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Christian R. Vogl - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • tamarindus indica l fabaceae patterns of use in traditional african medicine
    Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 2010
    Co-Authors: Reinout Havinga, Anna Hartl, Johanna Putscher, Sarah Prehsler, Christine Buchmann, Christian R. Vogl
    Abstract:

    To increase the understanding of the Ethnopharmacology of a single species, elaboration of dispersed primary data is required. Tamarindus indica L. (Fabaceae), or tamarind, is a common tree, especially in West Africa, with a good potential to contribute to affordable local health care based on traditional medicine (TM). For this single species review, more than 60 references with detailed information on the Ethnopharmacology of Tamarindus indica in the African context were selected. It showed that most prominently, the fruits are used as laxative or febrifuge throughout the Sahel and Soudan ecological zones. Tamarind bark and leaves are often involved in the treatment of wounds, especially in central West Africa. While the bark is used to treat diarrhoea in West Africa, the leaves are used for this purpose in East Africa. Our findings suggest a difference in the way tamarind is used between East and West Africa and we assess the similarities of its uses within those regions. This review demonstrates the capability of literature research to reveal knowledge by mining and compiling information from the growing body of primary ethnopharmacologic data, much of which is published in this journal. By creating a specific profile of tamarind in the context of traditional medicine throughout Africa, the authors contribute to the collection of current ethnobotanic species accounts on Tamarindus indica that tend to be qualitative and more general.

  • tamarindus indica l fabaceae patterns of use in traditional african medicine
    Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 2010
    Co-Authors: Reinout Havinga, Anna Hartl, Johanna Putscher, Sarah Prehsler, Christine Buchmann, Christian R. Vogl
    Abstract:

    To increase the understanding of the Ethnopharmacology of a single species, elaboration of dispersed primary data is required. Tamarindus indica L. (Fabaceae), or tamarind, is a common tree, especially in West Africa, with a good potential to contribute to affordable local health care based on traditional medicine (TM). For this single species review, more than 60 references with detailed information on the Ethnopharmacology of Tamarindus indica in the African context were selected. It showed that most prominently, the fruits are used as laxative or febrifuge throughout the Sahel and Soudan ecological zones. Tamarind bark and leaves are often involved in the treatment of wounds, especially in central West Africa. While the bark is used to treat diarrhoea in West Africa, the leaves are used for this purpose in East Africa. Our findings suggest a difference in the way tamarind is used between East and West Africa and we assess the similarities of its uses within those regions. This review demonstrates the capability of literature research to reveal knowledge by mining and compiling information from the growing body of primary ethnopharmacologic data, much of which is published in this journal. By creating a specific profile of tamarind in the context of traditional medicine throughout Africa, the authors contribute to the collection of current ethnobotanic species accounts on Tamarindus indica that tend to be qualitative and more general.

Nina L Etkin - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • edible medicines an Ethnopharmacology of food
    2006
    Co-Authors: Nina L Etkin
    Abstract:

    Chile pepper is used today as a flavoring, but Aztecs also applied it for toothache, sore throat, and asthma. The tonic properties of coffee have been recorded in Islamic pharmacopoeia since the eleventh century, and many peoples have used it to protect against Parkinson's disease. Although much has been documented regarding the nutritional values of foods, until recently little attention has been paid to the pharmacologic potential of diet. This book investigates the health implications of foods from the cuisines of peoples around the world to describe the place of food in health maintenance. In this wide-ranging book, Nina Etkin reveals the pharmacologic potential of foods in the specific cultural contexts in which they are used. Incorporating co-evolution with a biocultural perspective, she addresses some of the physiological effects of foods across cultures and through history while taking into account both the complex dynamics of food choice and the blurred distinctions between food and medicine. Showing that food choice is more closely linked to health than is commonly thought, she helps us to understand the health implications of people's food-centered actions in the context of real-life circumstances. Drawing on an extensive literature that transects food and culture, the history of medicine, Ethnopharmacology, food history, nutrition, and human evolution, Edible Medicines demonstrates the intricate relationship between culture and nature. It will appeal to a wide range of scholars and professionals, from anthropologists to nutritionists, as well as general readers seeking a greater understanding of the medicinal aspects of food.

  • seeking a transdisciplinary and culturally germane science the future of Ethnopharmacology
    Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 2005
    Co-Authors: Nina L Etkin, Elaine Elisabetsky
    Abstract:

    Publication of the 100th issue of the Journal of Ethnopharmacology offers a strategic juncture to reflect on what, intellectually and practically, substantiates Ethnopharmacology as a domain of inquiry and what its future might be. We characterize Ethnopharmacology through the diversity of its practitioners, and review critiques that challenge researchers to set their sights on a theory-driven and context-sensitive study of the pharmacologic potential of species used by indigenous peoples for medicine, food, and other purposes. The conclusion suggests themes that will inspire an integrated, transdisciplinary Ethnopharmacology for the future.

  • perspectives in Ethnopharmacology forging a closer link between bioscience and traditional empirical knowledge
    Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 2001
    Co-Authors: Nina L Etkin
    Abstract:

    To what extent do ethnopharmacologists from diverse disciplines share a vision of what Ethnopharmacology is and what it might become? This question was explored several years ago through content analysis of the Journal of Ethnopharmacology (JEP), the official journal of the International Society for Ethnopharmacology (ISE). The analysis revealed that although the published articles represent the breadth of natural and social sciences, most studies are themselves not synthetic or interdisciplinary. For the present study, analysis was extended through the most recently published issues of the JEP and compared, for the same time period, to the subject matter of another natural products journal, Pharmaceutical Biology. Whereas research published in the JEP better represents the interdisciplinary objectives of that journal, the difference is not striking. By way of illustration, several studies are reviewed that represent the unique, synthetic perspective that is highlighted in the mission statements of both the JEP and the ISE. The conclusion underscores the lack of clarity in research objectives and suggests that ethnopharmacologists of all backgrounds can enhance their work by projecting pharmacologic data against a backdrop of medical ethnography and by enriching cultural interpretations of medical actions by exploring the physiologic potential of plants.

  • plants for food and medicine proceedings of the joint conference of the society for economic botany and the international society for Ethnopharmacology london 1 6 july 1996
    Kew Bulletin, 1999
    Co-Authors: Nina L Etkin, Hew D. V. Prendergast
    Abstract:

    Plants for Food and Medicine, the proceedings of the 1996 Economic Botany and the International Society of Ethnopharmacology Conference. Explores the commercial and scientific potential of plants for the food, health and drug industries. It focuses on the current state of 'pharmafoods' - how medicinal plants are shaping modern medicine; Ethnopharmacology; new drug development; biodiversity and conservation; and the valuation of wild plant resources.

  • anthropological methods in Ethnopharmacology
    Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 1993
    Co-Authors: Nina L Etkin
    Abstract:

    This paper reviews anthropological methods in Ethnopharmacology to advance a critical and biobehavioral perspective for the construction of primary data in the light of indigenous paradigms of health and therapeutics. The unique contributions of anthropology are the conceptual and practical tools that allow one to develop the ethnography of plant use in sufficient depth to correlate with laboratory and clinical investigations of plant constituents and activities. This serves an Ethnopharmacology that links bioscientific research to traditional empirical knowledge. Specific methods discussed include: key respondents, participant observation, focus groups, structured and unstructured interviews, survey instruments and questionnaires, lexical and semantic studies, and discourse and content analysis. The accommodation of rapid ethnographic techniques for ethnopharmacologic research is described, and several problem orientations based on assessments of efficacy are offered.

Michael Heinrich - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • Ethnopharmacology a bibliometric analysis of a field of research meandering between medicine and food science
    Frontiers in Pharmacology, 2018
    Co-Authors: Andy Wai Kan Yeung, Michael Heinrich, Atanas G Atanasov
    Abstract:

    Background: The research into bioactive natural products of medicinal plants has a long tradition, but Ethnopharmacology as a well-defined field of research has a relatively short history, only dating back 50 years. Aims: With the fast development of this field and its global importance especially in the fast developing economies of Asia it is timely to assess the most influential articles (as measured by citations) and to identify important drivers and research trends in this field. Methods: Scopus was searched to identify relevant articles which were assessed by all three authors. The 100 most cited articles were identified and analyzed. Bibliometric software (VOSviewer) was utilized to supplement the analysis and to generate a term map that visualized the citation patterns of the 100 articles containing different terms. Results: 44 of the 100 articles are reviews. On average, each of the 100 articles had 632 citations and since publication was cited 43 times annually. The four core journals were Journal of Ethnopharmacology (n = 17), Food Chemistry (n = 7), Life Sciences (n = 5) and Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (n = 4). Anti-oxidant effects appeared to be a recurring and highly cited topic, whereas the links into drug discovery and neuropharmacology seemed to be less strong. Numerous medicinal plants and functional foods were the foci of research, and the foci shifted when comparing pre-2000 and post-2000 publications (with the later involving a broader spectrum of plants and foods and a wider range of biological effects). Contributions largely came from Asia, and also from the Americas, Africa and Oceania, besides Europe. Conclusion: We have identified and analyzed the 100 most-cited articles in Ethnopharmacology. Within 50 years the field has gained a profile and while conventionally often linked to ‘traditional knowledge’, drug discovery and some areas of pharmacology, this analysis highlights its emerging importance in the context of disease prevention (food science), but also the development of research driven by the needs and interests of the fast developing economies most notably of Asia.

  • Ethnopharmacology quo vadis challenges for the future
    Revista Brasileira De Farmacognosia-brazilian Journal of Pharmacognosy, 2014
    Co-Authors: Michael Heinrich
    Abstract:

    It is well-known that humans have used medicinal plants for millennia, but as a defined field of scientific research called Ethnopharmacology, it has a relatively short history. It is linked to the development of pharmacology in the 19th century (as exemplified in the work of Claude Bernard linking the explorers’ observations on traditional uses of medicines and toxins) and to fascination with psychoactive drugs in the 1960s. This fascination gave rise to what we now call Ethnopharmacology, a term first used as recently as 1967. With thousands of ethnopharmacological articles published each year now, the field has expanded greatly. It nowadays covers a wide range of topics based on the anthropological, historical and other socio-cultural studies of local and traditional plants, fungi and animals; as well as the biological and clinical studies of resources used as medicines, toxins, foods, among other applications. It is one of the few fields in science truly transdisciplinary and it is a key bridge between socio-cultural and the natural/medical sciences. More importantly, ethnopharmacological research is crucial for the improvement of livelihood, health and wellbeing of humans.

  • value chains of herbal medicines research needs and key challenges in the context of Ethnopharmacology
    Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 2012
    Co-Authors: Anthony Booker, Michael Heinrich, Deborah Johnston
    Abstract:

    Abstract Background Value chain analyses are commonly used to understand socioeconomic and power relationships in the production chain from the initial starting material to a final (generally high value) product. These analyses help in terms of understanding economic processes but also have been used in the context of socioeconomic and socioecological research. Aims of the study However, there is a gap in the ethnopharmacological literature in terms of understanding what relevance a critical analysis of value chains of herbal medicines could have. Here we provide a research framework for achieving such an analysis. Methods An extensive review of the literature available on value chains and their analysis was conducted, based both on a systematic online search of the relevant literature and a hand search of bibliographies and discussions with experts in value chain analysis Results While the concept of value chains is commonly used in the relevant industries, very few studies investigate the value chains of herbal medicines and products derived from them. The studies identified mostly look at socio-ecological aspects, especially in the context of sustainable resource use. We suggest an analytical framework which can help in understanding value chains in the context of Ethnopharmacology and can serve as a basis for addressing questions related to value chains and their relevance in Ethnopharmacology. Conclusions We identified a crucial gap in current ethnopharmacological and medicinal plant research which impacts on a wide-range of factors relevant for a sustainable, socio-culturally equitable and safe supply of herbal medicines.

  • Ethnopharmacology and drug discovery
    In: Comprehensive Natural Products II: Chemistry and Biology. (pp. 351-381). (2010), 2010
    Co-Authors: Michael Heinrich
    Abstract:

    Drug discovery and development (very often unknowingly) is based on traditional and local knowledge about a species’ medical use or toxicological effects (both desired and undesired effects). The list of compounds ultimately derived from such knowledge is very long indeed and includes morphine, codeine, and aspirin to name just a few but also drugs licensed relatively recently like galanthamine and artemisinine. Here I review this link and – using examples of new drugs currently under development preclinically or in clinical trials – discuss how such new drugs have been ‘discovered’, or more precisely developed into a clinically used medication.

  • Ethnopharmacology of the popoluca mexico an evaluation
    Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, 2010
    Co-Authors: Marco Leonti, Heike Vibrans, Otto Sticher, Michael Heinrich
    Abstract:

    Medicinal plants are an essential part of indigenous pharmaceutical systems. We studied the medicinal plants used by the Popoluca of the Sierra Santa Marta (Eastern Mexico). This study is part of a series on the Ethnopharmacology of various Macro-Mayan groups. During 16 months of ethnobotanical fieldwork, 614 taxa used medicinally and 4488 individual use-reports were documented. The data are analysed using the concept of the "healers' consensus" in order to identify culturally important medicinal plants. The medicinal uses of the plants were grouped into 13 illness categories. The responses for each species were summarized for each of the categories and were ordered by frequency of mention. The most frequently recorded medicinal plants of the Popoluca are Hamelia patens, used to stop bleeding from wounds, and Byrsonima crassifolia, used against diarrhoea. The high-ranked medicinal species were assessed pharmacognostically using published phytochemical and pharmacological data. Popoluca medicinal uses were fairly consistent with published data on active ingredients for those plants for which such data exist. However, data is still lacking for many other species. Toxicological studies are particularly scarce. This study will be used as a basis for subsequent studies on the pharmacology and phytochemistry of medicinal plant species.

Reinout Havinga - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • tamarindus indica l fabaceae patterns of use in traditional african medicine
    Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 2010
    Co-Authors: Reinout Havinga, Anna Hartl, Johanna Putscher, Sarah Prehsler, Christine Buchmann, Christian R. Vogl
    Abstract:

    To increase the understanding of the Ethnopharmacology of a single species, elaboration of dispersed primary data is required. Tamarindus indica L. (Fabaceae), or tamarind, is a common tree, especially in West Africa, with a good potential to contribute to affordable local health care based on traditional medicine (TM). For this single species review, more than 60 references with detailed information on the Ethnopharmacology of Tamarindus indica in the African context were selected. It showed that most prominently, the fruits are used as laxative or febrifuge throughout the Sahel and Soudan ecological zones. Tamarind bark and leaves are often involved in the treatment of wounds, especially in central West Africa. While the bark is used to treat diarrhoea in West Africa, the leaves are used for this purpose in East Africa. Our findings suggest a difference in the way tamarind is used between East and West Africa and we assess the similarities of its uses within those regions. This review demonstrates the capability of literature research to reveal knowledge by mining and compiling information from the growing body of primary ethnopharmacologic data, much of which is published in this journal. By creating a specific profile of tamarind in the context of traditional medicine throughout Africa, the authors contribute to the collection of current ethnobotanic species accounts on Tamarindus indica that tend to be qualitative and more general.

  • tamarindus indica l fabaceae patterns of use in traditional african medicine
    Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 2010
    Co-Authors: Reinout Havinga, Anna Hartl, Johanna Putscher, Sarah Prehsler, Christine Buchmann, Christian R. Vogl
    Abstract:

    To increase the understanding of the Ethnopharmacology of a single species, elaboration of dispersed primary data is required. Tamarindus indica L. (Fabaceae), or tamarind, is a common tree, especially in West Africa, with a good potential to contribute to affordable local health care based on traditional medicine (TM). For this single species review, more than 60 references with detailed information on the Ethnopharmacology of Tamarindus indica in the African context were selected. It showed that most prominently, the fruits are used as laxative or febrifuge throughout the Sahel and Soudan ecological zones. Tamarind bark and leaves are often involved in the treatment of wounds, especially in central West Africa. While the bark is used to treat diarrhoea in West Africa, the leaves are used for this purpose in East Africa. Our findings suggest a difference in the way tamarind is used between East and West Africa and we assess the similarities of its uses within those regions. This review demonstrates the capability of literature research to reveal knowledge by mining and compiling information from the growing body of primary ethnopharmacologic data, much of which is published in this journal. By creating a specific profile of tamarind in the context of traditional medicine throughout Africa, the authors contribute to the collection of current ethnobotanic species accounts on Tamarindus indica that tend to be qualitative and more general.

Marco Leonti - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • Ethnopharmacology of Love
    Frontiers Media S.A., 2018
    Co-Authors: Marco Leonti, Laura Casu
    Abstract:

    Background: Elixirs conferring eternal youth or inducing amatory and erotic attraction have been searched for without success. Lovesickness is a widespread affliction resulting from unrequited love and/or the impossibility for physical and emotional union. The symptoms are reflections of altered dopamine, serotonin, noradrenaline, testosterone and cortisol levels and range from frenzy and intrusive thinking to despair and depression, sharing traits with the neurochemistry of addiction and compulsive behavior disorder. Although it can seriously impact the quality of life, lovesickness is currently not considered in official disease classification systems. Consequently, no official therapeutic guidelines exist, leaving subjects to seek the cure on their own.Methods: We review literature of the past 2000 years dealing with the concept, diagnosis and the healing of lovesickness and contextualize it with neurochemical, ethnomedical, and ethnographic data. Since neurobiological and pharmacological connections between the love drive and the sex drive exist, we review also the literature about herbal an- and aphrodisiacs, focusing on their excitatory or calmative potential.Results: An overall consensus regarding socio-behavioral regimes exists for dealing with lovesickness from historical through contemporary literature. The herbal drugs used for treating lovesickness or inducing love passion do not possess the alleged properties. The pharmacological effects of aphrodisiacs are heterogeneous, including dopaminergic and adrenergic activities, but there is no evidence for any serotonergic effects. The libido-regulating properties of anaphrodisiacs seem to be associated with sedative and toxic effects or decreasing testosterone levels. CB2 receptors expressed on dopaminergic neurons of the ventral tegmental area, part of the brain’s reward circuit, implicated with addiction, orgasm and strong emotions such as love, might constitute a new therapeutic target.Conclusion: The common food additive and CB2 agonist β-caryophyllene might have the potential to attenuate dopaminergic firing, quenching the reward and thus motivation associated with romantic love. From Greek mythology to modern history, cultural expressions and implications of love, sex and procreation is and was organized along hierarchical lines that put men on top. The neuronal predispositions and activities associated with falling in love will probably forever remain nature’s and Eros’ secret

  • reverse Ethnopharmacology and drug discovery
    Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 2017
    Co-Authors: Marco Leonti, Laura Casu, G I Stafford, Maja Dal Cero, Stefano Cabras, Maria Eugenia Castellanos, Caroline S Weckerle
    Abstract:

    Abstract Ethnopharmacological relevance Ethnopharmacological investigations of traditional medicines have made significant contributions to plant-derived drugs, as well as the advancement of pharmacology. Drug discovery from medicinal flora is more complex than generally acknowledged because plants are applied for different therapeutic indications within and across cultures. Therefore we propose the concept of “reverse Ethnopharmacology” and compare biomedical uses of plant taxa with their ethnomedicinal and popular uses and test the effect of these on the probability of finding biomedical and specifically anticancer drugs. Materials and methods For this analysis we use data on taxonomy and medical indications of plant derived biomedical drugs, clinical trial, and preclinical trial drug candidates published by Zhu et al. (2011) and compare their therapeutic indications with their ethnomedicinal and popular uses as reported in the NAPRALERT ® database. Specifically, we test for increase or decrease of the probability of finding anticancer drugs based on ethnomedicinal and popular reports with Bayesian logistic regression analyses. Results Anticancer therapy resulted as the most frequent biomedicinal indication of the therapeutics derived from the 225 drug producing higher plant taxa and showed an association with ethnomedicinal and popular uses in women's medicine, which was also the most important popular use-category. Popular remedies for dysmenorrhoea, and uses as emmenagogues, abortifacients and contraceptives showed a positive effect on the probability of finding anticancer drugs. Another positive effect on the probability of discovering anticancer therapeutics was estimated for popular herbal drugs associated with the therapy of viral and bacterial infections, while the highest effect was found for popular remedies used to treat cancer symptoms. However, this latter effect seems to be influenced by the feedback loop and divulgence of biomedical knowledge on the popular level. Conclusion We introduce the concept of reverse Ethnopharmacology and show that it is possible to estimate the probability of finding biomedical drugs based on ethnomedicinal uses. The detected associations confirm the classical ethnopharmacological approach where a popular remedy for disease category X results in a biomedical drug for disease category X but does also point out the existence of cross-over relationships where popular remedies for disease category X result in biomedical therapeutics for disease category Y ( Zhu et al., 2011 ).

  • classifying diseases and remedies in ethnomedicine and Ethnopharmacology
    Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 2015
    Co-Authors: Peter Oswald Staub, Laura Casu, Matthias S Geck, Cs Weckerle, Marco Leonti
    Abstract:

    Abstract Ethnopharmacological relevance Ethnopharmacology focuses on the understanding of local and indigenous use of medicines and therefore an emic approach is inevitable. Often, however, standard biomedical disease classifications are used to describe and analyse local diseases and remedies. Standard classifications might be a valid tool for cross-cultural comparisons and bioprospecting purposes but are not suitable to understand the local perception of disease and use of remedies. Different standard disease classification systems exist but their suitability for cross-cultural comparisons of ethnomedical data has never been assessed. Depending on the research focus, (I) ethnomedical, (II) cross-cultural, and (III) bioprospecting, we provide suggestions for the use of specific classification systems. Materials and methods We analyse three different standard biomedical classification systems (the International Classification of Diseases (ICD); the Economic Botany Data Collection Standard (EBDCS); and the International Classification of Primary Care (ICPC)), and discuss their value for categorizing diseases of ethnomedical systems and their suitability for cross-cultural research in Ethnopharmacology. Moreover, based on the biomedical uses of all approved plant derived biomedical drugs, we propose a biomedical therapy-based classification system as a guide for the discovery of drugs from ethnopharmacological sources. Results Widely used standards, such as the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) by the WHO and the Economic Botany Data Collection Standard (EBDCS) are either technically challenging due to a categorisation system based on clinical examinations, which are usually not possible during field research (ICD) or lack clear biomedical criteria combining disorders and medical effects in an imprecise and confusing way (EBDCS). The International Classification of Primary Care (ICPC), also accepted by the WHO, has more in common with ethnomedical reality than the ICD or the EBDCS, as the categories are designed according to patient's perceptions and are less influenced by clinical medicine. Since diagnostic tools are not required, medical ethnobotanists and ethnopharmacologists can easily classify reported symptoms and complaints with the ICPC in one of the “chapters” based on 17 body systems, psychological and social problems. Also the biomedical uses of plant-derived drugs are classifiable into 17 broad organ- and therapy-based use-categories but can easily be divided into more specific subcategories. Conclusions Depending on the research focus (I–III) we propose the following classification systems: I. Ethnomedicine: Ethnomedicine is culture-bound and local classifications have to be understood from an emic perspective. Consequently, the application of prefabricated, “one-size fits all” biomedical classification schemes is of limited value. II. Cross-cultural analysis: The ICPC is a suitable standard that can be applied but modified as required. III. Bioprospecting: We suggest a biomedical therapy-driven classification system with currently 17 use-categories based on biomedical uses of all approved plant derived natural product drugs.

  • traditional medicines and globalization current and future perspectives in Ethnopharmacology
    Frontiers in Pharmacology, 2013
    Co-Authors: Marco Leonti, Laura Casu
    Abstract:

    The ethnopharmacological approach towards the understanding and appraisal of traditional and herbal medicines is characterized by the inclusions of the social as well as the natural sciences. Anthropological field-observations describing the local use of nature-derived medicines are the basis for ethnopharmacological enquiries. The multidisciplinary scientific validation of indigenous drugs is of relevance to modern societies at large and helps to sustain local health care practices. Especially with respect to therapies related to ageing related, chronic and infectious diseases traditional medicines offer promising alternatives to biomedicine. Bioassays applied in Ethnopharmacology represent the molecular characteristics and complexities of the disease or symptoms for which an indigenous drug is used in “traditional” medicine to variable depth and extent. One-dimensional in vitro approaches rarely cope with the complexity of human diseases and ignore the concept of polypharmacological synergies. The recent focus on holistic approaches and systems biology in medicinal plant research represents the trend towards the description and the understanding of complex multi-parameter systems. Ethnopharmacopoeias are non-static cultural constructs shaped by belief and knowledge systems. Intensified globalization and economic liberalism currently accelerates the interchange between local and global pharmacopoeias via international trade, television, the World Wide Web and print media. The increased infiltration of newly generated biomedical knowledge and introduction of “foreign” medicines into local pharmacopoeias leads to syncretic developments and generates a feedback loop. While modern and post-modern cultures and knowledge systems adapt and transform the global impact, they become more relevant for Ethnopharmacology. Moreover, what is traditional, alternative or complementary medicine depends on the adopted historic-cultural perspective.

  • Ethnopharmacology of the popoluca mexico an evaluation
    Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, 2010
    Co-Authors: Marco Leonti, Heike Vibrans, Otto Sticher, Michael Heinrich
    Abstract:

    Medicinal plants are an essential part of indigenous pharmaceutical systems. We studied the medicinal plants used by the Popoluca of the Sierra Santa Marta (Eastern Mexico). This study is part of a series on the Ethnopharmacology of various Macro-Mayan groups. During 16 months of ethnobotanical fieldwork, 614 taxa used medicinally and 4488 individual use-reports were documented. The data are analysed using the concept of the "healers' consensus" in order to identify culturally important medicinal plants. The medicinal uses of the plants were grouped into 13 illness categories. The responses for each species were summarized for each of the categories and were ordered by frequency of mention. The most frequently recorded medicinal plants of the Popoluca are Hamelia patens, used to stop bleeding from wounds, and Byrsonima crassifolia, used against diarrhoea. The high-ranked medicinal species were assessed pharmacognostically using published phytochemical and pharmacological data. Popoluca medicinal uses were fairly consistent with published data on active ingredients for those plants for which such data exist. However, data is still lacking for many other species. Toxicological studies are particularly scarce. This study will be used as a basis for subsequent studies on the pharmacology and phytochemistry of medicinal plant species.