Blakea nareliana (Melastomataceae), una nueva especie del Alto Huallaga, en el norte del Perú

A new Peruvian species of Blakea(Melastomataceae) is described. Blakea nareliana is a small tree, endemic to the cloud forest zone in the northern Andean Huallaga area of Peru. This region is highly diverse and under-collected due to difficult access. Currently the new species is only known from one population at the type locality. However, extensive collections in the wider region have led to the discovery of many previously unknown populations of other rare Melastomataceae. It is to be hoped that future collecting efforts in the region will yield more material of Blakea nareliana.Se describe una especie nueva peruana de Blakea(Melastomataceae). Blakea narelianaes un pequeño árbol, endémico de la zona de bosque nublado en la zona del Huallaga en los Andes del norte del Perú. Esta región es conocida por su gran diversidad, pero también ha sido poco estudiada debido a su difícil acceso. Actualmente, la nueva especie sólo se conoce de una población en la localidad tipo. Sin embargo, expediciones que hemos realizado en toda la extensión de la región han permitido encontrar nuevas poblaciones de Melastomataceae consideradas anteriormente muy raras, y es de esperar que más material de Blakea nareliana se pueda encontrar en un futuro próximo

Pinguicula rosmarieae Casper, Bussmann & T.Henning (Lentibulariaceae), a new butterwort from the Amotape-Huancabamba Zone (northern Peru)

The insectivorous genus Pinguicula occurs along the whole Andean mountain chain from Colombia-Venezuela in the north to Tierra del Fuego in the south with a short interruption in the Peruvian-Chilean desert range. This paper describes a new and striking species of Pinguicula that occurs in the south-eastern part of the Amotape-Huancabamba Zone in north Peru. It grows either as a lithophyte on moist rocks or as an epiphyte on Polylepis multijuga Pilg. in the wet highlands of the Cordillera Central. Pinguicula rosmarieae Casper, Bussmann & T.Henning, sp. nov. is clearly distinguished by a basal rosette of ovate-obovate leaves spread out flat on the ground and especially by a two-partite corolla with a straight uniform tube-spur complex, two features unknown from other Andean Pinguicula species. The morphological similarity to P. calyptrata Kunth is discussed and the habitat and distribution of P. rosmarieae are characterised

Plantas medicinales utilizadas en Perú para el tratamiento de enfermedades respiratorias

Respiratory tract infections continue to be a major health challenge worldwide especially due to the increasingly fast development of resistance to the drugs currently in use. Many plant species are traditionally used for respiratory illness treatment, and some have been investigated for their efficacy with positive results. A total of 91 plant species belonging to 82 genera and 48 families were documented and identified as respiratory system herbal remedies in Northern Peru. Most species used were Asteraceae (15 species, 16.67%), followed by Lamiaceae and Fabaceae (8.89% and 5.56%). The majority of respiratory disorder herbal preparations were prepared from the leaves of plants (27.69%), while the whole plant (18.46%), flowers (13.85%) and stems (17.69%) were used less frequently. In almost 55% of the cases fresh plant material was used to prepare remedies. About 86% of the remedies were applied orally, while the remaining ones were applied topically. Over half of all remedies were prepared as mixtures of multiple ingredients. Almost 50% of the plants found in the respiratory pharmacopoeia of Northern Peru, or their congeners have been studied for their medicinal properties. The results of this study show that both indigenous and introduced species are used for the treatment of respiratory system disorders. The information gained on frequently used traditional remedies might give some leads for future targets for further analysis in order to develop new drugs.Las infecciones del sistema respiratorio continúan siendo un desafió en sistemas de salud, en particular porque ellas desarrollan resistencia a los antibióticos más usados. Varias plantas medicinales son utilizadas en sistemas tradicionales de salud para el tratamiento de enfermedades respiratorias, incluso algunas de ellas han sido investigadas para verificar su eficacia. En este estudio registramos 91 especies de plantas de 82 géneros y 48 familias, utilizadas como medicina para el sistema respiratorio. Las especies más usadas pertenecieron a la familia Asteraceae (15 species, 16,67%), seguido por Lamiaceae y Fabaceae (8,89% y 5,56%). En los preparados para problemas respiratorios se utilizaron con más frecuencia hojas de plantas (27,69%), seguido de la planta entera (18,46%), flores (13,85%) y tallos (17,69%). En el 55% de los preparados se utilizó material fresco, y el 86% de los preparados se administraron por vía oral, y más de la mitad fueron preparados como mixturas de diferentes especies. Casi el 50% de las plantas que se encuentran en la farmacopea respiratoria del norte del Perú, o de sus congéneres, ya han sido estudiados por sus propiedades medicinales. Los resultados de este estudio muestran que se usan especies introducidas y nativas, y que la información obtenida de los remedios tradicionales utilizados puede contribuir al desarrollo de medicamentos nuevos

Traditional medicinal plant use in Loja province, Southern Ecuador

This paper examines the traditional use of medicinal plants in Loja province, Southern Ecuador. Two hundred fifteen plant species were collected, identified and their vernacular names and traditional uses recorded. This number of species indicates that the healers, market vendors and members of the public interviewed still have a very high knowledge of plants in their surroundings, which can be seen as a reflection of the knowledge of the population in general. However, the area represents only an outlier of the larger Northern Peruvian cultural area, where more than 500 species of plants are used medicinally, indicating that in Ecuador much of the original plant knowledge has already been lost. Most plant species registered are only used medicinally, and only a few species have any other use (construction, fodder, food). The highest number of species is used for the treatment of "magical" (psychosomatic) ailments (39 species), followed by respiratory disorders (34), problems of the urinary tract (28), Fever/Malaria (25), Rheumatism (23) and nervous system problems (20)

Missouri Botanical Garden: plants for a sustainable future

System requirements: Windows Media Player version 9 or above.Rainer Bussmann discussed the Missouri Botanical Garden's research efforts in areas such as ethnobotany, natural products, seed and germination ecology, and natural resource management

Diversity and utilization of antimalarial ethnophytotherapeutic remedies among the Kikuyus (Central Kenya)

Plants in Kenya are becoming increasingly important as sources of traditional medicines. The World Health Organization (WHO) has estimated that malaria kills about 2.7 million people every year, 90% of who are from Africa. Malaria continues to be a national concern in Kenya as it plays a major role in the high mortality rates being experienced currently. The use and miss-use of chloroquine to prevent and treat falciparium malaria has led to widespread appearance of chloroquine resistant parasites in Kenya and other tropical countries. These factors and the rising costs of non-chloroquine drugs have made the local people to turn to traditional remedies for management of this menace. This paper examines the current utilization of traditional plant medicines in managing malaria menace in Central Kenya. The results show both indigenous and introduced species are in use indicating traditional medicinal practices in this region are dynamic. In total 58 species in 54 genera and 33 families were identified. The family Rubiaceae was found to have the highest number of reported species. Use of the various taxa is compared between five districts within Central Province of Kenya. The commonest species in this pharmacopoeia are: Caesalpinia volkensii Harms, Strychnos henningsii Gilg, Ajuga remota Benth., Warbugia ugandensis Sprague and Olea europaea L. The first three species are used in all the five districts while the others are restricted in some of the districts. In 74% of the anti-malarial plant species reported in this study, the remedies are obtained in destructive manner and may need conservation measures to ensure sustainable utilization. The results of this study become a basis for selecting plants for further pharmacological and phytochemical studies in developing new and locally relevant anti-malarial agents

The Globalization of Traditional Medicine in Northern Peru: From Shamanism to Molecules

Northern Peru represents the center of the Andean “health axis,” with roots going back to traditional practices of Cupisnique culture (1000 BC). For more than a decade of research, semistructured interviews were conducted with healers, collectors, and sellers of medicinal plants. In addition, bioassays were carried out to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of plants found. Most of the 510 species encountered were native to Peru (83%). Fifty percent of the plants used in colonial times have disappeared from the pharmacopoeia. Market vendors specialized either on common and exotic plants, plants for common ailments, and plants only used by healers or on plants with magical purposes. Over 974 preparations with up to 29 different ingredients were used to treat 164 health conditions. Almost 65% of the medicinal plants were applied in these mixtures. Antibacterial activity was confirmed in most plants used for infections. Twenty-four percent of the aqueous extracts and 76% of the ethanolic extracts showed toxicity. Traditional preparation methods take this into account when choosing the appropriate solvent for the preparation of a remedy. The increasing demand for medicinal species did not increase the cultivation of medicinal plants. Most species are wild collected, causing doubts about the sustainability of trade

Ethnomedicinal and ecological status of plants in Garhwal Himalaya, India

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The northern part of India harbours a great diversity of medicinal plants due to its distinct geography and ecological marginal conditions. The traditional medical systems of northern India are part of a time tested culture and honored still by people today. These traditional systems have been curing complex disease for more than 3,000 years. With rapidly growing demand for these medicinal plants, most of the plant populations have been depleted, indicating a lack of ecological knowledge among communities using the plants. Thus, an attempt was made in this study to focus on the ecological status of ethnomedicinal plants, to determine their availability in the growing sites, and to inform the communities about the sustainable exploitation of medicinal plants in the wild.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The ecological information regarding ethnomedicinal plants was collected in three different climatic regions (tropical, sub-tropical and temperate) for species composition in different forest layers. The ecological information was assessed using the quadrate sampling method. A total of 25 quadrats, 10 × 10 m were laid out at random in order to sample trees and shrubs, and 40 quadrats of 1 × 1 m for herbaceous plants. In each climatic region, three vegetation sites were selected for ecological information; the mean values of density, basal cover, and the importance value index from all sites of each region were used to interpret the final data. Ethnomedicinal uses were collected from informants of adjacent villages. About 10% of inhabitants (older, experienced men and women) were interviewed about their use of medicinal plants. A consensus analysis of medicinal plant use between the different populations was conducted.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Across the different climatic regions a total of 57 species of plants were reported: 14 tree species, 10 shrub species, and 33 herb species. In the tropical and sub-tropical regions, <it>Acacia catechu </it>was the dominant tree while <it>Ougeinia oojeinensis </it>in the tropical region and <it>Terminalia belerica </it>in the sub-tropical region were least dominant reported. In the temperate region, <it>Quercus leucotrichophora </it>was the dominant tree and <it>Pyrus pashia </it>the least dominant tree. A total of 10 shrubs were recorded in all three regions: <it>Adhatoda vasica </it>was common species in the tropical and sub-tropical regions however, <it>Rhus parviflora </it>was common species in the sub-tropical and temperate regions. Among the 33 herbs, <it>Sida cordifolia </it>was dominant in the tropical and sub-tropical regions, while <it>Barleria prionitis </it>the least dominant in tropical and <it>Phyllanthus amarus </it>in the sub-tropical region. In temperate region, <it>Vernonia anthelmintica </it>was dominant and <it>Imperata cylindrica </it>least dominant. The consensus survey indicated that the inhabitants have a high level of agreement regarding the usages of single plant. The index value was high (1.0) for warts, vomiting, carminative, pain, boils and antiseptic uses, and lowest index value (0.33) was found for bronchitis.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The medicinal plants treated various ailments. These included diarrhea, dysentery, bronchitis, menstrual disorders, gonorrhea, pulmonary affections, migraines, leprosy. The ecological studies showed that the tree density and total basal cover increased from the tropical region to sub-tropical and temperate regions. The species composition changed with climatic conditions. Among the localities used for data collection in each climatic region, many had very poor vegetation cover. The herbaceous layer decreased with increasing altitude, which might be an indication that communities at higher elevations were harvesting more herbaceous medicinal plants, due to the lack of basic health care facilities. Therefore, special attention needs to be given to the conservation of medicinal plants in order to ensure their long-term availability to the local inhabitants. Data on the use of individual species of medicinal plants is needed to provide an in-depth assessment of the plants availability in order to design conservation strategies to protect individual species.</p

Medicinal plants in an urban environment: the medicinal flora of Banares Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh

Varanasi is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities of the world, and one of the most important Hindu pilgrimage sites. Despite this importance, very little information exits on the cities flora in general, and medicinal species found within its limit in particular. Traditional medicine plays a large role in Indian society. The presented study attempted to investigate if traditional plant use and availability of important common medicinal plants are maintained in urban environments. The paper presents information on the traditional uses of seventy-two plant species collected form the campus of Banares Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, and highlights the uses of these plants by the local inhabitants

Importancia de los deslizamientos en el Parque Nacional Podocarpus, Loja, Ecuador

We present preliminary data on the pioneer vegetation found on natural and man-made landslides in the Parque Nacional de Podocarpus (PNP). The natural landslides selected were distributed between 2100 and 3200 m (216 study sites), while the man-made landslides were situated between 1900 and 2800 m above sealevel (216 study sites). Sampling followed Blanquet (1979) and the altitudinal gradient was used as reference. The land-slides were selected in two areas on the eastern flank (144 study sites) and in four areas on the western flank (288 study sites), totaling 432 study sites. For the natural vegetation the size of the study sites was selected according to vegetation type (herbaceous, shrubby, arboreal). The natural forest has 75 plant families, 185 genera and 412 species, 58 of the latter are endemic to the region between 2800 m and 3200 m above sealevel; natural land-slides have 56 families, 127 genera and 264 species; and man-made land-slides have 69 plant families, 127 genera and 313 species. There are no differences between the vegetation of the natural and the man-made land-slides, but rather the gradient has a direct influence on vegetation type and structure. The low herbaceous layer is the dominant feature, followed by medium-sized herbaceous plants and finally the shrub layer, especially between 2400 and 2700 m above sea-level. Within the PNP there are an elevated number of natural land-slides especially between 2200 and 2500 m above sea-level. There are some plant groups which predominate in these areas, such as Cryptogams, the herbaceous layer has some dominant plant families (Violaceae, Cyperaceae, Poaceae, Blechnaceae, Lycopodiaceae), as has the shrub layer (Asteraceae, Melastomataceae, Ericaceae, Poaceae, Aquifoliaceae), while in the natural forest other families are dominant (Asteraceae, Clusiaceae, Bromeliaceae, Ericaceae, Lycopodiaceae, Melastomataceae, Orchidaceae, Poaceae, Cunoniaceae).Se presentan datos preliminares de la flora pionera en deslizamientos naturales y antrópicos en el Parque Nacional de Podocarpus (PNP), así como de la vegetación antes de estos eventos. Los deslizamientos naturales fueron seleccionados y distribuidos entre los 2100 a 3200 m de altitud, (216 parcelas), mientras que los deslizamientos antropogénicos fueron estudiados alrededor de la zona de amortiguamiento, entre los 1900 a 2800 m (216 parcelas). El muestreo se efectuó según Blanquet (1979) tomando como referencia la gradiente altitudinal. Los deslizamientos naturales y antrópicos fueron seleccionados en dos sitios hacia el flanco oriental (144 parcelas) y cuatro sitios en el flanco occidental (288) parcelas, totalizando 432 parcelas. Para la vegetación natural, el tamaño de la parcela fue establecido de acuerdo al tipo de vegetación (herbácea, arbustiva y arbórea). El bosque natural presenta 75 familias, 185 géneros y 412 especies, de estas 58 son endémicas entre los 2800 m y 3200 m; deslizamientos naturales con 56 familias, 127 géneros y 264 especies; y deslizamientos antropogénicos con 69 familias, 127 géneros y 313 especies. No existen diferencias entre la vegetación pionera de los deslizamientos naturales y antrópicos, sin embargo la gradiente influencia directamente en el tipo de vegetación y estructura. Siendo el estrato herbáceo bajo el más representativo, luego el estrato herbáceo de tamaño mediano y finalmente el estrato arbustivo, especialmente en el rango 2400 a 2700 m. Se registra que en los dos flancos del PNP existe una elevada frecuencia de deslizamientos principalmente entre los 2200-2500 m. Existen algunos grupos predominantes o que restablecen estas áreas, entre ellas las Criptógamas, los estratos herbáceos con familias dominantes (Violaceae, Cyperaceae, Poaceae, Blechnaceae, Lycopodiaceae), el estrato arbustivo con otro juego de familias (Asteraceae, Melastomataceae, Ericaceae, Poaceae, Aquifoliaceae), y en el bosque todavia otras familias dominantes (Asteraceae, Clusiaceae, Bromeliaceae, Ericaceae, Lycopodiaceae, Melastomataceae, Orchidaceae, Poaceae, Cunoniaceae)