Brazilian plants with possible action on the central nervous system: a study of historical sources from the 16th to 19th century

Brazil is a country rich in biodiversity, endemism, and cultural diversity, inhabited by different types of population. European expeditions and the migratory processes that began in the 16th century greatly contributed both to cultural diversity and to Brazilian popular therapeutics, and produced the first records on medicinal plants in Brazil. This study comprises a bibliographical survey of historic books found in Sao Paulo libraries (16th through 19th centuries) on medicinal plants exerting effects on the central nervous system (CNS). Thirty-four plants native to Brazil were selected from the reading of the books. Of these 34 plants, 13 were also recorded in ethnopharmacological studies among modern Brazilian communities and 16 have been studied phytochemically. Only eight have been the object of pharmacological studies, six of these, recently, with a request for a patent. Results showed that most of the species recorded in this study have been reported as medicinal for centuries, but have never been the object of pharmacological investigation down to the present time. Such results provide ideas for a selection of these species as potentially bioactive to be included in future pharmacological studies.     

Brazilian medicinal plants described by 19th century European naturalists and in the Official Pharmacopoeia

Ethnopharmacological relevance

The American flora represents one of the world’s wealthiest sources of material with pharmacological activity due to its biodiversity. Medicinal plants are widely used as home remedies in Brazil but several species used are native of other continents and were introduced here since the colonization, beginning in 1500. The Traditional Medicine Division of the WHO recognizes the importance of plant species used by the Amerindian as medicines, and recommends that their efficacies should be evaluated through pharmacological and toxicological assays.

Aim of the study

To verify which Brazilian medicinal plants, especially those of Amerindian origin, were used in 19th century and have been evaluated by pharmacological studies.

Materials and methods

Data about the use of native plants in traditional medicine were searched in bibliographic material from European naturalists who traveled throughout Minas Gerais in the 19th century.

Results and conclusion

Two hundred and three species were described as useful by these naturalists and thirty-nine of them were also included in the first edition of Brazilian Official Pharmacopoeia (FBRAS) in 1929, showing their use also in conventional medicine. Seventeen species have medicinal properties of Amerindian origin but despite the long tradition of medicinal plant use, only nine have been evaluated by pharmacological studies. That the studies which have been conducted to date have in each case confirmed the traditional uses of the plants examined. We suggest that the remaining species must be regarded as a priority for pharmacological studies, as they have promising phytotherapeutic potential.     

Brazilian plants as possible adaptogens: an ethnopharmacological survey of books edited in Brazil

In a survey, from Brazilian books, we searched plants that are in popular use for purposes resembling those of an adaptogen. This study focused on 24 books by authors from diverse regions in the country, resulting in a total of 1317 citations of uses related to a possible adaptogen effect from approximately 766 plants. Only species native to Brazil, cited in at least four books, were selected, resulting a total of 33 species, belonging to 24 families. Of these, four species have been studied previously in relation to effects that are considered as part of an adaptogen effect (anti-stress, memory enhancement, increased physical and/or sexual performance): Heteropterys aphrodisiaca (Malpighiaceae), Paullinia cupana (Sapindaceae), Ptychopetalum olacoides (Olacaceae), and Turnera diffusa (Turneraceae). Three others--Pfaffia glomerata, Pfaffia paniculata (Amaranthaceae), and Trichilia catigua (Meliaceae)--have also been the object of pharmacological studies that support their use as a possible adaptogen, but they are listed in less than four books. The overall results obtained in the present review of Brazilian folk literature reveals that Brazil is rich in plants with potential adaptogen-like effect, but lacks pharmacological studies (mostly clinical ones) to confirm these therapeutic properties.     

Traditional medicine in Latin America,with particular reference to Mexico

The present research on Mexican traditional medicine points to the resources made available by the Mexican Institutions for the study of the plants used in popular medicine which, in rural areas, follows the Aztec and Maya traditions.The most interesting feature of traditional medicine is its partial integration with many elements of modern medicine.The study of medicinal plants has been undertaken mostly by a research institute, IMEPLAM, which, under the auspices of CEESTEM, has information on computer on over 5000 plants.The screening of these plants is in progress with the aim of evaluating their therapeutic properties, both at the pharmacological and chemical level.     

Some current study and research approaches relating to the use of plants in the traditional chinese medicine

Chinese medicine has for over two thousand years established the value of many plants used for healing.The survey of traditional and herbal medicine has been the object of investigation in all regions of China by an interdisciplinary commission. A herbarium with 50 000 specimens was collected, of which 4676 have been identified and from which The Chinese Materia Medica, was compiled in four volumes and published.Thorough pharmacological and clinical experimentation on the drugs and plants used in traditional medicine is in progress in order to establish their effectiveness and safety.This work has been followed by chemical isolation and characterization of the active principles of the plants. Standardization of the drugs has also been done in order to avoid altered efficacy.As an example of the chemical work done in this study, the analysis of two plants is reported: Pueraria lobata (Ge-gen), which contains an isoflavonoid glycoside with hypotensive effects, with excellent clinical results in the treatment of hypertension; and Anisodus tanguticus, which contains anisodamine, or 6-hydroxy hyoscyamine, which proved to be similar in effect to atropine but milder in action on the CNS.     

Medicinal Plants of the Russian Pharmacopoeia; their history and applications

Ethnopharmacological relevance

Due to the location of Russia between West and East, Russian phytotherapy has accumulated and adopted approaches that originated in European and Asian traditional medicine. Phytotherapy is an official and separate branch of medicine in Russia; thus, herbal medicinal preparations are considered official medicaments. The aim of the present review is to summarize and critically appraise data concerning plants used in Russian medicine. This review describes the history of herbal medicine in Russia, the current situation and the pharmacological effects of specific plants in the Russian Pharmacopoeia that are not included in the European Pharmacopoeia.

Materials and methods

Based on the State Pharmacopoeia of the USSR (11^th edition), we selected plant species that have not yet been adopted in Western and Central Europe (e.g., selected for inclusion in the European Pharmacopoeia) and systematically searched the scientific literature for data using library catalogs, the online service E-library.ru, and databases such as Medline/Pubmed, Scopus, and the Web of Science regarding species, effectiveness, pharmacological effects, and safety.

Results

The Russian Federation follows the State Pharmacopoeia of the USSR (11^th edition), which contains 83 individual plant monographs. Fifty-one of these plants are also found in the European Pharmacopoeia and have been well studied, but 32 plants are found only in the Pharmacopoeia of the USSR. Many articles about these medicinal plants were never translated in English, and much of the information collected by Russian scientists has never been made available to the international community. Such knowledge can be applied in future studies aimed at a safe, evidence-based use of traditional Russian medicinal plants in European and global phytopharmacotherapy as well as for the discovery of novel leads for drug development.

Conclusion

The review highlights the therapeutic potential of these Russian phytopharmaceuticals but also highlights cases where concern has been raised about product safety and tolerability, which would aid in supporting their safe use.     

海洋中药厚藤的化学成分及药理活性研究进展

厚藤Ipomoea pes-caprae为旋花科(Convolvulaceae)番薯属植物,是一种生长于滨海滩涂的海洋植物药,不仅是我国南方沿海民间常用海洋中药和京族习用植物药,同时,也是澳大利亚、墨西哥、泰国、巴西、巴基斯坦等多个热带及亚热带国家的传统药用植物。其资源丰富,应用广泛。其化学成分主要包括树脂糖苷类、萜类、黄酮类、酚酸类、挥发性成分、甾体类等。现代药理研究表明厚藤具有抗肿瘤、抗菌、抗炎镇痛、抗胶原酶、抗氧化、免疫调节等多种药理活性。深入总结厚藤的化学成分及药理活性的研究现状,以期为该海洋中药的临床应用、质量控制和产品开发等提供参考。     

Natural medicines used in the traditional Chinese medical system for therapy of diabetes mellitus

The rapidly increasing diabetes mellitus is becoming a serious threat to mankind health in all parts of the world. The control and treatment of diabetes and its complications mainly depend on the chemical or biochemical agents, but the fact is that it has never been reported that someone had recovered totally from diabetes. With the distinctive traditional medical opinions and natural medicines mainly originated in herbs, the traditional Chinese medicine performed a good clinical practice and is showing a bright future in the therapy of diabetes mellitus and its complications. Based on a large number of chemical and pharmacological research work, numerous bioactive compounds have been found in Chinese medicinal plants for diabetes. The present paper reviews 86 natural medicines with regards to their origin, anti-diabetic active principles and/or pharmacological test results, which are commonly used in the traditional Chinese medical system and have demonstrated experimental or/and clinical anti-diabetic effectiveness. Among these natural medicines, 82 originate from plants and 4 from animals or insects, which covers 45 families. It is strongly significant to pay close attention to traditional Chinese medical therapeutics and natural medicines for treatment of diabetes mellitus and its complications.     

Ethnopharmacological studies of antimicrobial remedies in the south of Brazil

This study reports the antimicrobial evaluation of the species most commonly used in Rio Grande do Sul (RS), the southernmost state of Brazil, for treating conditions likely to be associated with microorganisms. A four-stage process of documentation and evaluation was conducted: (a). review of RS ethnobotanical studies; (b). analysis of traditional uses; (c). literature survey on phytochemical and pharmacological data; (d). microbiological screening of selected plants. From the 149 species initially identified, 49 were cited as being used for microbial associated conditions in at least two other regions in RS, and 18 were further selected for screening. The crude methanol extract of these 18 plants were evaluated against seven microorganisms using the diffusion agar test. Extracts from Chaptalia nutans, Cordia monosperma, Echinodorus grandiflorus, Eugenia uniflora, Leonurus sibiricus, Luehea divaricata, Malva sylvestris, Ocotea odorifera, Parapiptadenia rigida, Pluchea sagittalis, Psidium cattleyanum and Senna neglecta were active against at least one microorganism. Although preliminary, these results are useful for rationalizing the use of medicinal plants in established systems of traditional medicine in primary health care.     

生态胁迫促进道地药材质量形成机制与质量评价思路

道地药材以优质而著称,其质量受环境影响较大.中药材由野生转为栽培,导致药材质量下降.药材质量的科学评价是中药产业的基石和传统中医药健康发展的保证,然而中药含有大量不同功效成分和功效相同的多种成分,难以评价质量.根据人体与植物的异同点,对道地药材质量形成机制、道地药材质量复杂性的本质原因以及目前评价药材质量的方法的局限性...     

Medicinal plants with hypoglycemic activity

This review summarises the literature on the antidiabetic activity of 343 medicinal plants reputed in the indigenous system of medicine or in which the pharmacological activity has been scientifically demonstrated. The data are presented in tabular form. The table reflects the plant parts involved, the nature of the extracts used and the names of the active principles with their structures where known. The pharmacological activities of some of the extracts or of the active principles isolated from these plants are also described.     

Anti-influenza agents from plants and traditional Chinese medicine

Influenza is a serious threat to health in all parts of the world. The control and treatment of influenza depends mainly on chemical or biochemical agents and, to date, some anti-influenza agents have been isolated from plants as a result of chemical and pharmacological studies. These agents include a variety of polyphenols, flavonoids, saponins, glucosides and alkaloids. Traditional medicine focuses on the use of herbs and traditional Chinese medicine has performed well in clinical practice and shows a potential in the therapy of influenza and its symptoms. The present paper reviews some constituents and extracts from plants and traditional Chinese medicine with anti-influenza activity.     

Plants with traditional uses and activities,relevant to the management of Alzheimer's disease and other cognitive disorders

In traditional practices of medicine, numerous plants have been used to treat cognitive disorders, including neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other memory related disorders. An ethnopharmacological approach has provided leads to identifying potential new drugs from plant sources, including those for memory disorders. There are numerous drugs available in Western medicine that have been directly isolated from plants, or are derived from templates of compounds from plant sources. For example, some alkaloids from plant sources have been investigated for their potential in AD therapy, and are now in clinical use (e.g. galantamine from Galanthus nivalis L. is used in the United Kingdom). Various other plant species have shown favourable effects in AD, or pharmacological activities indicating the potential for use in AD therapy. This article reviews some of the plants and their active constituents that have been used in traditional medicine, including Ayurvedic, Chinese, European and Japanese medicine, for their reputed cognitive-enhancing and antidementia effects. Plants and their constituents with pharmacological activities that may be relevant to the treatment of cognitive disorders, including enhancement of cholinergic function in the central nervous system, anti-cholinesterase (anti-ChE), antiinflammatory, antioxidant and oestrogenic effects, are discussed.     

整体观视角对中医方剂配伍的研究

方剂的现代研究不仅是中医药进一步提高临床疗效的重要途径,而且是在新的历史时期中医药传承与创新的代表领域。针对方剂配伍笔者提出了整体和谐效应假说,即不同配伍所出现的不同效应源于对抗、补充、调节等多种药理作用的和谐。该文在分析栀子苷,黄芩苷和胆酸不同配伍产生的协同和加合效应在差异基因和通路层次均存在不同的药理机制的基础上,介绍了复杂效应药理学原理分析技术,简要分析了方剂配伍研究面临的困境,并提出了在未来方剂配伍研究方向上的3个转变。     

Anti-infective phytotherapies of the tree-savannah, Senegal (occidental Africa). III: A review of phytochemical substances and the antimicrobial activity of 43 species

A review has been made of the ethnobotanical and pharmacological data of 43 medicinal plants of the tree-savannah used by the Diola against infectious diseases. The traditional use of ten plants can be explained by pharmacologically active principles: Adansonia digitata, Azadirachta indica, Carica papaya, Cassia tora, Fagara leprieurii, Guiera senegalensis, Khaya senegalensis, Mangifera indica, Psidium guajava and Voacanga africana. Four of these herbs are recommended for use in Primary Health Care. The therapeutic value of the other plants discussed is not absolutely clear. It is, however, obvious that herbal medicine has a large potential, which is still insufficiently explored, for utilization in Primary Health Care.     

Medicinal plants of the caatinga (semi-arid) vegetation of NE Brazil: a quantitative approach

The caatinga (semi-arid vegetation) is a Brazilian biome with a significant but poorly studied biodiversity closely associated with a diverse cultural heritage. The present work focused on analyzing published information available concerning medicinal plants used by traditional communities. We sought to contribute to future phytochemical and pharmacological investigations by documenting the therapeutic uses of native caatinga plants within the aims of modern ethnopharmacological research. Twenty-one published works cited a total of 389 plant species used by indigenous and rural communities in northeastern Brazil for medicinal purposes. The relative importance index (RI) of each species in these inventories was calculated, and information concerning the plant's local status (spontaneous or cultivated), distribution, and habit was recorded. Of the 275 spontaneous (non-cultivated) species cited, 15.3% were endemic to the caatinga. A statistical relationship was verified between the relative importance of the species and their endemic status (p<0.05). Herbaceous plants were more numerous (169) than trees (90) or shrubs and sub-shrubs (130) at a statistically significant level (p<0.05). A survey of published information on the phytochemical and pharmacological status of the plants demonstrating the highest RI supported the veracity of their attributed folk uses.     

抗耐甲氧西林金黄色葡萄球菌天然药物研究进展

以抗耐甲氧西林金黄色葡萄球菌(Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus,MRSA)天然药物为对象,检索了近年来对其天然药物研究的相关文献,并进行归纳整理。来源于植物、动物、微生物的能有效抗MRSA的化合物,包括植物中的黄酮类、萜类、蒽醌类等,动物中的抗菌肽及毒素,以及部分微生物的代谢产物等。部分化合物可作为未来抗MRSA的候选药物。目前抗MRSA的天然药物研究已经成为该领域的研究热点之一,但是多数研究仅停留在对活性药物的筛选上,缺少对候选药物的毒理、药理等深入研究。     

来源于五加科中药通过调节肠道菌群发挥药理作用的研究进展

近年来,五加科药用植物由于其广泛的药理作用和保健功能,引起人们的广泛关注.虽然对其药理作用的相关研究众多,但是揭示其与肠道菌群相关性的研究相对较少,并且存在研究不够透彻、单体成分研究不足的现象,从而造成人们对其药理作用与肠道菌群之间的关系缺乏系统性的认识.以五加科药用植物(中药),主要是人参、三七为中心,回顾其历代研究...     

Pharmacological and therapeutic effects of Berberis vulgaris and its active constituent, berberine

Barberry (Berberis vulgaris L. family Berberidaceae) is well known in Iran and various parts of this plant including its root, bark, leaf and fruit have been used as folk medicine. The two decades of research has demonstrated different pharmacological and therapeutic effects of B. vulgaris and its isoquinoline alkaloids (particularly berberine). Studies carried out on the chemical composition of the plant show that the most important constituents of this plant are isoquinoline alkaloids such as berberine, berbamine and palmatine. Berberine represents one of the most studied among the naturally occurring protoberberine alkaloids. In addition to B. vulgaris (barberry), berberine is present in many other plants and is used for the treatment of different diseases. This article reviews the traditional uses and pharmacological effects of total extract and the most active ingredient of B. vulgaris (berberine).