Table 3.
Number of medicinal species used in each category of disease for the three groups
| Categories of disease | Afrocaribeans | Amerindians | Mestizos |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of species | |||
| Infectious and parasitic diseases (diarrhea, intestinal parasites, thrush) | 47 | 83 | 23 |
| Symptoms, signs and abnormal findings (headache, fever, itching) | 46 | 82 | 32 |
| Diseases of the digestive system (stomach cramps, flatulence, gastritis) | 41 | 82 | 40 |
| Diseases of the respiratory system (asthma, flu, cough) | 31 | 53 | 48 |
| Diseases of the genitourinary system (urinary infections, kidney stones, inflammation of ovaries) | 28 | 39 | 28 |
| Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes (wound, poisoning, scorpion stings, snake bite) | 24 | 23 | 4 |
| Diseases of the skin and subcutaneous tissue (boils, abscesses, sores). | 23 | 49 | 12 |
| Diseases of the circulatory system (hypertension, heart palpitations, circulatory problems) | 23 | 4 | 19 |
| Diseases of the musculoskeletal system (fractures, back pain, inflammation blow) | 21 | 24 | 6 |
| Diseases of the nervous system (attacks of nerves, hysteria, epilepsy) | 8 | 11 | 14 |
| Diseases of the ear and mastoid process (earache) | 4 | 12 | 3 |
| Endocrinal, nutritional and metabolic diseases (anemia, uric acid, diabetes) | 2 | 12 | 2 |
| Pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium (birth complications, retained placenta, lack of milk). | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Diseases of the eye and adnexa (burning eyes, fleshy eye, eye irritation) | 0 | 5 | 1 |
Listed between brackets are 3 examples of ailments we recorded in each category.