Amazonian Brazilian medicinal plants described by C.F.P. von Martius in the 19th century

Ethnopharmacological relevance

Information regarding the use of beneficial, native Brazilian plants was compiled by European naturalists during the 19th century. The German botanist C.F.P. von Martius was one of the most prominent naturalists and described the use of several Brazilian plants.

Aim of the study

To present data on Amazonian medicinal plants documented by von Martius in his books.

Materials and methods

Data on Amazonian medicinal plants were obtained from three books published by von Martius. Traditional information about these plants was translated from Latin and the cited plant species reorganised according to current taxonomic criteria. Correlated pharmacological studies were obtained from different scientific databases.

Results

A total of 92 native medicinal species from the Amazon were recorded in von Martius' books. These accounts described 117 different medical uses for these plants. Several parts of the plants were used, including many exudates. The principal use of the species recorded was the treatment of dermatological problems, followed by gastro-intestinal, urinary and respiratory disorders. Few species were recorded as purgatives and febrifuges, a result that differs from the observations of other naturalists. The efficacy of the recorded traditional uses has been confirmed for the few species that have been subjected to laboratory studies.

Conclusion

The data recorded by the German naturalist von Martius represent a rich, unexplored source of information about the traditional uses of Brazilian plants.     

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.     

Malaria in the Renaissance: remedies from European herbals from the 16th and 17th century

Background

From antiquity up into the 20th century tertian and quartan malaria which are caused by the parasites Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium malariae were widespread in Central Europe. Hundreds of different remedies against malaria can be found in herbals from the Renaissance.

Aim of the study

To document and discuss from a modern pharmacological viewpoint the old remedies described in eight 16th and 17th century herbals written in German.

Materials and methods

Eight of the most important herbals of the 16th and17th century including Bock (1577), Fuchs (1543), Matthiolus (1590), Lonicerus (1560), Brunfels (1532), Zwinger (1696), and Tabernaemontanus (1591 and 1678) were searched for terms related to malaria, and documented plants and recipes described for its treatment. Additionally the overlapping of these remedies with those in De Materia Medica by the Greek physician Dioscorides was studied.

Results

Three hundred and fourteen taxa were identified in the herbals for this indication. Recent pharmacological data was found for just 5% of them. The influence of De Materia Medica was shown to be negligible with only 3.5% of the remedies in common.

Conclusions

European Renaissance herbals may be a valuable source of information for the selection of plants for focussed antiplasmodial screening programmes, but have received only little scientific attention. Antimalarial remedies from these herbals must be viewed as independent sources of knowledge separate from Dioscorides’ De Materia Medica.     

Changes in the utilization of wild green vegetables in Poland since the 19th century: A comparison of four ethnobotanical surveys

Aims of study

The aim of this paper is to compare the presence of wild green vegetables in four ethnobotanical questionnaires. This range of surveys offers a rich diachronic perspective, possibly unique in ethnobotany.

Materials and methods

Four archival questionnaires (by other researchers), whose results have been only partly published, were analyzed. They are Rostafiński's questionnaire of 1883–1909, the Gajek team's questionnaires of 1948–1949 and 1964–1969, and Stoli?ná and K?odnicki's questionnaire of 2000–2003.

Results

Green shoots or leaves of least 58 species (belonging to 43 genera) of wild plants have been used as green vegetables or culinary herbs for nutritional purposes since the 19th century. The disappearance of wild green vegetables from the Polish diet was a gradual process, in which the sequence of disappearance of the species from diet was as follows: (1) Aegopodium & Heracleum, (2) Cirsium, Sinapis & Raphanus, (3) Urtica, (4) Chenopodium, (5) Oxalis, (6) Rumex. In Poland, within the studied time scale, there was no tradition of incorporating more than a few species of wild greens in one dish. Local people usually utilized a small number of taxa, but in large quantities, resorting to some other available species only in times of famine.

Conclusions

The relatively low number of wild green vegetables utilized has gradually decreased to practically none, mainly due to replacement by a few cultivated vegetables. This process must have started well before the 19th century, but became most dramatic throughout the 20th century.     

Resilience and adaptation in the use of medicinal plants with suspected anti-inflammatory activity in the Brazilian Northeast

Ethnopharmacological relevance

This study uses the utilitarian redundancy model as a basis to investigate issues related to the preference for plants native to the Caatinga used as anti-inflammatories by respondents from the community of Carão in rural Pernambuco, Brazil.

Materials and methods

For this purpose, 49 respondents and 24 native plants used as anti-inflammatories were selected from a database built by previous studies in this study area. Interviews with respondents were conducted by applying the checklist-interview technique and by presenting photographs of plants, which were ordered according to plant preference for each type of inflammation mentioned. After elaborating each list of preferences, we inquired as to the criteria used for the construction of the lists. A salience index was calculated to determine the most- and least-preferred species, and principal component analysis (PCA) was used to identify the most significant criteria used by the respondents to indicate the preferred plants for anti-inflammatory use.

Results

We identified 37 subcategories or inflammatory conditions, most of which were associated with disorders of the genitourinary (8 conditions), digestive (7) and respiratory (4) systems. Subcategories with the highest level of redundancy include “wound” (79.1% of species), “cut” (66.6%) and “uterus” (66.6%), and five non-redundant conditions were identified (only one species). We obtained approximately 300 lists and 18 choice criteria. PCA analysis showed that seven species were most preferred by the respondents, as they showed the highest salience values, and that the preferred criterion was “treatment effectiveness”.

Conclusions

These results indicate that inflammation is a complex collection of disorders consisting of several subcategories. Furthermore, respondents preferred different treatments for different inflammatory conditions, which pose a challenge for future pharmacological studies that aim to assess the biological activity of anti-inflammatory plants. Preferences were very specific, focused on a small number of species and mainly related to therapeutic effectiveness.     

Ethnoveterinary medicinal plants used by the Maale and Ari ethnic communities in southern Ethiopia

Ethnopharmacological relevance

Livestock production is an integral part of the agricultural system in Ethiopia. Medicinal plants are used and are important for rural communities for the treatment of livestock diseases. We studied and analysed the traditional medicinal plants used for the treatment of livestock diseases by the Maale and Ari ethnic communities in southern Ethiopia.

Materials and methods

We used quantitative and qualitative ethobotanical methods, including individual and focus group discussions (n=18), field observations, and individual interviews (n=74) at three study sites.

Results

In total, 46 plant species (28 families) were used for the treatment of livestock diseases. Leaves with succulent stems were the most used part of the plant. The most frequently cited cattle disease was blackleg, for which 21 plant species were used. Our study showed variation in ethnoveterinary plant species used among sites (Jaccard’s similarity indices <0.25). The number of medicinal plant species used was significantly influenced by gender and site. Knowledge on ethnoveterinary plants was predominantly held by males, who cited more plant uses than females. The most widely used species were Lepidium sativum, Allium sativum, Clausena anisata, Croton macrostachyus, Ozoroa insignis, Sida rhombifolia, Centella asiatica, Cissampelos mucronata, Vernonia theophrastifolia and Vernonia amygdalina.

Conclusions

The study indicated that ethnoveterinary medicinal plants are important for the Maale and Ari ethnic communities. Phytochemical and pharmacological studies should focus on widely used and multi-use species.     

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.     

The in vitro anti-plasmodial and in vivo anti-malarial efficacy of combinations of some medicinal plants used traditionally for treatment of malaria by the Meru community in Kenya

The use of herbal drugs as combinations has existed for centuries in several cultural systems. However, the safety and efficacy of such combinations have not been validated. In this study, the toxicity, anti-plasmodial and antimalarial efficacy of several herbal drug combinations were investigated. Lannea schweinfurthii, Turraea robusta and Sclerocarya birrea, used by traditional health practitioners in Meru community, were tested for in vitro anti-plasmodial and in vivo anti-malarial activity singly against Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium berghei, respectively. Methanolic extract of Turraea robusta was the most active against Plasmodium falciparum D6 strain. Aqueous extracts of Lannea schweinfurthii had the highest anti-plamodial activity followed by Turraea robusta and Sclerocarya birrea. D6 was more sensitive to the plant extracts than W2 strain. Lannea schweinfurthii extracts had the highest anti-malarial activity in mice followed by Turraea robusta and Sclerocarya birrea with the methanol extracts being more active than aqueous ones. Combinations of aqueous extracts of the three plants and two others (Boscia salicifolia and Rhus natalensis) previously shown to exhibit anti-plasmodial and anti-malarial activity singly were tested in mice. Marked synergy and additive interactions were observed when combinations of the drugs were assayed in vitro. Different combinations of Turraea robusta and Lannea schweinfurthii exhibited good in vitro synergistic interactions. Combinations of Boscia salicifolia and Sclerocarya birrea; Rhus natalensis and Turraea robusta; Rhus natalensis and Boscia salicifolia; Turraea robusta and Sclerocarya birrea; and Lannea schweinfurthii and Boscia salicifolia exhibited high malaria parasite suppression (chemo-suppression >90%) in vivo when tested in mice. The findings are a preliminary demonstration of the usefulness of combining several plants in herbal drugs, as a normal practice of traditional health practitioners.     

Ta’ta’, Huayani: Perception of leishmaniasis and evaluation of medicinal plants used by the Chayahuita in Peru. Part II

Aim of the study

A knowledge attitude and practice study centred on leishmaniasis and its treatment was performed among the Chayahuita, an Amazonian Peruvian ethnic group living in an endemic area. This study documents traditional Chayahuita plant's use and disease concepts. Also, activty of some medicinal plants used by the Chayahuita is highlighted and discussed.

Materials and methods

Ninety-three Chayahuita people were interviewed, following a semi-structured questionnaire focussed on disease knowledge and perception, personal attitude and healing practices. Simultaneously, a collection of plants was performed in different ecotopes, in order to make an extensive inventory of the pharmacopoeia.

Results

For the Chayahuita, cutaneous (CL) and muco-cutaneous leishmaniasis (MCL) are considered as diseases of their own, with specific names, aetiologies, mode of transmission. Regarding CL, Chayahuita people consider that the humid characteristic of the skin ulcer is a discriminative fact orienting the diagnostic forTa’ta’ (leishmaniasis).Forty-six different species were designated useful against LC and /or MCL (29 species by means of the questionnaire and 27 species when collecting in different ecotopes). Thirty-seven extracts corresponding to 31 species used medicinally were screened in vitro against Leishmania amazonensis axenic amastigotes, assessing their viability by the reduction of tetrazolium salt (MTT). Six species displayed a good activity (10 μg/ml < IC50 < 20 μg/ml): an undetermined hemi-epiphytic Clusiaceae, Cybianthus anthuriophyllus Pipoly (Myrsinaceae), two Piper, Piper sanguineispicum Trel., and Piper loretoanum Trel. (Piperaceae), Desmodium axillare Sw. DC. (Fabaceae), and Clibadium sylvestre (Aubl.) Baill. (Asteraceae).

Conclusion

Perception of leishmaniasis, attitude, treatments and diet prohibitions still largely reflects traditional Chayahuita cosmovision, even if some tentative of bio-medical re-interpretation is arising.