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CMKb: a web-based prototype for integrating Australian Aboriginal customary medicinal plant knowledge
Jitendra Gaikwad1, Varun Khanna, Subramanyam Vemulpad
1Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia. jgaikwad@cbms.mq.edu.au
BMC Bioinformatics
|December 19, 2008
Summary
Australian Aboriginal customary medicinal plant knowledge is being lost. The Customary Medicinal Knowledgebase (CMKb) is a new online resource to document and conserve this vital ethnobotanical information.
Area of Science:
- Ethnobotany
- Chemoinformatics
- Biodiversity Conservation
Background:
- Australian Aboriginal customary medicinal plant knowledge is a valuable but endangered resource.
- Information is fragmented across literature, data formats, and diverse Aboriginal communities.
- Loss of biodiversity and cultural impact threaten this ancient knowledge.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop an integrated, multidisciplinary resource for documenting, conserving, and disseminating customary medicinal plant knowledge.
- To create the Customary Medicinal Knowledgebase (CMKb) as a central repository.
- To safeguard this knowledge for future generations.
Main Methods:
- Developed CMKb as an online relational database.
- Integrated data on plant taxonomy, phytochemistry, biogeography, and biological activities.
- Included images and chemoinformatics tools for molecular analysis.
Main Results:
- CMKb provides a centralized platform for accessing and analyzing customary medicinal plant data.
- The database links species information to external resources like ITIS, NCBI Taxonomy, and PubChem.
- Functional modules allow for molecular editing and visualization of bioactive compounds.
Conclusions:
- CMKb is a prototype resource for documenting and analyzing Australian customary medicinal plant data.
- Facilitates user-defined complex queries and integration with external biodiversity databases.
- Serves as a crucial tool for conservation, ethnobotanical research, and drug discovery.
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