Medicinal herbs for the treatment of rheumatic disorders—A survey of European herbals from the 16th and 17th century

Ethnopharmacological relevance

From the 16th up into the 18th century botanical and medicinal knowledge in Europe was documented and spread in magnificently illustrated herbals. For the most part modern science has neglected this source of knowledge and old remedies have not been systematically evaluated pharmacologically.

Aim of the study

Rheumatic disorders and chronic inflammatory and degenerative diseases of the musculoskeletal system were chosen in an attempt to discuss remedies described in the old herbals in the viewpoint of modern science.

Materials and methods

Five of the most important European herbals of the 16th and 17th century were searched for terms related to rheumatic diseases, and plants and recipes described for their treatment. An extensive search of the scientific data banks Medline and SciFinder scholar was done to find recent results concerning the phytochemistry and possible antiphlogistic activities of the plants.

Results

Sixty-three plants were identified in the herbals for this indication. More than half of them have shown in vitro or in vivo antiphlogistic activities.

Conclusions

European herbals may be a valuable source of information for the selection of plants for focussed screening programmes. Information contained in these herbals should be explored in a systematic manner.     

The use of the local flora in Switzerland: A comparison of past and recent medicinal plant knowledge

Ethnopharmacological relevance

This analysis of documented medicinal plants of the Swiss Flora over the last two millennia provides a rich source of knowledge on earlier uses of plants and use patterns of the local flora. We ask which local plant species were used during different time periods of the last 2000 years and how the numbers of species and the use intensity of specific plant families, growth forms and habitats changed over time.

Materials and methods

Totally 25 herbals from the antiquity, monastic medicine, Renaissance, early modern era and the contemporary time as well as five recent ethnobotanical studies were considered. Use patterns were analysed with the Bayesian approach.

Results

A total of 768 species, i.e. 32% of the vascular plants of the Swiss Flora have been documented as medicinal plants. Numbers increase until the monastic period (366 spp.) and the Renaissance (476) and remain relatively stable since then (modern and contemporary era: 477). But, 465 formerly documented species do not occur in the ethnobotanical studies and thus seem not to be used any more. Overall, 104 species are documented through all time periods. Archeophytes, trees and forest plants are generally overrepresented in herbals from all time periods while plants from above the timberline are generally underrepresented. Most widely used are the Lamiaceae and Apiaceae.

Conclusion

A constant body of medicinal plant knowledge in Switzerland exists since ancient time. This knowledge was always influenced by knowledge from neighboring countries and no “typical Swiss specialties” seem to exist. Medicinal plants are not randomly chosen from the available flora. Certain species are deliberately introduced others are neglected. This process, which is still ongoing, can be traced back with the help of herbals to the antiquity.     

Ethno-medicinal application of plants in the eastern region of Shimoga district, Karnataka, India

Aim of the study

The present paper aimed to document and study the role of traditional herbal drugs in the treatment of human and veterinary ailments by communities residing in the eastern part of Shimoga district of Karnataka in India and to determine the consensus of informant's knowledge on different category of ailments and fidelity level of plant species in treating particular disease.

Methodology

The ethno-medico-botanical information was collected from herbal healers and knowledgeable elder people residing in 15 randomly selected villages using semi-structured interviews. The data were subjected to informant consensus factor (ICF) and fidelity level (FL) analyses.

Results

Eighty-five plant species of 41 families used to treat 31 human and 10 veterinary ailments were documented. Those medicinal plants which are effective in the treatment of liver complaints category had high ICF (0.77) and the skin diseases and disorders category attracted low ICF (0.12). Certain medicinal plants like Cyclea peltata, Justicia adhatoda, Memecylon umbellatum, Phyllanthus amarus and Tabernaemontana alternifolia were assigned with high degree of FL (100%) value and certain species like Cassia fistula was assigned with very low FL (25%). Some of the noteworthy medicinal uses of plant species in the study area were not reported for such purposes in the previously published literature on ethnobotany.

Conclusion

The local communities residing in eastern part of Shimoga district depended on herbal formulations for the treatment of diseases and disorders that affected them and their animals, as well. A high ICF and FL values indicated the possible occurrence of valuable bioactive compounds in certain plants and such of these plants need scientific evaluation for their pharmacological activities.     

Ethnobotanical survey of antidiarrhoeal plants of Parinche valley,Pune district,Maharashtra, India

Ethnopharmacological relevance

Maharashtra is the third largest state in India with a large tribal population. Documentation of traditional knowledge through ethnobotanical studies is important for conservation and utilization of indigenous knowledge. Diarrhoeal diseases are the second largest cause of morbidity in rural India. Medicinal plants given by the traditional healers of Parinche in Pune district, Maharashtra are known to be efficacious for many common ailments, including diarrhoeal diseases.

Aim of the study

Ethnobotanical survey of antidiarrhoeal plants from Parinche valley towards the documentation and conservation of traditional knowledge.

Materials and methods

Interviews and inquiries were conducted amongst traditional healers, indigenous communities and village elders.

Results

One hundred and eighty two plants used by tribes and natives for different ailments were documented of which 28 flowering plants were for diarrhoea. Leaf was the most preferred plant part. Amongst the 28 plants, antidiarrhoeal activity of five plants viz., Caesalpinia sepiaria, Dioscorea pentaphylla, Launaea pinnatifida, Syzygium rubicundum and Ziziphus jujuba has not been reported previously. Two species viz., Ziziphus xylopyra and Syzygium rubicundum are endemic to India.

Conclusion

Parinche valley is an ethnobotanically rich area with abundant availability and knowledge of medicinal plants that can serve as a model for low cost health care.     

Medicinal plant knowledge and its erosion among the Mien (Yao) in northern Thailand

Ethnopharmacological relevance

We studied local knowledge and actual uses of medicinal plants among the Mien in northern Thailand, documenting traditional medical practices and its transfer between generations.

Aim of the study

With the assumption that discrepancies between knowledge and actual use represent knowledge erosion, we studied whether actual use of medicinal plants corresponded to people's knowledge of such uses.

Materials and methods

We used local knowledge from four specialist informants as the domain for semi-structured interviews with 34 randomly selected non-specialist informants. We calculated informant consensus, use value, and fidelity level for each species and use category and performed statistical analyses with Kolmogorov–Smirnov tests, Pearson correlation coefficient, Spearman's rank correlation coefficient, and paired-sample t-tests.

Results

We found significant discrepancies between knowledge and actual use of medicinal plants. The number of known and actually used plants increased with increasing informant age and decreased with increasing years of formal education.

Conclusions

Medicinal plant knowledge and use in these Mien communities is undergoing inter-generational erosion because of acculturation and interrupted knowledge transmission. Preservation of Mien medicinal plant intellectual heritage requires continued documentation concerning use, conservation, and sustainable management of this resource, which should be publicized to younger Mien.     

Medicinal plant use in two Andean communities located at different altitudes in the Bolívar Province,Peru

Ethnopharmacological relevance

The study documents current medicinal plant knowledge and use in two Andean communities and depicts the dynamic nature of ethnobotanical relationships by illustrating cultural integration of biomedicine and local plant medicine into a complementary system.

Aim of the study

In order to elucidate the importance of medicinal plants, the following research questions were addressed: Which position do medicinal plants have in the local health care system? Which plants are used medicinally, and do they differ between the communities? Is their use supported pharmacologically?

Materials and methods

Fieldwork was done for seven months in 2010. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 120 informants in Uchumarca and Pusac/San Vicente de Paúl, and the medicinal plant species mentioned by the informants were vouchered.

Results

In total, 2776 plant remedy use reports were recorded. Most people in both communities know at least some medicinal plants, usually from their parents, grandparents, sometimes from books. There are different types of local plant specialists, who are consulted above all for the treatment of diseases thought to have a magical origin or for recommendations of plants to treat minor diseases. Overall, 140 medicinal plants were documented, with a conformity of over 90% between the communities. The effective use of the most frequently cited medicinal plants is supported by scientific literature. Most uses were reported for the treatment of gastrointestinal (17%), nervous (14%), respiratory (14%), urological (13%) and dermatological diseases (8%); nervous diseases were more prevalent in the mountain community, while dermatological and urological diseases were more common in the valley.

Conclusions

People combine medicinal plant use and biomedicine depending on the kind of disease, their beliefs, and their economic situation. The local use of different available medical resources is reflected by the combination of related epistemologies to explain disease causes. Medicinal plant use and biomedicine complement each other to form the local health care system.     

Ethnobotany of the Alt Empordà region (Catalonia,Iberian Peninsula): Plants used in human traditional medicine

Ethnopharmacological relevance

This paper provides significant ethnobotanical information on pharmaceutical plant uses from a tourist and industrialised region, where some degree of acculturation exists, so that there is urgency in recording such data.

Aim of the study

To collect, analyze and evaluate the ethnobotanical knowledge about medicinal plants in a north-eastern Iberian region (Alt Empordà, 1358 km², 129,160 inhabitants).

Methodology

We performed 101 semi-structured interviews with 178 informants (mean age 69; 71% women, 29% men), identified the plant taxa reported and analyzed the results, comparing them with those from other territories.

Results

The informants reported data on 518 species. Of these, 335, belonging to 80 botanical families, were claimed as medicinal. This work is focused on human medicinal plant uses, which represent 98% of the pharmaceutical uses (3581 out of 3643 use reports). Around 800 medicinal uses, concerning 200 species, have not, or have very rarely been cited as medicinal; of these, 32 uses of 30 species have been reported by three or more independent informants.

Conclusions

The folk knowledge about medicinal plant use is still alive in the studied region, and a number of scarcely reported plant uses has been detected, some of them with promising phytotherapeutical applications.     

Indigenous knowledge of medicinal plants from Gujranwala district,Pakistan

Aim of study

This study was focused with the aim to investigate and document the indigenous medicinal knowledge and commonly used medicinal plants from Gujranwala district, Pakistan and to establish a baseline data in continuing studies aimed at more comprehensive investigations on bio-active compounds of indigenous medicinal plants.

Material and methods

Rapid appraisal approach (RAA) was used along with the interviews, group meetings with people having knowledge about indigenous uses of medicinal plants and individual meetings with herbalists were conducted, to collect the ethnomedicinal data.

Results and discussions

About 71 species of medicinal plants belonging to 38 families have been documented through 203 informants. Most favored plant part used for indigenous medicine was leaves (38%) followed by the seed (13%), whole plant (11%), flower (9%), fruit (8%), root and bark (6%) and the main source of these medicines was wild herbs (54%) followed by the wild shrubs, wild trees (13%), cultivated herbs (10%), cultivated trees (5%), cultivated shrubs (3%) and wild grasses (2%). The herbal preparations were mainly administrated orally and topically.

Conclusion

Gujranwala district has great diversity of medicinal plants and people are aware about their medicinal values. Few plants are playing vital role in the basic health care needs of study areas; such plants should be screened for detailed pharmacological studied to explore new biological compounds.     

Ethnobotanical study on medicinal plants around Mt.Yinggeling,Hainan Island,China

Aim of the study

The main objectives were to collect information on the use of medicinal plants and compare medicinal plant traditions between Run and Qi.

Materials and methods

Information was obtained from semi-structured interviews, personal conversation and guided fieldtrips with herbalists.

Results

385 species belonging to 290 genera in 104 families were used for the treatment of various diseases. Rubiaceae (20 species), Euphorbiaceae and Compositae (19 species respectively) were predominant families used by herbalists. The most species were used for injuries (20.1%), muscular–skeletal system disorders (18.3%) and infections/infestations (18.0%). The coefficient of similarity (36.6%) shown a high consensus of plant species used by Run and Qi. The ‘informant agreement ratio’ values for both Run and Qi are rather low (less than 0.3).

Conclusions

Traditional medicinal plants still play an important role in medical practices of Li Ethnic Group around Mt.Yinggeling. There is a close relationship of medicinal plant traditions between Run and Qi. Further investigation is necessary to record this valuable knowledge before its disappearance.     

Medicinal knowledge and plant utilization in an Amazonian coastal community of Marudá, Pará State (Brazil)

Ethnopharmacological relevance

It shows the local medicinal uses of biodiversity in Brazil's Amazonian littoral, promoting the value of folk knowledge, and its applicability in future studies.

Aim of the study

To demonstrate the importance of the knowledge of medicinal plants in the Amazonian coastal community of Marudá, located in Pará State, Brazil.

Materials and methods

Fieldwork was conducted between 1996 and 1998, using the methods of participant observation, semi-structured interviews and informal discussions to elicit information from community residents and plant specialists, in addition to collecting plant material.

Results

Community residents possess knowledge of 229 medicinal plants distributed in 81 botanical families and know how to manipulate them in a variety of ways, with special care taken to ensure that they are used in the safest and most efficient manner. Therapeutic indications for these plants include illness and disease recognized in the repertoire of Western medicine as well as ailments perceived from a local cultural perspective.

Conclusion

Results from this study attest to informants’ knowledge of medicinal flora and their ability and openness to integrate new species from diverse origins into their gamut of medicinal knowledge, including industrial therapeutic preparations and animal products. Local uses of biodiversity in Brazil's Amazonian littoral are also evinced, promoting the value of folk medicinal knowledge. Similarly, it mentions the potential of implementing local knowledge in Brazil's Unitary Health System.     

Cultural significance of medicinal plant families and species among Quechua farmers in Apillapampa,Bolivia

Ethnopharmacological relevance

Medicinal plant use was investigated in Apillapampa, a community of subsistence farmers located in the semi-arid Bolivian Andes.

Aim of the study

The main objectives were to identify the culturally most significant medicinal plant families and species in Apillapampa.

Materials and methods

A total of 341 medicinal plant species was inventoried during guided fieldtrips and transect sampling. Data on medicinal uses were obtained from fifteen local Quechua participants, eight of them being traditional healers.

Results

Contingency table and binomial analyses of medicinal plants used versus the total number of inventoried species per family showed that Solanaceae is significantly overused in traditional medicine, whereas Poaceae is underused. Also plants with a shrubby habitat are significantly overrepresented in the medicinal plant inventory, which most likely relates to their year-round availability to people as compared to most annual plants that disappear in the dry season. Our ranking of medicinal species according to cultural importance is based upon the Quality Use Agreement Value (QUAV) index we developed. This index takes into account (1) the average number of medicinal uses reported for each plant species by participants; (2) the perceived quality of those medicinal uses; and (3) participant consensus.

Conclusions

According to the results, the QUAV index provides an easily derived and valid appraisal of a medicinal plant's cultural significance.     

Hoodia gordonii: a natural appetite suppressant

Aims of the study

Several species of the stapeliads, a group of stem succulents belonging to the family Apocynaceae are reported on in the ethnopharmacology literature and many of the references relate to their use as food plants. The most important of these plants is Hoodia gordonii, which during the past decade has risen from an almost forgotten spiny, desert plant to an important commercial appetite-suppressant herbal. The aim of this review is to summarize the botany, ethnopharmacology and phytochemistry of Hoodia gordonii.

Materials and methods

Journal articles and books were used to collect information on Hoodia gordonii and related species.

Results

Many books and articles documented the use of stapeliad species as food plants and earlier references refer to the use Hoodia species as a thirst quencher. However, prior to the publication of the patent application, only a single reference referring to the use of Hoodia pilifera as appetite suppressant was found. The structures of several steroid glycosides isolated from Hoodia gordonii are summarized.

Conclusions

Hoodia gordonii illustrates how a combination of ethnobotany and scientific research can lead to a commercial product which can greatly benefit the indigenous people.     

Ethnopharmacological studies of indigenous medicinal plants of Saravan region,Baluchistan, Iran

Ethnopharmacological relevance

This study was aimed to explore the indigenous knowledge of medicinal plant species of Baluch tribes in Saravan region, Baluchistan province, Iran.

Material and methods

Rapid appraisal approach along with the semi-structured open ended questionnaire, interviews and personal observations were used to collect the indigenous medicinal information. Quantitative analysis including the informant consensus factor (ICF) and use value (UV) was performed to evaluate the valued medicinal plants.

Results and discussion

A total 64 medicinal plants belonging to 30 families were reported from the study area. Among families, Lamiaceae dominated over other families and leaves dominated with 31% over other plant parts used as herbal remedies. Rhazya stricta and Datura stamonium (0.35) attributed the higher UV, followed by Otostegia persica (0.33) and Teucrium polium (0.32). Results of the ICF showed that cold/flu/fever (0.71) and blood disorders (0.57) were the most common diseases of the study area.

Conclusion

The use value and informant consensus factor substantiated that the relative importance of plant species and sharing knowledge of herbal therapies between different tribal communities of this area is still rich.     

Ethnomedicinal knowledge and relative importance of indigenous medicinal plants of Cholistan desert,Punjab Province,Pakistan

Ethnopharmacological relevance

Ethnomedicinal studies are significant for the discovery of new crude drugs from indigenous reported medicinal plants. The current study aimed to report the indigenous medicinal knowledge of plants and herbal remedies used as folk medicines in Cholistan desert, Punjab Province, Pakistan.

Material and methods

Rapid appraisal approach (RAA), semi-structured interviews, group meetings with herbalists, landowners and local people having awareness about the medicinal action of plants were employed to collect the data.

Results and discussions

This study reports 70 medicinal plants belonging to 27 families that were disseminated among 60 different genera and Poaceae was the predominant family over others with 13 reported medicinal plants. Among plant parts, leaves were the dominant over others with 26.4% used in herbal preparations followed by the stem (25.2%), fruit (21.5%), flower (16.3%), seed (6.5%), bark and pod (02%). Haloxylon recurvum exhibited the highest use vale (UV) 0.83 while least UV was exhibited by Mollugo cerviana that was 0.16.

Conclusion

Important medicinal plants, reported in this study have been screened for phytochemical and pharmaceutical activities in different parts of the globe. It is recommended that reported medicinal plants having potent action for cancer and hepatitis must be screened for pharmacological activities.     

Ethnoveterinary knowledge in pastoral Karamoja,Uganda

Ethnopharmacological relevance

The people of Karamoja of northern Uganda chiefly rely on ethnoveterinary knowledge (EVK) to control common livestock health problems. In spite of cattle's central role in Karamojong culture and livelihoods, there has been no systematic recording of their ethnoveterinary plant-based cures to date.

Aim of study

To document the remedies used to treat livestock diseases, their preparation and administration.

Methods

Data were collected using semi-structured interviews, guided questionnaires, group discussions, direct observations and collection trips.

Results

We present information on 209 plant species and 18 non-plant materials. Plant species are distributed over 116 genera and 54 families. The most common medicinal use was treatment against anaplasmosis. Balanites aegyptiacus, Carissa spinarum, Warburgia salutaris and Harrisonia abyssinica had the most uses of all species. All different plant parts were used; bark and underground parts were exploited more frequently than other plant parts. Most remedies listed used a single ingredient, typically soaked in water; only 12.8% remedies used multiple plants. The route of administration was primarily oral followed by topical applications. Almost all plants are collected from the wild; none of the few cultivated plants used had been planted for medicinal purposes.

Conclusions

The pastoralists in the study site possess a wealth of EVK which they use to maintain animal health. Their rich knowledge and high diversity of plants were recorded here for the first time.     

Ethnobotanical study of knowledge and medicinal plants use by the people in Dek Island in Ethiopia

Ethnopharmacological relevance

It reveals the trend of knowledge of medicinal plants and the documentation serves as a baseline data for future phytochemical and pharmacological studies.

Aim of the study

The medicinal plants are the integral part of the variety of cultures in Ethiopia and have been used over many centuries. Hence, the aim of this study is to assess knowledge specifically with regard to gender and age, and to document medicinal plants used by the people in Dek Island.

Materials and methods

The ethnobotanical surveys and quantitative analytical methods were used to study the level of knowledge and medicinal plants use in Dek Island.

Results

The male (mean = 5.75 ± 0.65; p < 0.001) and informants with ≥40 years of age (mean = 5.25 ± 0.56; p < 0.05) reported more medicinal plants. Age (p < 0.05) and sex (p < 0.05) have influence on knowledge of medicinal plants though sex (partial eta squared = 0.496) has stronger influence than age. The medicinal plants uses showed similarity with other studies conducted in different cultural setups and locations.

Conclusion

The trend of knowledge loss in both age categories and sexes implicates the likely risk of loss of knowledge. The documented data could be useful for future phytochemical and pharmacological studies.     

Indigenous knowledge of medicinal plants from Leepa valley, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan

Aim of study

Ethnomedicinal studies were conducted first time in the Leepa Valley, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Pakistan to document indigenous medicinal knowledge of most common plant species. Pakistan is diverse country by possessing a wide range of climatic and geological condition; this country also has a mammoth diversity of flora.

Material and methods

Rapid appraisal approach, semi-structured interviewees, personal observations and field work guided by local informants having sufficient knowledge of indigenous medicinal plants were employed to acquire ethnomedicinal information.

Results

In this study 61 medicinal plants belonging to 40 families have been reported through 705 informants (267 females, 393 males and 45 herbal specialists) from 17 sites of Leepa valley. The main sources of herbal medicines were wild herbs (64%) followed by trees (10%), wild shrubs (8%), cultivated herbs (3%), wild and cultivated herbs (3%), wild grasses (3%), climbing wild herbs (2%), prostate wild herbs (2%), spiny shrubs (2%), fungi (2%) and ferns (1%). The most repeatedly used plant parts were leaves (34%) followed by root (16%), seed (10%), shoot (9%), fruit (8%), flower (8%), bark (6%), whole plant (4%) and barriers, tubers, nuts, oil, milky latex (1%). Preparations of medicinal plants were administrated through oral and topical routs.

Conclusion

Leepa Valley is wealthy in its indigenous medicinal plants species and the allied traditional knowledge. Indigenous medicines play important role in the local healthcare system. Most of the local community prefers to use the traditional herbal preparation for against ailments. This is the first record of indigenous knowledge from this area and there is dare need for more studies to authenticate traditional plants used in herbal remedies of study area.     

Ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants from the Humla district of western Nepal

Aim of the study

The present paper documents the uses of plants in traditional herbal medicine for treatment of human and veterinary ailments in four village development committees in the Humla district of western Nepal. It also determines the homogeneity of informant's knowledge on medicinal plants suitable for different ailment categories and the most preferred plant species used to treat each ailment category in the study areas.

Materials and methods

The ethnobotanical information was collected through semi-structured interviews and key informant discussion. The data were analyzed through informant consensus factor (ICF), fidelity level (FL) and use value (UV).

Results

We documented 161 plant species belonging to 61 families and 106 genera used for treating 73 human and 7 veterinary ailments. We also documented culinary uses and additional uses for 67 and 33 species of medicinal plant species respectively. Most medicines were prepared in the form of powder and used orally. Roots were most frequently used plant parts. The uses of 93 medicinal plants were not mentioned in any previous studies. Gastro-intestinal ailments have the highest ICF (0.40) whereas opthalmological uses have the lowest (zero) ICF. Mentha spicata and Rumex hastatus has the highest FL (100% each) both being used for gastro-intestinal ailments and Delphinium himalayai has the lowest (47.4%) for veterinary uses.

Conclusions

ICF values indicated that there was high agreement in the use of plants in gastro-intestinal ailment category among the users. FL or UV values indicated the most preferred plant species used in study areas. These preferred plant species could be prioritized for conservation and subjected to further studies related to chemical screening for their authenticity. Most of the medicinal plants of the region are collected in the wild and are often harvested for trade. Sustainable harvesting methods and domestication of the highly traded species is thus needed in the study areas.