Abstract:

Yoruks, one of the significant building blocks of the Turkish Society, integrate themselves with the nature because of their social life. Accordingly, they use the plants and herbs both for feeding their animals and for their health, as they know the species in nature well. As treatment methods, they use various mixtures which are produced in different ways and are prepared from the various parts of the plants such as roots, shells, seeds, resin and flowers. Those sometimes may be some plant-derived pomade or mushroom powder or treated resin. Especially, “püse”, a resin based important material used in almost all areas of treatment, is available in all Yoruk houses. Daphne extract, which is locally known as “tehnel yağı”, and which is not used as much as “püse”, is also used for the treatment of various illnesses by the Yoruks living on the coastline. For the treatment of the illnesses, they benefit from wild animals besides domestic animals. Honey, eggs, milk, butter, animal skins and fat are the major remarkable materials used in treatment. The Yoruks, also, apply different methods mostly based on plants and herbs in order to have a baby or to finish pregnancy. They have a shower by using plants and herbs added water in order to clean and feed their skins. They, besides, use different applications to flatten their babies’ heads in order to be seen physically well. Based on all these, the Yoruks having a large amount of knowledge and experience on folk medicine convey all these skills, learnt by experience in years, from far away. In this regard, rather than intangible terms like “urasa” the study refers to Yoruks’ physical treatment materials which may provide data to medicine and drug studies.

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