Select Global Immune-Boosting Plants Used in Folklore Medicine

There are numerous foods and herbal plants that boost the immune system. They stimulate the activity of cells responsible for fighting infections. In fact, over centuries, people have relied on herbs and other plants for treating medical conditions and boosting immunity. Considering the worldwide coronavirus pandemic, natural immune boosters are being sought after in the current war against this viral infection. Most likely, immune-boosting plants help human health by tackling viruses, bacteria, and abnormal cells in the form of prevention, to support and strengthen the body's natural immune system. In this chapter, we review several terrestrial species and plants from various sources including China, India, Europe, and Africa, which have long folklore use, and we provide information on the chemistry and biological activity where available. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2022.

COVID-19 Vaccination and Ukrainians: Myths, Memes and Narratives

The paper deals with human cultural stereotypes embedded in mythological consciousness, which have influenced the formation of fear of vaccination against COVID-19. The material was collected in Ukraine in the period from September 2021 to January 2022. By analysing oral narratives and comments from social media users, the authors demonstrate the cultural mechanisms of fear of vaccination, specifically fear of death and fear of metamorphosis, and how they can be overcome. The profusion of memes, anecdotes, and jokes that people read and shared on social media or told each other became a way of overcoming collective fear. Nowadays, not only oral tradition but also social media can constitute a source for studying cultural stereotypes. A folkloristic and culturally anthropological perspective on the fear of vaccination allows us to trace folkloristic phenomena back to our everyday lives and to see folklore as a living, dynamic process that has become part of human culture. © 2022 The Institute of Ethnology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, v.v.i.. All rights reserved.

Enhancing communicative competence in English second language classrooms through traditional storytelling

This paper aimed to explore the use of traditional stories as a tool to facilitate and enhance communicative competence in English Second Language (ESL) classrooms. The sudden switch from in-person to online instruction during COVID-19 caused a decline in communicative activities, including traditional storytelling. Any language program should aim to generate learners who are proficient in communication. According to research, even learners with low motivation and poor academic skills are more inclined to listen and put much effort into the narrative setting. This paper is grounded on Gardener's Multiple Intelligences Theory, which challenges the traditional view of the Intelligent Quotient Theory and enables teachers to take a renewed look at other views about learning development. This study adopted an interpretive paradigm entrenched in a qualitative approach using a case study design. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from 5 conveniently selected Grade 6 teachers. Content analysis was used to analyse data. Findings revealed that (i) learners are not engaged in traditional storytelling in schools and (ii) a lack of recordings of traditional stories. The lack of traditional storytelling in schools denies learners opportunities to share their cultural knowledge and values. This paper recommends that traditional stories be included in the school curriculum to improve learners ' communication skills. Furthermore, traditional storytelling can act as a vehicle for restoring the learners' culture.

The Pandemic Play Project-Documenting kids' culture during COVID-19

The Pandemic Play Project came about because of a moment in history shared by people around the globe, coupled with a recognition of the importance of play in children's lives. This project explored the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the play lives of Australian children. Because of coronavirus restrictions, it was carried out almost entirely online, during one of the longest and strictest lockdowns in the world. In 2020, some Australian children spent more time in lockdown than at school with their friends. This highlighted differences in play opportunities, based on where they lived. It also revealed the creative efforts that enabled children to stay playful at home during lockdown. In schoolyards around Australia, the coronavirus permeated children's play as they adapted their games, rhymes and songs to this new theme, and played according to new rules that were not of their own making, and therefore outside their control. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

A Sense of Urgency in 2023: A New Iceberg Awaits Us

KEYWORDS healthcare systems;nursing eduction;nursing shortage;leadership From my vantage point as a senior academic leader and manager in a college of nursing in an academic health science center, I recently read Our Iceberg Is Melting (Kotter & Rathgeber, 2006) as part of preparing for an administrative retreat. Budgeting is centralized, and nursing staff are considered to be a cost center. Because of the shortage of nurses who are qualified and willing to work in current inpatient systems, much of the conversation has turned to short-term solutions, including traveling nurses and other contingent workers. Decades of research provide data that lead to two major, modifiable dynamics that have contributed to fragmentation and lack of institutional commitment by nurses: poor workplace conditions and inadequate and inflexible staffing models.

Reencountering Chinese Restaurant Legends During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Along with the wide spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in the world, anti-Asian-especially anti-Chinese-incidents have risen rapidly, particularly in the United States. This article intends to relate current narratives to established oral tradition and argue for the role that traditional knowledge plays in cross-cultural encounters and contexts. The findings suggest that one strategy to achieve social and interracial integrity is to encourage more intercultural interactions between different groups and to challenge stereotyped ethnic boundaries.

The administrative grotesquerie of pandemic revanchism: propag(and)ating COVID-19 and the operational banalities of alt-health

This paper addresses U.S. pandemic-related propaganda, as a mode of administering society, selves, and the COVID-19 virus relevant to other national contexts. The paper examines what I call pandemic revanchism, which, in order to stoke U.S. culture wars, propag(and)ates the COVID-19 epidemic by sensationalizing the trivial and normalizing the extraordinary or absurd. Banal forms of administrative grotesquerie mobilize a community of alt-health (non)sense and tie freedom to a viral and literally infectious resentment and retaliatory collateral mortality. The paper first develops the framework of FOOB (‘folklore of operational banality') to scrutinize how ordinary health/medical administration and reactionary power relations alike level sense and non-sense. It then offers a performative analysis that shows human geographies of routinized anti-establishment refusal and conspiratorial organizing related to the pandemic. The FOOB approach refuses to simply admonish pandemic revanchism and, instead, tracks how this form of administration consolidates social terrains and quotidian online activity. The analysis seeks to level criticism in a way that undermines social division. It does so by remaining open to reasonable doubts about biomedicalization that are swept up in alt-health and pandemic-related propaganda, and by foregrounding how policy, affect, and storylines routinize extremisms within the American public terrain. © 2023 Swedish Society for Anthropology and Geography.

Discovery of Potential Inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) Main Protease (Mpro) from Nigella Sativa (Black Seed) by Molecular Docking Study

Purpose: A new human coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), triggering pneumonia, is termed as Coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19). There is an alarming situation now as this new virus is spreading around the world. At present, there are no specific treatments for COVID-19. Nigella sativa is known as Prophetic Medicine as its use has been mentioned in Prophetic Hadith, as a natural remedy for all the diseases except death. Seeds and oils of N. sativa have a long history of folklore usage in various systems of medicine such as Unani and Tibb, Ayurveda and Siddha in the treatment of different diseases and ailments. The aim of this research is to provide a potential inhibitor of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro. Method(s): The Molecular docking tool was used to optimize the binding affinities of chemical constituents of N. sativa with SARS-CoV-2 Mpro. Result(s): Many constituents from N. Sativa have shown better binding affinity than reported drugs with SARS-CoV-2 Mpro i.e., the alpha-hederin, Stigmasterol glucoside, Nigellidine-4-O-sulfite, Nigellidine, Sterol-3-beta-D-glucoside, Dithymoquinone, beta-sitosterol have binding affinities (kcal/mol) of-9,-8.1,-8,-7.7,-7.7,-7.4,-7.4, and-6.9 and number of hydrogen bonds formed are 06, 04, 03, 03, 03, 00, and 01, respectively. Conclusion(s): There is rationale and pre-clinical evidence of the effectiveness of N. Sativa that it may be helpful for the treatment of COVID-19 and can serve as a potential natural candidate. However, more studies should be conducted to collect high-quality data and scientific evidence of N. Sativa to use it against COVID-19 clinically.Copyright © 2021 Bentham Science Publishers.

Introduction: In Search of Hope amid Despair in Folklore of Epidemics

Facing the outbreak of an unprecedented pandemic, along with a disturbing sociopolitical environment, folklorists should and can reflect upon what we have done within our discipline and what we can contribute to the discourse and public understanding of such realities with folkloristic perspectives. This introduction intends to define the study of folklore of epidemics as a new research area, building upon the studies of disaster folklore and ethnic minority folklore. It also discusses issues of marginalization, minoritization, and invisibility in folklore studies as a reflection of systemic racism in folkloristics as well as in broader society where the victimization of minorities and low-income class during the COVID-19 pandemic has been ultimately exposed.

Chinese Tales of Epidemics: In Search of Hope amid Despair

Tales (gushi in Chinese, including all narrative genres) are like living fossils-preserving not only historical events in general, but also behaviors and beliefs in specific places and in specific cultural groups. Therefore, Chinese tales of epidemics reveal fundamental beliefs in and life-views toward not only epidemics, but also the meaning of living a life. The three parts in this paper are intended to tell a long story: first providing some basic terms and concepts related to epidemics;second presenting, for the first time in English, seven tales spanning a two-millennia history up to the present day which show the struggles between the human and the god/ghost/wu-shaman of epidemics;and, finally, offering some reflections upon the realities we are facing in the current COVID-19 pandemic.1

The Return to Craft: Taylor Swift, Nostalgia, and Covid-19

What I term "the return to craft” is a distillation of a pervasive phenomenon–the nostalgic, folk esthetic of contemporary Western society that has arisen partly in response to the Covid-19 pandemic but also to neoliberalism and climate change. It arises as a reaction to turmoil, offering the comfort of an imagined past, a tangible tactility, and a reconnection with the "old ways,” with nature, and the wild. In this paper, I explore the return to craft as a societal search for foundations via a case-study of its most commercially successful lockdown output, Taylor Swift's folklore (2020). © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Isolation of bio-molecule Baicalein (5, 6, 7-Trihydroxy flavone) from root of Oroxylum indicum L. Vent and its prospective interaction with COVID-19 Viral S-Protein Receptor Binding Domain

Newly emerged COVID-19 performs its activity through spike protein receptor binding domain (RBD). A strong competitive binding on this site can inhibit the COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) activity against host cells. A significant plant bioactive molecule, Baicalein (5,6,7-Trihydroxyflavone), has noteworthy effects on viral S protein. The biomolecule was isolated from an endangered medicinal tree Oroxylum indicum L. Vent. Therapeutic use various parts of Oroxylum have been mentioned in ancient literature, Ayurveda and is also being used a folklore medicine in many tribal areas of India. Molecular docking has been applied to screen the binding pattern and bond strength of biomolecule with ten amino acids. The binding site was defined with site findder algorithm. The residues were found Arg403, Glu406, Lys417, Tyr453, Ser494, Tyr495, Gly496, Phe497, Asn501, Tyr505. The biomolecule Baicalein showed effective binding capacity towards active site residues of SARS-CoV-2 spike receptor-binding domain. It was found to have a strong binding affinity with RBD of S-protein of viral residues with high negative binding free energy (-12.5545 kcal/mol). Such competitive interruption of hydrogen bond formation between the viral S-protein and biomolecules' active sites would inhibit the potency of COVID-19 infectivity. Copyright © RJPT All right reserved.

COVID-19 u humanističkoj perspektivi

Zbornik pod naslovom COVID-19 u humanističkoj perspektivi objavio je 2022. godine Institut za etnologiju i folkloristiku kao dio biblioteke Nova etnografija i sadrži 26 članaka od 29 autorica i autora na više od 650 stranica. Prije preporuke za čitanje i navodenja pet jako dobrih razloga da zbornik pročitamo baš svi, treba naglasiti da je specifična vrijednost zbornika i u tome da je uspio uhvatiti i prikazati taj lokalni, nacionalni, regionalni, državno-specifičan kontekst prvenstveno Hrvatske - kirurškom preciznošću, onako kako to samo etnolozi i antropolozi znaju - ali u suptilnoj komparaciji sa Srbijom i Slovenijom. Prvi, dakle, od pet razloga je taj što se u prikupljenim člancima ne radi o brzom objavljivanju snap i instant znanja, već o dubinskim uvidima. Drugi dobar razlog jest taj što je ovaj zbornik uistinu kronika jedne katastrofe i kao takva, dokumentirajući, ali i interpretirajući, bit će relevantna i za pet ili za sedam stoljeća. Četvrti razlog je što uvidi u pojedinim člancima mogu poslužiti i kao osobna utjeha za sve nas koji smo bili u nekoj od opisanih situacija ili u više njih - udaljena smrt najbližih, nemogućnost zarade, spajanje rada od kuće s brigom o djeci, ukućanima, brigom o starijima, život u staračkim domovima iza "razapete žice" - a u kojima se možda nismo najbolje snašli.

Siromaštvo. Mrlja na savjesti čovječanstva. Prikaz okvira i mogućnosti suzbijanja siromaštva u RH

Prikaz okvira i mogućnosti suzbijanja siromaštva u RH, Udruga MoSt, Split, 2020., 77 str Pandemija bolesti COVID-19 paralizirala je svijet. Prikaz okvira i mogućnosti suzbijanja siromaštva u RH, kako se i u njezinu uvodu navodi, "sadrži kompilaciju različitih tekstova, zapisa, istraživanja strategija i primjera dobre prakse te donosi prikaz rada institucija, ustanova, akademske zajednice, organizacija civilnog društva i gradanskih inicijativa koje individualno ili u okviru mreža čine iskorake i promiču inovativne pristupe u području suzbijanja siromaštva". Nakon uvodnog dijela slijedi poglavlje o siromaštvu - o njegovim pojmovnim odrednicama i provedenim istraživanjima u Hrvatskoj o pokazateljima siromaštva, ranjivim skupinama u riziku od siromaštva s opisom sustava socijalne skrbi RH. Prema analizama socijalnih programa vidljivo je kako je u gradu Zagrebu razina siromaštva niža nego u ostalim dijelovima Hrvatske, a pritom se ipak izdvajaju veći iznosi za socijalne programe koji su sadržajniji i cjelovitiji. Prihvaćanje zbilje u kojoj sve veći broj ljudi oko nas živi na rubu siromaštva nije i ne bi smjelo biti u skladu s ljudskom prirodom, s humanošću koja treba biti osnovni princip djelovanja u današnjem svijetu izazova i nedaća za koje smo u većini slučajeva sami krivi i odgovorni.

Contemporary Lithuanian Musical Folklore Releases: Widening the Experiences

The article reviews the tendencies of contemporary musical folklore releases in Lithuania, focusing on the last five years. Based on scientific and journalistic lit-erature, music, and conversations with authors and label owners, the experiential aspect is explored through different ways of creating and releasing music. The period overlaps with the extreme experience of the COVID-19 pandemic, which had impact on some of the tendencies. The article discusses the musical works that best reveal the mentioned aspects and their scope, while using phenomeno-logical-anthropological and musicological approaches. © 2022, Institute of Musicology of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SASA). All rights reserved.

Editors' Introduction

Observing how Obeah, blues music, bird motifs, and ritual recur in the narrative, Ingram argues that folklore works to "crystallize the recursive nature of time and trauma by inserting into the text elements that bring a shared past forward into the present and that press at the limits of place and knowledge." [...]Japanese Maples at Thanksgiving" reflects Gilbert Allen's take on how the tree's unique beauty connects with the heartbreaking innocence of youth. [...]we offer three excellent book reviews.

Es war einmal ein Virus?

Seit den ersten bekannt gewordenen Fällen von SARS CoV-2 verbreitete sich das Virus wellenförmig über die ganze Welt. Mit ihm ging auch eine Flut von Erzählungen unterschiedlicher Art viral. Der Beitrag beabsichtigt nicht, einen Überblick über dieses mittlerweile schwer zu überblickende Material zu geben;er versucht stattdessen, das Potential einer sich als kritische Gesellschaftsanalyse verstehenden Erzählforschung in der Auseinandersetzung mit der Pandemie vorzuführen. Dazu werden zunächst die gesellschaftlichen Rahmenbedingungen und mit ihnen verknüpften Diskurse in den Blick genommen. Von da aus frage ich nach unterschiedlich gelagerten Erzählkomplexen, die diesen Rahmenbedingungen und Diskursen entwachsen. Drei davon werden exemplarisch näher betrachtet: Erzählungen können erstens als Ausdruck kollektiver Vorurteile oder Ventil diffuser Ängste gelesen werden;sie können zweitens symbolischer Ausdruck von Spaltungstendenzen innerhalb einer Gesellschaft sein, oder aber drittens machtvolle Instrumente von Großmachtinteressen. Alle drei Ebenen spielen letztlich ineinander bzw. treffen auf der Ebene des alltäglichen Erzählens aufeinander. Wir haben es hier mit einem komplexen, wechselseitigen Beziehungsgefüge zwischen einem Krankheitserreger, den darüber kursierenden Erzählungen und der mit beiden konfrontierten Gesellschaft zu tun.Alternate :Since the first cases of SARS CoV-2 emerged, the virus has spread in waves all over the world. As an involuntary by-product a flood of different stories went viral. This article does not intend to provide an overview of this elusive material of rumors, conspiracy theories, jokes and so on. Rather it tries to demonstrate the potential of narrative research, seeing itself as critical social analysis, in dealing with the pandemic. To this end, the social framework of the pandemic and the discourses linked to them will first be examined. From there I will investigate different narrative complexes growing out of these framework conditions and discourses. Three of them will be examined in closer detail: Stories can firstly be read as an expression of collective prejudices or as an outlet for diffuse fears;secondly, they can be a symbolic expression of tendencies towards cleavage within a society or, thirdly, they can be powerful instruments at the highest level of international politics. All three levels ultimately interact or meet in everyday storytelling. We are dealing here with a complex, mutual relationship between a virus, the stories circulating about it and the society confronted with both.

Vaccine Hesitancy Counter Memes

This essay is part of a forum that includes Tom Mould's article "Counter Memes and Anti-Legends in Online Welfare Discourse" (2022) and response essays published in this issue ("Memes and Representations of Race: An Analysis of Historical Representations of Welfare" by Mia Moody-Ramirez and "In a Land of Venn Diagrams: Reflections on Anti-Fans and Counter Memes, Trolls and Anti-Legends" by Whitney Phillips).