Living pharmacy in urban yards: Health care in the Amazon

The ethnobotanical research group of in the Amazon in Universidade Estadual do Pará (Pará State University) has been studying the use of various plant species by traditional communities for the treatment and cure of diseases. This study aimed to identify the medicinal plants around the home most used in Bairro Mutirão, Abaetetuba, Pará, Brazil to correlate ethnopharmacological data with phytochemical studies, evaluating the contribution of these species to promote health in poor communities in the Amazon. There were non-participant observations, semi-structured interviews and guided tours in 189 yards. Phytochemical information was gathered from ScienceDirect, Scinfinder, Scopus, DataPlant, Hindawi Publishing Corporation. We identified 46 therapeutic species, particularly Aloe vera (L.) Burman. f.; Anacardium occidentale L.; Bixa orellana L.; Kalanchoe pinnata (Lam.) Pers.; Lippia alba (Mill.) N.E.Br. ex P. Wilson and, Morinda citrifolia L., noted in the scientific literature as having antitumor, soothing, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial potential, confirming their ethnopharmacological use in home yards in Abaetetuba. The medicinal flora around homes in the Amazon is a path to the conservation of plant diversity in urbanized environments and potentially to the discovery of new drugs

Living pharmacy in urban yards: health care in the Amazon

The ethnobotanical research group of in the Amazon in Universidade Estadual do Pará (Pará State University) has been studying the use of various plant species by traditional communities for the treatment and cure of diseases. This study aimed to identify the medicinal plants around the home most used in Bairro Mutirão, Abaetetuba, Pará, Brazil to correlate ethnopharmacological data with phytochemical studies, evaluating the contribution of these species to promote health in poor communities in the Amazon. There were non-participant observations, semi-structured interviews and guided tours in 189 yards. Phytochemical information was gathered from ScienceDirect, Scinfinder, Scopus, DataPlant, Hindawi Publishing Corporation. We identified 46 therapeutic species, particularly Aloe vera (L.) Burman. f.; Anacardium occidentale L.; Bixa orellana L.; Kalanchoe pinnata (Lam.) Pers.; Lippia alba (Mill.) N.E.Br. ex P. Wilson and, Morinda citrifolia L., noted in the scientific literature as having antitumor, soothing, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial potential, confirming their ethnopharmacological use in home yards in Abaetetuba. The medicinal flora around homes in the Amazon is a path to the conservation of plant diversity in urbanized environments and potentially to the discovery of new drugs.O Grupo de Pesquisa em Etnobotânica da Amazônia da Universidade Estadual do Pará, vem estudando o uso de várias espécies vegetais por comunidades tradicionais para o tratamento e cura de doenças. Este estudo teve como objetivo identificar as plantas medicinais mais utilizadas presentes nos quintais do Bairro Mutirão, Abaetetuba, Pará, Brasil, a fim correlacionar dados etnofarmacológicos com estudos fitoquímicos, avaliando a contribuição dessas espécies para promover a saúde em comunidades pobres da Amazônia. A pesquisa se deu por meio de observações não participantes, entrevistas semiestruturadas e visitas guiadas em 189 quintais. Informações fitoquímicas foram coletadas das bases ScienceDirect, Scinfinder, Scopus, DataPlant, Hindawi Publishing Corporation. Foram identificadas 46 espécies terapêuticas, das quais Aloe vera L. Burman. f.; Anacardium occidentale L.; Bixa orellana L.; Kalanchoe pinnata (Lam.) Pers.; Lippia alba (Mill.) N.E.Br. ex P. Wilson e Morinda citrifolia L., foram observadas na literatura científica como potencial antitumoral, calmante, anti-inflamatório e antimicrobiano, confirmando seu uso etnofarmacológico pelos moradores em Abaetetuba. A flora medicinal em torno de casas na Amazônia mantém a diversidade de plantas em ambientes urbanizados, contribuindo potencialmente para a descoberta de novas drogas

Mururé (Brosimum acutifolium Huber) in the treatment of syphilis in colonial Amazonia: historical data to the actual contribution to treatment

Historical ethnobotanical studies of medicinal plants reveal important information about traditional practices of human groups and infl uence current understanding of the use of plants. Th e present article describes the ethnopharmacology of mururé (Brosimum acutifolium) since the XVIII century for the treatment of syphilis and correlates past and present therapeutic use. Th is information contributes to the appreciation of historical records in the contemporary use of natural products. Th e analysis of documental records is important for comparing information available overtime about the medicinal use and application of specifi c species. Th e present research was based on the analysis of a Jesuit work and other complementary documents. Th e medicinal eff ect of mururé is attributed to its latex, and dosage and adverse reactions are described. Historical documents stand out as valuable assets for pharmaceutical technology because they allow comparisons to be made between past and present uses of species as curative agents