Rebecca Holloway
A Pilot study testing the suitability of a semi-structured interview to find out whether, how and what traditional herbal medicine is passed on in Austria.
Abstract
The objective of this study was to test a semi-structured interview for its suitability in obtaining data about the use and knowledge of traditional herbal medicine in Austria, and whether this is being passed down through families. The aims were to use a literature review to find an appropriate methodology to test, to implement this in a small pilot study, and to analyse the results to ascertain the efficacy of the methods.
It was found that no Austrian study of this kind exists, but smaller geographically isolated studies in Europe use surveys and interviews to collect data. These methods were reviewed and a semi-structured interview was chosen, using three generations of a single Austrian family as the test in the pilot. These interviews were recorded, translated, transcribed, analysed and discussed.
The results supported the hypotheses that the oldest generation would have more depth of experience of herbal medicine than the youngest and that the traditional knowledge of our Elders appears to be dying out.
Issues surrounding transcribing an oral tradition, and learning from “non-academic” but experienced sources were discussed, along with findings from the results. It was recommended that herbalists be encouraged to interview people in their communities to empower them and preserve traditional herbal medicine in Europe.
In conclusion it was found that while this interview technique was valid at gathering relevant and accurate information, a larger study would benefit from refinement of the questions and using multiple interviews with the same subject. This pilot study supports the hypothesis that traditional herbal medicine is being lost, however, larger studies are recommended to confirm this in the wider population and to preserve what little knowledge still remains.
