ferrier; Todd Pesek; Nicholas Zinck; Sharon Curtis; Phillip Wanyerka; Victor Cal; Michael Balick; John Thor Arnason. 2020. "A Classic Maya Mystery of a Medicinal Plant and Maya Hieroglyphs." Heritage 3, no. 2: 275-282.

Journal article
Published: 27 December 2012 in Human Ecology
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The Itzamma Garden and Medicinal Plant Project is a collaborative effort focused on identifying traditionally important plants used by the Q'eqchi' Maya of southern Belize. The Garden represents a cornerstone of the project where these plant resources (~130 in total, of which 102 have been identified to the species level) are cultivated ex situ as a means of providing primary healthcare by traditional healers. Here, we present a comprehensive agro-ecological survey of the Garden describing the layout and cultivation scenarios, development challenges encountered, and associated implementation strategies for improving site practices. A general recommendation for the adaptation of this strategy to other localities is the thorough depiction of ecological features based on interactions with local practitioners, for example, leading to the effective cultivation of plants, the enhancement of soil, and the surveillance of crop nutritional status and medicinal potency. We consider that the ‘ethnobotanical garden approach’ could provide a collaborative ‘working model’ for rural development, especially indigenous communities interfacing with their local agro-ecosystems.

ACS Style

Patrick Audet; Brendan Walshe-Roussel; Victor Cal; Francisco Caal; Marco Otarola Rojas; Pablo Sanchez Vindas; Luis Poveda; Todd Pesek; John Thor Arnason. Indigenous Ex Situ Conservation of Q'eqchi' Maya Medicinal Plant Resources at the Itzamma Garden—Indian Creek, Belize, Central America. Human Ecology 2012, 41, 313 -324.

AMA Style

Patrick Audet, Brendan Walshe-Roussel, Victor Cal, Francisco Caal, Marco Otarola Rojas, Pablo Sanchez Vindas, Luis Poveda, Todd Pesek, John Thor Arnason. Indigenous Ex Situ Conservation of Q'eqchi' Maya Medicinal Plant Resources at the Itzamma Garden—Indian Creek, Belize, Central America. Human Ecology. 2012; 41 (2):313-324.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Patrick Audet; Brendan Walshe-Roussel; Victor Cal; Francisco Caal; Marco Otarola Rojas; Pablo Sanchez Vindas; Luis Poveda; Todd Pesek; John Thor Arnason. 2012. "Indigenous Ex Situ Conservation of Q'eqchi' Maya Medicinal Plant Resources at the Itzamma Garden—Indian Creek, Belize, Central America." Human Ecology 41, no. 2: 313-324.

Journal article
Published: 06 July 2011 in Ethnobotany Research and Applications
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ACS Style

Marc A. Abramiuk; Peter S. Dunham; Linda Scott Cummings; Chad Yost; Todd J Pesek. Linking Past and Present: A preliminary paleoethnobotanical study of Maya nutritional and medicinal plant use and sustainable cultivation in the Southern Maya Mountains, Belize. Ethnobotany Research and Applications 2011, 9, 1 .

AMA Style

Marc A. Abramiuk, Peter S. Dunham, Linda Scott Cummings, Chad Yost, Todd J Pesek. Linking Past and Present: A preliminary paleoethnobotanical study of Maya nutritional and medicinal plant use and sustainable cultivation in the Southern Maya Mountains, Belize. Ethnobotany Research and Applications. 2011; 9 ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Marc A. Abramiuk; Peter S. Dunham; Linda Scott Cummings; Chad Yost; Todd J Pesek. 2011. "Linking Past and Present: A preliminary paleoethnobotanical study of Maya nutritional and medicinal plant use and sustainable cultivation in the Southern Maya Mountains, Belize." Ethnobotany Research and Applications 9, no. : 1.

Journal article
Published: 01 January 2011 in Journal of Nutritional Disorders & Therapy
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ACS Style

Amanda Relph; Todd Pesek. Açaí, Euterpe oleracea: Rethinking Treatment for Inflammatory Conditions. Journal of Nutritional Disorders & Therapy 2011, 1, 1 .

AMA Style

Amanda Relph, Todd Pesek. Açaí, Euterpe oleracea: Rethinking Treatment for Inflammatory Conditions. Journal of Nutritional Disorders & Therapy. 2011; 1 (2):1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Amanda Relph; Todd Pesek. 2011. "Açaí, Euterpe oleracea: Rethinking Treatment for Inflammatory Conditions." Journal of Nutritional Disorders & Therapy 1, no. 2: 1.

Journal article
Published: 31 December 2010 in EXPLORE
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In searching for different patterns of practice, lifestyle, and environment supportive of optimal health, we look to our elders around the world, who in the wisdom that has sustained them, we learn from with careful attention. Thirty-seven elders who live by their traditions participated in the present study. They assisted in the refinement of the methodology and collections and preparation of these data. These participants are well-respected, representative elders and traditional healers of their regions. These data, from study sites of the Eastern Afromontane and Albertine Rift region of Ethiopia, Africa; the Maya Mountains region of Belize, Central America; the Western Ghats region of India; and the Appalachian Mountains region of the United States, were grouped into three major categories: (1) philosophy, attitudes, and outlook, (2) lifestyle practices, and (3) dietary and nutritional practices. These elders demonstrate a relatively comprehensive but simple set of practices that can enhance our vitality and promote longevity sustainably. In essence, these practices, or practice wisdom, of our longest living elders, promote propagation of healthful lifestyles by following traditional ways and taking care of body, mind, spirit and our environment. Further field research among a larger cohort is required to fully generalize the findings of this study, but much of it is consistent with what we already know should be done. These data begin illustration of practice wisdom for implementation and serve to engage our universities, our hospitals, our industries, and our students, who we must position toward social change.

ACS Style

Todd Pesek; Ronald Reminick; Murali Nair. Secrets of Long Life: Cross-Cultural Explorations in Sustainably Enhancing Vitality and Promoting Longevity via Elders’ Practice Wisdom. EXPLORE 2010, 6, 352 -358.

AMA Style

Todd Pesek, Ronald Reminick, Murali Nair. Secrets of Long Life: Cross-Cultural Explorations in Sustainably Enhancing Vitality and Promoting Longevity via Elders’ Practice Wisdom. EXPLORE. 2010; 6 (6):352-358.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Todd Pesek; Ronald Reminick; Murali Nair. 2010. "Secrets of Long Life: Cross-Cultural Explorations in Sustainably Enhancing Vitality and Promoting Longevity via Elders’ Practice Wisdom." EXPLORE 6, no. 6: 352-358.

Journal article
Published: 28 October 2010 in Sustainability
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The present work showcases a model for holistic, sustainable healthcare in indigenous communities worldwide through the implementation of traditional healing practices. The implementation of this model promotes public health and community wellness while addressing crucially important themes such as in situ and ex situ conservation of medicinal plant resources and associated biodiversity, generational transmission of knowledge, and the preservation of biological and cultural diversity for future generations. Being envisaged and implemented by Q’eqchi’ Maya traditional healers of the southern Maya Mountains, Belize, this model can be replicated in other communities worldwide. A ethnobotany study in collaboration with these healers led to collection of 102 medicinal species from Itzama, their traditional healing cultural center and medicinal garden. Of these 102 species, 40 of prior reported 106 consensus study plants were present in the garden. There were 62 plants not previously reported growing in the garden as well. A general comparison of these plants was also made in relation to species reported in TRAMIL network, Caribbean Herbal Pharmacopoeia (CHP), the largest regional medicinal pharmacopoeia. A relative few species reported here were found in the CHP. However, the majority of the CHP plants are common in Belize and many are used by the nearby Mopan and Yucatec Maya. Since these 102 species are relied upon heavily in local primary healthcare, this Q’eqchi’ Maya medicinal garden represents possibilities toward novel sustainable, culturally relative holistic health promotion and community based conservation practices.

ACS Style

Marco Otarola Rojas; Sean Collins; Victor Cal; Francisco Caal; Kevin Knight; John Arnason; Luis Poveda; Pablo Sanchez-Vindas; Todd Pesek. Sustaining Rainforest Plants, People and Global Health: A Model for Learning from Traditions in Holistic Health Promotion and Community Based Conservation as Implemented by Q’eqchi’ Maya Healers, Maya Mountains, Belize. Sustainability 2010, 2, 3383 -3398.

AMA Style

Marco Otarola Rojas, Sean Collins, Victor Cal, Francisco Caal, Kevin Knight, John Arnason, Luis Poveda, Pablo Sanchez-Vindas, Todd Pesek. Sustaining Rainforest Plants, People and Global Health: A Model for Learning from Traditions in Holistic Health Promotion and Community Based Conservation as Implemented by Q’eqchi’ Maya Healers, Maya Mountains, Belize. Sustainability. 2010; 2 (11):3383-3398.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Marco Otarola Rojas; Sean Collins; Victor Cal; Francisco Caal; Kevin Knight; John Arnason; Luis Poveda; Pablo Sanchez-Vindas; Todd Pesek. 2010. "Sustaining Rainforest Plants, People and Global Health: A Model for Learning from Traditions in Holistic Health Promotion and Community Based Conservation as Implemented by Q’eqchi’ Maya Healers, Maya Mountains, Belize." Sustainability 2, no. 11: 3383-3398.

Journal article
Published: 30 July 2009 in Biodiversity and Conservation
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This ethnobotanical study in the spirit of transdisciplinarity, and in collaboration with Q’eqchi’ Maya traditional healers, compares traditional Q’eqchi’ Maya ecosystem constructs or environmental zones with scientific ecosystems. To determine which categorization method better accommodates Q’eqchi’ Maya medicinal plant diversity, we analized 26 transects representing 160 medicinal plant occurrences. Our transect array encompasses a representative sampling of Q’eqchi’ Maya medicinal plant repertoire with use values broadly distributed over 17 usage categories. With a cumulative frequency of 2,235 medicinal plants through ecological zones, we conducted one-way ANOVA on the mean number of medicinal plant species identified in transects of the two conceptual schemes being contested. Our analysis reveals the Q’eqchi Maya environmental zones are the most salient. That is, knowledge of the Q’eqchi’ Maya environmental zones improves one’s ability to predict whether there will be a high or low abundance of Q’eqchi’ Maya medicinal plant species in a particular region, whereas knowledge of scientific ecosystems does not accomplish this feat as well. This is a notable finding as it suggests that if indeed Q’eqchi’ Maya medicinal plant diversity is better accounted for by the zones as envisioned by the Q’eqchi’ Maya, then it should be this mode of conceptualization that should be adopted by scientists and conservationists when trying to locate and protect regional Q’eqchi’ Maya medicinal plant diversity. These efforts serve as a model internationally in the conservation of medicinal plant biodiversity supportive of culturally relative holistic health promotion.

ACS Style

Todd Pesek; Marc Abramiuk; Nick Fini; Marco Otarola Rojas; Sean Collins; Victor Cal; Pablo Sanchez; Luis Poveda; John Arnason. Q’eqchi’ Maya healers’ traditional knowledge in prioritizing conservation of medicinal plants: culturally relative conservation in sustaining traditional holistic health promotion. Biodiversity and Conservation 2009, 19, 1 -20.

AMA Style

Todd Pesek, Marc Abramiuk, Nick Fini, Marco Otarola Rojas, Sean Collins, Victor Cal, Pablo Sanchez, Luis Poveda, John Arnason. Q’eqchi’ Maya healers’ traditional knowledge in prioritizing conservation of medicinal plants: culturally relative conservation in sustaining traditional holistic health promotion. Biodiversity and Conservation. 2009; 19 (1):1-20.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Todd Pesek; Marc Abramiuk; Nick Fini; Marco Otarola Rojas; Sean Collins; Victor Cal; Pablo Sanchez; Luis Poveda; John Arnason. 2009. "Q’eqchi’ Maya healers’ traditional knowledge in prioritizing conservation of medicinal plants: culturally relative conservation in sustaining traditional holistic health promotion." Biodiversity and Conservation 19, no. 1: 1-20.

Journal article
Published: 01 March 2009 in EcoHealth
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Ethnobotanical surveys were conducted to locate culturally important, regionally scarce, and disappearing medicinal plants via a novel participatory methodology which involves healer-expert knowledge in interactive spatial modeling to prioritize conservation efforts and thus facilitate health promotion via medicinal plant resource sustained availability. These surveys, conducted in the Maya Mountains, Belize, generate ethnobotanical, ecological, and geospatial data on species which are used by Q’eqchi’ Maya healers in practice. Several of these mountainous species are regionally scarce and the healers are expressing difficulties in finding them for use in promotion of community health and wellness. Based on healers’ input, zones of highest probability for locating regionally scarce, disappearing, and culturally important plants in their ecosystem niches can be facilitated by interactive modeling. In the present study, this is begun by choosing three representative species to train an interactive predictive model. Model accuracy was then assessed statistically by testing for independence between predicted occurrence and actual occurrence of medicinal plants. A high level of accuracy was achieved using a small set of exemplar data. This work demonstrates the potential of combining ethnobotany and botanical spatial information with indigenous ecosystems concepts and Q’eqchi’ Maya healing knowledge via predictive modeling. Through this approach, we may identify regions where species are located and accordingly promote for prioritization and application of in situ and ex situ conservation strategies to protect them. This represents a significant step toward facilitating sustained culturally relative health promotion as well as overall enhanced ecological integrity to the region and the earth.

ACS Style

Todd Pesek; Marc Abramiuk; Denis Garagic; Nick Fini; Jan Meerman; Victor Cal. Sustaining Plants and People: Traditional Q’eqchi’ Maya Botanical Knowledge and Interactive Spatial Modeling in Prioritizing Conservation of Medicinal Plants for Culturally Relative Holistic Health Promotion. EcoHealth 2009, 6, 79 -90.

AMA Style

Todd Pesek, Marc Abramiuk, Denis Garagic, Nick Fini, Jan Meerman, Victor Cal. Sustaining Plants and People: Traditional Q’eqchi’ Maya Botanical Knowledge and Interactive Spatial Modeling in Prioritizing Conservation of Medicinal Plants for Culturally Relative Holistic Health Promotion. EcoHealth. 2009; 6 (1):79-90.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Todd Pesek; Marc Abramiuk; Denis Garagic; Nick Fini; Jan Meerman; Victor Cal. 2009. "Sustaining Plants and People: Traditional Q’eqchi’ Maya Botanical Knowledge and Interactive Spatial Modeling in Prioritizing Conservation of Medicinal Plants for Culturally Relative Holistic Health Promotion." EcoHealth 6, no. 1: 79-90.

Journal article
Published: 24 May 2006 in EcoHealth
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The health and wellness of an individual are reliant on the integrated effects of mind, body, and spirit. This triad is intricately set within a backdrop of the environment, our earth. Western cultures often disregard this holism, especially this fourth component, in its considerations of wellness as described by modern medicine. This practice is unlike that of many of the traditional cultures in the world. These cultures focus more on balance in the context of environmental respect. Varied cultures share remarkable similarities in their healing modalities, especially considering the relative isolation from one to another—evidence that there is truth to the healing knowledge they possess. We are not disconnected from the natural world in terms of health, but dependent and interconnected within ourselves and to everything around us. Social change is required to assure that the practice of modern medicine evolves to incorporate this integral aspect of health and wellness, and this can be done through partnerships with traditional healers.

ACS Style

Todd J. Pesek; Lonnie R. Helton; Murali Nair. Healing across Cultures: Learning from Traditions. EcoHealth 2006, 3, 114 -118.

AMA Style

Todd J. Pesek, Lonnie R. Helton, Murali Nair. Healing across Cultures: Learning from Traditions. EcoHealth. 2006; 3 (2):114-118.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Todd J. Pesek; Lonnie R. Helton; Murali Nair. 2006. "Healing across Cultures: Learning from Traditions." EcoHealth 3, no. 2: 114-118.