Herbal medicine promotion for a restorative bioeconomy in tropical forests: A reality check on the Brazilian Amazon

Herbal medicine has experienced a renaissance both for health reasons and as part of a bioeconomy for regions rich in biodiversity and traditional knowledge. Medicinal plant value chains can promote local development and sustainable livelihoods that are critical for forest frontiers in need of inclusive economic alternatives. This sector can become an example of restorative bioeconomy, which not only maintains but enhances nature\u27s contributions to people – notably to historically marginalized actors such as Indigenous peoples. However, a reality check is due. Using the Amazon as an emblematic case study, this article examines Brazil\u27s context and policy framework on herbal medicine promotion. It draws from a literature review as well as 23 key-informant interviews and field visits to 10 local herbal medicine value chain initiatives. Our findings expose a closing window of opportunity, as while deforestation and forest degradation advances, Brazil\u27s herbal medicine promotion has fallen short of its potentials for development and inclusiveness. Insufficient attention to traditional knowledge or to research on Brazil\u27s native biodiversity, regulatory stringency without converse support to integrate marginalized actors, and ambivalent social acceptability of herbal medicine have been key barriers to advancing the sector. We conclude that herbal medicine offers a clear case of restorative bioeconomy with double potential to address historical inequalities both on healthcare access and socioeconomic inclusiveness, but delivering on that requires much more participatory research, attention to local capacity enhancement, and a better understanding of herbal medicine promotion in multicultural social settings

Lämpliga material för textila kärlimplantat : Kartläggning av kliniskt dokumenterade alternativ

En tredjedel av alla bypass-operationer leder till att kärlimplantaten slutar fungerar inom ettårs tid. En anledning till detta är bildandet av ogynnsam vävnad som sker i form av ärrbildning efter implantationen. Ärrvävnaden orsakar nya förträngningar vilket leder till ett försämrat blodflöde. Kärlimplantatet Y-graft har genom sin design som följer Murray´s lag, en naturlig blodflödesfördelning. Designen i form av ett Y har kunnat bekräftas vara fördelaktig då geometrin vid utflödet minskar risken för ärrbildning. Vad som saknas för att Y-graft ska kunna komma ut på marknaden är ett lämpligt material. Med detta som bakgrund uppkom syftet med litteraturstudien att undersöka vilka material meddokumenterad klinisk historik som är möjliga att använda vid textil tillverkning av Y-graft. Genom en gedigen litteratursökning med hjälp av sökverktyg som U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) tillsammans med andra databaser inom de medicinska och materialtekniska områdena, har en förståelse skapats kring vilka material som används i medicintekniska produkter och som är möjliga kandidater till Y-graft. Litteraturstudien resulterade i att materialen polyetentereftalat, polybutentereftalat, polybutester polytetrafluoreten, polyester-, polyeter- och polykarbonatbaserade polyuretaner samt polypropen, polyeten, alfatisk polyamid och silke finns i godkända medicintekniska produkter på den amerikanska marknaden. De presenterade materialen har på så visdokumenterad klinisk historik och är lämpliga kandidater att använda vid textil tillverkning av Y-graft. De godkända materialkandidaterna som presenteras kan även beläggas medbiologiska polymerer för förbättrad biokompatibilitet. Materialkandidaterna har godkänts i medicintekniska produkter av U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Genom godkännandet har alla de presenterade materialen dokumenterad klinisk historik och är där med lämpliga kandidater att använda vid textiltillverkning av Y-graft.One third of all bypass surgeries causes vascular implants to stop working within a year. A reason for this is the formation of unfavorable tissue that occurs in the form of scarring after implantation. The scar tissue causes new constrictions, which leads to impaired blood flow. The vascular implant Y-graft, by design follows Murray's law and therefore has a natural blood flow distribution. The design in the form of a Y has been confirmed to be advantageous. The Y geometry at the outflow reduces the risk of scarring. What is missing for Y-graft to be able to enter the market is a suitable material. With this as a background, the purpose of the literature study was to investigate which materials with documented clinical history can be used in textile production of Y-graft. Through a thorough literature search, using search tools like the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) together with other databases in the medical and material engineering fields, an understanding has been created about which materials are used in medical technology products and which are potential candidates for Y-graft. The literature study concluded that the materials polyethylene terephthalate, polybutheneterephthalate, polybutester polytetrafluoroethylene are found in approved medical technology products in the United States. Polyester, polyether and polycarbonate based polyurethanes and polypropylene, polyethylene, alphatic polyamide and silk are also found in the United States medical market. These presented materials thus have documented clinical history and are suitable candidates for use in textile manufacturing of Y-graft. The approved material candidates presented can also be coated with biological polymers for improved biocompatibility. The material candidates have been approved in medical technology products by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). With this approval, all the presented materials have documented clinical history and are therefore suitable candidates to use when manufacturing Y-graft