Common medicinal plant remedy knowledge is transmitted between individuals who are connected through a social network. Although, overall network structure and individuals' positions within a network influence the flow of information and individual access and control over its distribution, very few studies have attempted to describe patterns in individual herbal knowledge using relational variables. This study addressed that issue by focusing on the question: to what extent does individual network position explain variation in herbal knowledge across households in a Yucatec Maya community in Mexico, independent of attribute characteristics of the individual?

A medicinal plant remedy knowledge test was used to calculate individual competence scores using cultural consensus analysis in Tabi, Yucatan Mexico. Whole network data were gathered by asking the participants to identify whom they have asked about medicinal plants from a roster of names of all the participants in the study. Various measures of social position were performed on these data using social network analysis. In addition, to capture information on relevant attribute variables, structured interviews were carried out with all participants.

Individual medicinal plant competence scores were positively correlated with age, number of years living in Tabi, and two positional network variables (in-degree and in-closeness) and negatively correlated with number of years completed in school and scores that indicated a relatively modern lifestyle. In addition, nonliterate individuals had higher competence scores than literate individuals. A multiple regression analysis revealed that only age was correlated with individual competence scores after controlling for all other variables. The sample was then divided into two age cohorts and the relationship between age, in-degree, and competence scores was tested within the two age groups. There was a positive correlation between age and competence score for individuals 45 and under and no relationship for individuals 46 and older. There was no relationship between in-degree and competence scores for individuals 50 and under and a positive correlation between those 51 and older. These findings and ethnographic data suggest that individuals tend to accumulate medicinal plant knowledge while they are rearing their children and after their children are grown they become disseminators of the knowledge.