Address Leonti 2022

[CWWhitney]

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35066067/

"These indices are claimed to serve as a proxy for efficacy or drug discovery (Fidelity Level 'FL') and to show the importance of botanical drugs and plants used as medicines (Relative Importance 'RI', Use Value 'UV' or Cultural Importance Index 'CI', Cultural Value Index 'CV', Relative Frequency of Citation 'RFC'). This is, however, doubtful, as these indices have not been developed by statisticians, nor by pharmacologists while a proof of concept is lacking. Moreover, the question whether a simple number can summarize the cultural value or importance of plants is not only mathematical but also epistemological."

A paper that

• addresses the critiques,
• explains the revisions
• provides empirical evidence supporting the revised methods
• addresses the epistemological concerns i.e. limitations of quantifying cultural values (the indices provide useful proxies, they are not definitive measures of cultural importance)