Current Traditional Medicine - Volume 5, Issue 1, 2019

Guatemala as part of Mesoamerica, is a region of high biological and cultural diversity, where several cultures have flourished. Since 1976, a project started for the detection, validation, production, and utilization of medicinal species for primary health care. It included several ethnobotanical surveys conducted among ten Guatemalan ethnical groups. The objective of this paper is to summarize the ethnobotanical surveys conducted in the country and review the literature validating the use of the most promising native species. From these surveys, more than 650 plant species used for medicinal purposes were detected and cultivation activities were conducted for some of these species. Initially, in cooperation with the multidisciplinary teams in Guatemala, and later with other academic institutions in Brazil, Costa Rica, Italy, Mexico, Panama, Spain and United States, in vitro and in vivo validation activities were performed, such as biocidal, anti-inflammatory, spasmolytic, immunomodulatory, antioxidant and other activities. A comprehensive literature review of the most relevant species was performed. Based on the traditional utilization and preclinical or clinical evidence, several national and international projects were conducted. The most interesting results include anti-candida (Solanum nigrescens), antimicrobial (Tagetes lucida), immunomodulator (Phlebodium pseudoaureum), anti-protozoal (Neurolaena lobata), sedative (Valeriana prionophylla), anti-menopause (Piper hispidum) activities and others. With this information and the reviewed literature, specific formulas were prepared for the treatment of different pathologies, leading to several products registered as phytotherapic in Guatemala. Concise updated information is integrated into mini-reviews for 15 species in order to inform about the properties, chemistry and potential use of these species.

Boldo leaves (Boldo folium, from Peumus boldus Mol.) are very frequently used as a medicinal herb in Chile and are exported to many countries to be used in teas or as extracts included in herbal remedies, primarily as an aid to digestion and as a mild sedative. Scientific support for these uses is scanty, and boldine, an alkaloid viewed as characteristic of the tree and present in high concentration in the bark, is extracted by specialized companies and sold as the supposed main active constituent. Consequently, boldine has been the subject of a considerable number of research papers, while some of the other alkaloids present to a greater extent in the leaves have been relatively neglected except when found in large amounts in other species. These studies range from assays of antioxidant activity to anti-inflammatory, antineoplastic and other medical applications. The essential oil, usually containing a large percentage of the toxic ascaridole, was once used as a vermifuge and is now regarded with caution, but is still of interest as a possible natural insecticide, fungicide, antiparasitic and herbicide. The last decade has seen an explosive increase in papers pointing to possible uses of boldo and its constituents. This review attempts to bring these publications together in a comprehensive way with the purpose of stimulating and orienting further research into the useful properties of this Chilean endemic tree.

Aristotelia chilensis (Mol.) Stuntz, commonly called “maqui” is a native tree of Chile considered sacred for the Mapuche people. The fruits are sweet blackberries with a high concentration of polyphenols which stain the hands and mouth when eaten. The Mapuche people use it for creating "chicha" an alcoholic beverage, while leaves are used to treat infected wounds, inflammation and ulcers. In this review, we will give an overview of the pharmacology reported for the plant and molecules isolated from leaves and fruits, with the scope of giving a better understanding of the potential of this tree.

Background and Objective: The incidence of fungal infections has experienced a marked increase in the last two decades being limited to a few drugs with serious drawbacks. Combination therapy has emerged as an approach to improve the efficacy of currently used antifungal therapy that also may delay the evolution of resistance. Method: The objectives of this work are to present a bibliographic search on the plants used in traditional medicine in Argentina for ailments related to fungal infections and to investigate the antifungal activity of currently used antifungal drugs in combination with natural extracts. Results: Results of the bibliographic investigation showed that 153 species belonging to 56 families and 120 genera from Argentina are applied to treat signs and symptoms considered to maintain ethnopharmacological uses related to fungal infections, mainly for skin and mucosal conditions. Conclusion: Regarding the evaluation of the antifungal activity of combinations between extracts and antifungal drugs, we observed that extracts from plants species belonging to a genera traditionally used for ailments related to fungal infections have more chances of enhancing the activity of amphotericin B, fluconazole and itraconazole. In addition, we observed that there is a greater chance of finding an enhancement in the activity of the commercial antifungals when the combination is performed with extracts that have shown activity in solitary. Nevertheless, inactive extracts that would have been discarded according to the classic strategy displayed activity in combination and they continue being potential candidates in the search for new antifungals.