Ilker Ugulu

Fidelity Level and Knowledge of Medicinal Plants Used to Make Therapeutic Turkish Baths

Abstract The value and importance of indigenous knowledge are now being increasingly acknowledged all over the world. For this reason, the aims of this study is not only to identify the medicinal plants used for Therapeutic Turkish Baths by local people of various areas in Turkey, but also to draw attention to the traditional knowledge that is in danger of being lost. In this study, a total of 105 people from twenty-one provinces (N=5) were interviewed. Information was gathered through scientifically guided questionnaires, interviews and general conversations and fidelity level (FL) of species were determined. According to the results of the identification, 42 plants are being used to make Therapeutic Turkish Baths for medicinal purposes in Turkey. Among them 29 plants are wild and 13 plants are cultivated plants. Most used families were Lamiaceae, Asteraceae, Fabaceae, Malvaceaeand Poaceae. The category that has the highest FL value is Cucumis sativus(100%) followed by Rosmarinus officinalis(93%). The lowest is Thymus vulgaris(32%). The data obtained from our informants and analyses in the present paper clearly show that folk knowledge on medicinal plants and plant uses is still alive in the studied region.

Medicinal Plants Used for Gastrointestinal Disorders in Some Districts of Izmir Province, Turkey

Abstract This study was carried out in order to determine which plants and the ways in which these plants are used for the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders among the people of some districts of Izmir province, located in the Western Anatolian part of Turkey. Field study was carried out over a period of approximately three years (2009-2011). During the field trips, the information was collected through interviews, including various data obtained from local healers and traditional medicine men, herbalists, shepherds, patients and elderly persons. In addition, informant consensus factor (Fic) values were calculated for the medicinal plants included in the study. A total of 33 plants belonging to 25 families were documented for their therapeutic use against gastrointestinal disorders. Further analysis on the families of medicinal plants that are used against gastrointestinal disorders has shown that family Lamiaceae is represented by the highest number of species. Also, it was determined that gastrointestinal system ailments for which the folk medicinal plants are mostly used, are as follows: constipation, diarrhea, gastritis and ulcer, intestinal winds, nausea, gastralgia and indigestion. Informant consensus of medicinal plant usage within Izmir resulted in Fic values between 0.56 and 0.84 per gastrointestinal disorder category. This study showed that plants are actively used for the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders in the area of Izmir.

Determination of Heavy Metal Accumulation in Plant Samples by Spectrometric Techniques in Turkey

Abstract: Heavy metals are significant and extremely persistent environmental pollutants and their toxicity is a problem of increasing significance for ecological, nutritional, and environmental reasons. Biomonitoring methods are gaining more importance because they allow for prediction, detection, and control of potential environmental hazards caused by heavy metal pollution. The objective of the present study was to collect and analyze research on heavy metal accumulation in plant samples using spectrometric detection techniques in Turkey published between 2003 and 2013. Five main criteria were predetermined to limit the study and better portray the studies on heavy metal accumulation using plant samples in Turkey. These criteria were as follows: studies aiming to determine heavy metal accumulation levels, studies sampling plant species growing at various localities in Turkey, studies using spectrometric detection techniques, studies published as journal articles, and studies undertaken between 2003 and 2013. Consequently, 47 studies that satisfied all criteria were considered and selected for this investigation. A content analysis method was used for the review and analysis of the selected studies. The results of the review analysis were grouped under three categories and the findings obtained in this scope were presented.

The determination and fidelity level of medicinal plants used to make traditional Turkish salves.

OBJECTIVE This study has been done in order to identify plants that were used to make traditional Turkish salves between 2007 and 2008. MATERIALS AND METHODS During the step of identification of plants, the informants from different cities of Turkey were asked questions about the salves they have made and which plants and materials they have used. In this study, a total of 105 people from 21 provinces (N = 5 each province) were interviewed. Information was gathered through scientifically guided questionnaires, interviews, and general conversations, and fidelity level (FL) of species was determined. RESULTS According to the results of the identification, 68 plants are being used to make Traditional Turkish Salves for medicinal purposes in Turkey. Among them, 61 plants are wild and 7 plants are cultivated plants. Most used families were Asteraceae, Apiaceae, Lamiaceae, Liliaceae, and Rosaceae. Urtica dioica (100%) has the highest FL and Lawsonia inermis (33%) has the lowest. CONCLUSIONS The data provided from our informants and analyzed in the present article clearly show that folk knowledge on medicinal plants and plant uses is still alive in the studied region.

High School S tudents' Environmental Attitude: Scale Development and Validation

Abstract This study aimed to develop a valid and reliable instrument to be used for measuring high school students’ attitudes toward environment and its applications. Data gathered from 350 high school students provided evidence for the validity and reliability of the new instrument which consists of 35 attitude items on a four point Likert type scale. Results of the factor analysis with varimax rotation showed that, items constituting Environmental Attitude Scale (EAS) grouped under four subscales: (1) Environmental awareness; (2) Attitudes towards recovery; (3) Attitudes towards recycling; (4) Environmental consciousness and behavior. Each environmental attitude item had a factor loading of at least 0.40 with its own scale. The alpha reliability coefficient for the subscales ranged from 0.70 to 0.84. According to these findings, the EAS is a valid and reliable instrument that can be used in the field of environmental and science education.

Heavy metal accumulation in the bark and leaves of Juglans regia planted in Artvin City, Turkey.

The aim of this study was to determine the level of heavy metals such as copper, iron, manganese, zinc, lead, nickel, cadmium and chromium concentrated in Juglans regia bark and leaf samples from different localities in Artvin, Turkey. Analysis of the heavy metals Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn, Pb, Ni, Cd and Cr in samples was carried out by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP–OES; Perkin Elmer, Optima 8000 DV). Statistical significance was determined by analysis of variance (ANOVA). The comparisons were performed in order to determine whether there were any differences between J. regia bark and leaf samples in terms of average heavy metal accumulation levels. As a result of this study, the following mean concentrations were determined for J. regia bark samples: the contents of Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn, Pb, Ni, Cd and Cr (μg g−1, dry weight) ranged from 72.46 to 88.14, 14.40 to 628.0, 0.896 to 67.71, 7.000 to 28.52, 0.040 to 0.905, 1.031 to 2.744, 0.011 to 0.158 and 1.192 to 3.134, respectively. On the other hand, for J. regia leaf samples, the contents of Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn, Pb, Ni, Cd and Cr (μg g−1, dry weight) ranged from 0.339 to 13.80, 12.72 to 698.2, 1.001 to 204.6, 7.362 to 56.03, 0.158 to 0.665, 0.130 to 2.744, 0.041 to 0.114 and 0.508 to 2.767, respectively. In the statistical analysis, heavy metal accumulation values of J. regia bark and leaf samples for Cu, Ni and Cr were significantly different (P < 0.05).

The Determination of Colour Intensity of Rubia Tinctorum and Chrozophora Tinctoria Distributed in Western Anatolia

ABSTRACT The aim of this study is to determinate the colour intensity of Rubia tinctorum L., Rubiaceae (dyers madder) and Chrozophora tinctoria (L.) A. Juss., Euphorbiaceae (dyers croton). Rubia tinctorum and Chorozophora tinctoria distributed widely in our study area of West Anatolia were used as the research materials in our study because of their dye value. Aboveground parts of C. tinctoria and underground parts of R. tinctorum were collected from different localities in Western Anatolia for determining their colour intensity on wool. After a few procedures, the colour intensity of specimens was determined by DC 3881 Datacolor spectrophotometer and evaluation made by Kubelka-Munk equality. According to the results of the measurements; the highest and the lowest colour intensity of R. tinctorum were as 28.07 and 11.01, respectively, and the same values for C. tinctoria were 6.40 and 3.21, respectively.

Development and validation of an instrument for assessing attitudes of high school students about recycling

Recycling and its applications are growing significantly due to the great potential for solving a range of environmental problems in society. Nevertheless, there are currently very few instruments that can provide valid and reliable data on students’ attitudes toward recycling. In this regard, this article focuses on the development and validation of Recycling Attitude Scale (RAS). The items in the RAS were developed initially from the responses to three open-ended items by 53 tenth and eleventh grade students and literature review on recycling attitude. This initial form was pilot tested with 356 tenth and eleventh grade students and then subjected to exploratory factor analysis. Subsequently, the revised version of the scale was administrated to 694 tenth grade students, and the results were subjected to confirmatory factor analysis and reliability analysis. The RAS consists of 21 items in three subscales, with responses recorded on a four-point Likert scale, options ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree. Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficient (α) of the scale was found to be .87. The results indicate that the RAS a potentially valuable tool for both instructors and researchers in Turkey for the assessment of the attitudes toward recycling held by students in secondary education.

Development and Validation of an Instrument to Measure University Students' Attitudes toward Traditional Knowledge

Abstract Traditional knowledge includes intellectual inventories of local biological resources, animal breeds, and local plant species. This knowledge has been used for centuries by indigenous and local communities under local customs and traditions. Attitudes toward traditional knowledge are very important to the development, transmission and transformation of this knowledge. An extensive review of the literature on attitude toward traditional knowledge research also indicated that there are no instrument that can provide valid and reliable data on students’ attitudes toward traditional knowledge. For this reason, this study deals with the development and validation of an attitude scale toward traditional knowledge. Data gathered from 396 university students provided evidence for the validity and reliability of the new instrument which consists of 17 attitude items on a four point likert type scale. Detailed information on development and validation process of the instrument is provided. It is believed that the instrument will serve as a valuable tool for both instructors and researchers in environmental education, ecology and ethnobotany to assess students’ attitudes toward traditional knowledge.

A quantitative investigation on recycling attitudes of gifted/talented students

Uncontrolled industrialization process since nineteenth century and the trend towards consumer society have resulted in an enormous amount of waste materials. As a result of this problem, management and safe removal of urban waste has become one of the most important environmental issues of today. Recycling projects that have been developed to solve this problem will reduce waste materials, recycle discarded materials and save energy, money and time. Therefore, recycling applications and related researches are significantly growing due to their enormous potential to solve many environmental problems of society. In this perspective, the aim of this study was to determine the recycling attitude levels of gifted/talented students. Also, gifted/talented students’ recycling attitude levels was compared according to some independent variables, such as age, gender and grade. For these purposes, single scan model was performed in the present research. As a means of data collection, Recycling Attitude Scale (RAS) and the personal information form were used. The RAS was applied to 122 gifted students enrolling in Science and Art Center in Manisa Province of Turkey in 2012–2013 academic years. Gifted/talented students’ ages ranged from 10 to 13 and, also, the 11-year-old candidates, who participated in the study, were majority. Statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS 17.00) programme was utilized to analyse the obtained data. The analysis results showed that gifted and talented students had fairly well recycling attitude level and there were no significant difference between gifted and talented students in terms of gender, age and class.