Eco-pharmacopoeia, Animal, and Plant Lore in Selected Malawian Folktales

This paper is a content analysis of animal and plant lore in 
selected Malawian folktales. Although folktales use animals and 
plants as metaphorical constructs, their utilization by humans for 
medicinal and cathartic purposes provides fertile ground for the 
interconnectedness between humans and other organisms in the 
ecosystem. Animals and plants are sources of therapy and catharsis 
for the health of human communities. The paper argues that the use 
of animal and plant lore in indigenous eco-pharmacopoeia reflects 
the people’s cosmovision. This cosmovision mirrors the 
interconnectedness between the spiritual and physical environments. 
Folktales offer a platform for the contemplation of the people’s 
environmental embeddedness.