湘西地区祛风除湿药用植物的资源调查及可持续利用建议

湘西地区祛风除湿的医药传统知识历史悠久,但相关药用植物的资源本底和传统知识现状还不够清楚。该文基于民族植物学调查方法,对湘西地区祛风除湿药用植物的组成、相关传统知识、定量评价、实际估价和在《湖南省中药材标准》(2009年版)收录情况等方面进行了系统梳理,并就该类资源的可持续利用提出了相关建议。结果表明:(1)湘西地区目前利用的祛风除湿药用植物共有48科65属71种,以毛茛科(Ranunculaceae)和五加科(Araliaceae)居多。(2)根、全株、茎(藤)为主要利用部位。(3)生活型主要是草本、藤本和灌木,乔木较少。(4)与药用植物相关的传统知识在代际传播方面存在不确定性。(5)寻骨风(Aristolochia mollissima)、威灵仙(Clematis chinensis)和广防风(Anisomeles indica)显示出最高的知识一致性水平,是本次调查中3种最常用的祛风除湿药用植物。(6)当地药用植物的本地价格受市场影响较小,总体维持在较为平稳的水平,且缺乏对药材消费需求的了解。(7)有25种祛风除湿药用植物在《湖南省中药材标准》(2009年版)收录的功能与主治为祛风除湿、关节痹痛、风湿等。随着现阶段我国资源立法的不断完善,建议对湘西地区祛风除湿药用植物相关传统知识加强保护,提高该类资源的生物多样性和可持续利用水平; 并充分利用多学科交叉知识和技术手段,加强区域内传统医药资源的发掘和创新,使湘西丰富的药用植物资源更好地为人类健康做出贡献。     

Plant knowledge of the Shuhi in the Hengduan Mountains, Southwest China

The Shuhi are a Tibeto-Burman ethnic group of around 1,500 people living exclusively in the Shuiluo Valley, southwest China. We documented their plant knowledge concerning wild collected species, and analyzed food, medicine, and ritual uses. Overall, uses, collection sites, and use frequencies of 136 plant species were documented. The plants were divided in fodder (46 spp.), food (43 spp.), medicine (27 spp.), ritual plants (20 spp.), fuelwood (17 spp.), plants used for construction (8 spp.), ornamentals (2 spp.), and "others" (34 spp.). Food plants mainly consist of fruits and leafy vegetables, and the uses are comparable with those of other ethnic groups in the area. Knowledge about medicinal plants is relatively limited, since traditional Shuhi healers use ritual and other healing methods instead of medicinal plants. Ritual plants play an important role relative to human well-being. Villagers and ritualists use them to keep the environment clean of malevolent spirits and to maintain a good relationship with the deities. All habitats, from the dry shrub vegetation at the valley bottom up to the alpine shrub, are used for plant collection, but 87% of all species are collected in the near vicinity of the villages around the fields and in the dry shrub vegetation. Finally, we postulate two main factors influencing wild plant use among the Shuhi: cultural values and accessibility.     

Conservation of medicinal plants of Western Ghats,India and its sustainable utilization through <Emphasis Type="Italic">in vitro</Emphasis> technology

Climate change, alien species, and use of land for intensive farming and development are causing severe threat to the plant genetic diversity worldwide. Hence, conservation of biodiversity is considered fundamental and also provides the livelihoods to millions of people worldwide. Medicinal plants play a key role in the treatment of a number of diseases, and they are only the source of medicine for majority of people in the developing world. The tropical regions of the world supply the bulk of current global demand for “natural medicine,” albeit with increasing threat to populations in the world and its genetic diversity. India is a major center of origin and diversity of crop and medicinal plants. India poses out 20,000 species of higher plants, one third of it being endemic and 500 species are categorized to have medicinal value. The Western Ghats is one of the major repositories of medicinal plants. It harbors around 4,000 species of higher plants of which 450 species are threatened. Currently, the number of species added to the red list category in this region is increasing, and the valuable genetic resources are being lost at a rapid rate. Demand for medicinal plants is increasing, and this leads to unscrupulous collection from the wild and adulteration of supplies. Providing high-quality planting material for sustainable use and thereby saving the genetic diversity of plants in the wild is important. During the last 25 years of intensive research, Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute has developed in vitro protocol for rapid regeneration and establishment of about 40 medicinally important rare and threatened plants of Western Ghats. In situ conservation alone would not be effective in safeguarding these important species. Thus, utilizing the biotechnoligical approach to complement ex situ conservation program is becoming vital. Propagating biotechnology tools in plant conservation program is a prerequisite to succeed in sustainable use and to complement the existing ex situ measures. In addition to propagation, storage of these valuable genetic resources is equally important. In vitro slow growth of 35 species and cryopreservation using embryo/meristem/seed in 20 different species of rare medicinal plants of this region is accomplished. Plants developed in vitro of ten medicinal plants, which have restricted distribution, were reintroduced in the natural habitat as well.     

Importance of traditional protected areas for the collection of medicinal plants,Kongo‐Central (DRC)

The Mbanza‐Ngungu region (Kongo‐Central province, DRC) currently faces continued forest deterioration. Many of these forests were traditionally protected areas of which to date, only traces are left. The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the importance of forest remnants and other components of the landscape for the collection of medicinal plants in the Mbanza‐Ngungu Region, DRC. Between February 2009 and May 2012, semi‐structured interviews and participatory observations were conducted in this region with 51 traditional healers selected by means of the ‘snowball method’. Local importance of medicinal plants was determined by the medicinal Use Value parameter. Statistical analyses were carried out with SPSS 20.0 and based on chi‐square test, analysis of variance and post hoc comparison of means. Our results show that the forest remnants remain the main medicinal species provider: 68 species against 62 for agro‐ecosystems. However, the total number of citations for medicinal species uses is higher for agro‐ecosystems (293) than for forest remnants (233), and this difference is significant (P < 0·05). This could be explained, among others, by the fact that some forest remnants are respected or protected by the villagers for religious and ritual purposes (Sangi). This also points to the importance of agro‐ecosystems and secondary vegetation as provider of medicinal plants around rural villages, as seen elsewhere in the tropics.     

Diversity of plant uses in two Caiçara communities from the Atlantic Forest coast, Brazil

Caiçaras are native inhabitants of the Atlantic coast on southeastern Brazil, whose subsistence is based especially on agriculture and artisanal fishing. Because of their knowledge about the environment acquired through generations, Caiçara people can play an important role in Atlantic Forest conservation. An ethnobotanical study was conducted within two Caiçara communities (Ponta do Almada and Camburí beach, São Paulo State, Brazil), focusing on plant uses. In 102 interviews, 227 plant ethnospecies were quoted, mainly for food, medicine, handicraft and construction of houses and canoes. People from studied communities depend on the native vegetation for more than a half of the species known and used. Using diversity indices, plant uses are compared between studied communities and between gender and age categories within each community. We found quantitative differences in the knowledge about plants between gender categories for each kind of use (medicinal, food and handicrafts). Older and younger informants also have different knowledge about plants for handicraft and medicine, but not for edible plants.     

兰科药用植物活性多糖研究进展

兰科(Orchidaceae)是有花植物中第二大科,目前已确认的兰科植物有736属28 000种,其中有82属343种可作药用。常见的兰科药用植物有铁皮石斛、天麻、白及和金线莲等。兰科药用植物功效成分主要为糖类、茋类、酚类、萜类、生物碱类、黄酮类和甾醇等,其中主要由甘露糖和葡萄糖等单糖构成的水溶性多糖是其重要活性成分之一,具有增强免疫力、抗肿瘤、抗氧化、降血糖和改善记忆等多种药理功能。对兰科药用植物活性多糖的结构、药理作用和生物合成等方面的研究进展进行了综述,并提出今后需要重点研究的方向,为进一步推动兰科药用植物资源保护及合理开发利用提供参考。     

Cytotoxicity of Fusarium species mycotoxins and culture filtrates of Fusarium species isolated from the medicinal plant Tribulus terrestris to mammalian cells

Ayurvedic medicine, which uses decoctions made of medicinal plants, is used to cure diseases in many Asian countries including Sri Lanka. Although proper storage facilities for medicinal plants are unavailable in Sri Lanka, neither the potential for growth of toxigenic fungi nor their ability to produce mycotoxins in stored medicinal plants has been investigated. We isolated three Fusarium species, F. culmorum, F. acuminatum and F. graminearum from the medicinal plant Tribulus terrestris. Culture extracts of the 3 Fusarium spp. were cytotoxic to mammalian cell lines BHK-21 and HEP-2. Three toxic metabolites produced by Fusarium spp; T-2 toxin, zearalenone, and diacetoxyscirpenol were also cytotoxic to the same mammalian cell lines. The 3 Fusarium spp. grown on rice media produced zearalenone. Plant material destined for medicinal use should be stored under suitable conditions to prevent growth of naturally occurring toxigenic fungi prior to its use.     

牡丹组植物的药用民族植物学研究与考证

牡丹干燥根皮自古以来就有入药的传统,尤其在中药和民族药中被广泛使用.为阐明牡丹组植物在古籍中的记载情况和民族药中的利用现状,该文对中国八部经典医学古籍、37部地方志和民族药传统知识进行整理,采用民族植物学编目方法,对牡丹组植物在古籍和民族药中的入药种类、地理分布、入药部位、炮制方法和功效等相关传统知识进行考证和分析研究...     

Endophytic fungi isolated from medicinal plants: future prospects of bioactive natural products from Tabebuia/Handroanthus endophytes

Medicinal plants are a rich source of natural products used to treat many diseases; therefore, they are the basis for a new drug discovery. Plants are capable of generating different bioactive secondary metabolites, but a large amount of botanical material is often necessary to obtain small amounts of the target substance. Nowadays, many medicinal plants are becoming rather scarce. For this reason, it is important to point out the interactions between endophytic microorganisms and the host plant, because endophytes are able to produce highly diverse compounds, including those from host plants that have important biological activities. Thence, this review aims at presenting the richness in bioactive compounds of the medicinal plants from Tabebuia and Handroanthus genera, as well as important aspects about endophyte-plant interactions, with emphasis on the production of bioactive compounds by endophytic fungi, which has been isolated from various medicinal plants for such a purpose. Furthermore, bio-prospection of natural products synthesized by endophytes isolated from the aforementioned genera used in traditional medicine could be used to treat illnesses.

     

Agave biotechnology: an overview

Agaves are plants of importance both in Mexican culture and economy and in other Latin-American countries. Mexico is reported to be the place of Agave origin, where today, scientists are looking for different industrial applications without compromising its sustainability and preserving the environment. To make it possible, a deep knowledge of all aspects involved in production process, agro-ecological management and plant biochemistry and physiology is required. Agave biotechnology research has been focusing on bio-fuels, beverages, foods, fibers, saponins among others. In this review, we present the advances and challenges of Agave biotechnology.     

Yao herbal medicinal market during the Dragon Boat Festival in Jianghua County,China

Background

The traditional medicinal markets held during the Dragon Boat Festival are common and important in China’s countryside. In Jianghua, a Yao autonomous county in Hunan Province in China, the medicinal market also plays an important role for the application, conservation, and communication of traditional Yao medicinal knowledge.

Methods

During the Dragon Boat Festival in 2016 and 2017, ethnobotanical surveys and inventories were conducted in the medicinal market of Jianghua County, and voucher plant specimens were collected, identified, and deposited in a herbarium. Quantitative analysis included measurement of frequency of occurrence for species in the marketplace and the relative importance index for the number of uses for a given species.

Results

A total of 306 plant species (249 genera, 113 families) and their related information about the medicinal market were collected. Some major findings include the following: (1) Using the whole plant as medicine is more common than other medicinal plant parts; (2) treating rheumatism and clearing inner heat are the most frequent medicinal uses; and (3) taking a medicinal bath is the most frequent modality to administer the traditional medicine. The frequency of occurrence and the relative importance index of some medicinal plants were analyzed, as well as the demographics and the number of stalls and the status of traditional Yao medicinal knowledge in Jianghua. Based on the investigation, suggestions were proposed for better protecting the medicinal market and preserving traditional medicinal knowledge in Jianghua County.

Conclusion

The medicinal market during the Dragon Boat Festival in Jianghua County possesses an important cultural value and helps to conserve the traditional Yao medicinal knowledge. The medicinal plants sold at the market showed great diversity and unique local characteristics. The medicinal market is facing some challenges in such a rapidly developing era. Cultivation of young healers and maintaining the local biodiversity might be the key solutions for the development of local medicinal market and local Yao medicinal knowledge.

     

Endophytic fungi assemblages from 10 <Emphasis Type="Italic">Dendrobium</Emphasis> medicinal plants (Orchidaceae)

Dendrobium is the largest genus of tropical epiphytic orchid, some of which are traditional Chinese medicinal plants. The therapeutic components varied significantly among species. Endophytic microbes (fungi) hidden in medicinal plants may play an important effect on the overall quality of herb. Investigation of fungal composition in host plants is the first step toward elucidating the relationship endophyte-therapeutic content of herbal medicine. In this study, 401 culturable fungal endophytes were isolated and identified from 10 species of medicinal Dendrobium based on morphological and molecular techniques. The results showed that endophytic fungi from Dendrobium plants exhibited high biodiversity (37 genera, about 80 species). Acremonium, Alternaria, Ampelomyces, Bionectria, Cladosporium, Colletotrichum, Fusarium, Verticillium and Xylaria were the dominant fungal endophytes. Tropical epiphytic orchids appear to vary in degree of host specificity in their endophytic fungi.     

Correlation between five minerals and the healing effect of Brazilian medicinal plants

A great many Brazilian medicinal plants are used in wound healing. They are usually applied directly to wounds, somein natura as poultices, some as dried powders, and others as water extracts (teas) for bathing. Sixteen plants from the Atlantic Rain Forest of the State of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil were analyzed to determine the concentration of five minerals: silicon, manganese, iron, copper, and zinc to study their possible role in the healing processes. The analysis was performed in plant samples and in teas prepared from them. There appears to be a correlation between the healing effect of the plants and their content of these element.     

Morphology and anatomy of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Echinacea purpurea,E. angustifolia,E. pallida</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Parthenium integrifolium</Emphasis>

The Echinacea species are native to the Atlantic drainage area of the United States of America and Canada. They have been introduced as cultivated medicinal plants in Europe. Echinacea purpurea, E. angustifolia and E. pallida are the species most often used medicinally due to their immune-stimulating properties. This review is focused on morphological and anatomical characteristics of E. purpurea, E. angustifolia, E. pallida, because various species are often misidentified and specimens are often confused in the medicinal plant market.     

Bioactive Saponins from Allium and Aster Plants

Plants belonging to the genera Allium and Aster are widely distributed in nature and have been used as food and/or medicine. Their wide use was mainly due to the medicinal properties attributed to these plants since ancient times, recently supported by epidemiological and laboratory studies. Saponin compounds, responsible for many pharmacological activities, are quite abundant in these plants. Thus, a deep knowledge about the saponin composition of these vegetables appears to be essential and could promote the discovery of new potential leads. As part of our continuing research aimed at the identification of bioactive metabolites, we have addressed our attention to several Allium and Aster species. The study resulted in the isolation of over fifty saponins of furostane, spirostane, cholestane, and oleane-type structures. Some of the isolated compounds exhibited promising antiproliferative, antifungal, and antispasmodic activities. Their structure, distribution and bioactivity will be reported here together with a brief overview of the literature on Allium and Aster saponins.     

Plants Used for Reproductive Health by Nahua Women in Northern Veracruz,Mexico

Plants Used for Reproductive Health by Nahua Women in Northern Veracruz, Mexico. This paper reports the use of medicinal plants by Nahua women in the state of Veracruz, Mexico. It documents the women’s plant knowledge for reproductive purposes, which includes uses such as conception, pregnancy, birth, contraception, menstruation, post-partum, and general reproductive health. The concept of equilibrium is very important in regaining health among the Nahua; consequently, many of the medicinal plants have this as their primary purpose. The introduction of biomedical clinics and hospitals in the region has had a significant effect on the loss of knowledge about medicinal plants. Additionally, the midwives are not taking any new apprentices and laywomen are not passing on their knowledge to future generations. This generational gap contributes to the loss of knowledge about medicinal plants. This research contributes to the study of indigenous ethnobotany by (a) creating a record of the plant knowledge possessed by indigenous women, (b) giving voice to some of their health concerns, (c) indicating how the introduction of biomedicine has affected their plant use, and (d) providing a framework for understanding how marginal peoples around the world respond to the impact that globalization and change has on their health needs and local ethnobotanical knowledge.     

古代印度三果浆的传入及其影响

三果浆(三勒浆)为源于印度的传统果药剂,由使君子科植物诃子和毛诃子,以及大戟科植物余甘子等三种植物的果实为原料制作而成,是著名的藏药基础方,也是印度阿育吠陀传统药中使用频率最高的代表方剂.三种植物同时录入《中国药典》,余甘子列入我国药食两用植物目录.中古时期,三果浆随着中外文化的频繁交流及丝绸之路的开通传入中国,而今只...     

Chromium in a series of Portuguese plants used in the herbal treatment of diabetes

Chromium (Cr³⁺) is an essential micronutrient for humans. Its main action is thought to be the regulation of blood sugar, because chromium deficiency is associated with diabetic-like symptoms, and chromium supplementation is correlated with increased glucose tolerance and insulin sensivity. Some Portuguese aromatic plants are utilized as tisanes by diabetic people as medicinal plants. Their active principle is not yet known, and the importance of their chromium content in the claimed therapeutic properties should not be discarded. Therefore, determination of chromium in some Portuguese medicinal plants was performed by flameless atomic absorption. All the analyzed plants contain chromium at the normal level for this element, but the plants used to prepare tisanes to help diabetic conditions contain higher levels (2.2 μg/g dry wt ±0.88;n=11) than the others (0.88 μg/g dry wt±0.18;n=17).     

Migration and Ethnobotanical Practices: The Case of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Tifey</Emphasis> Among Haitian Immigrants in Cuba

Ethnobotanical knowledge and practices are dynamic and they change as they are transferred and appropriated by people who are adapting to new surroundings and changing environments. Using tifey, a multispecies drink, as a case study, we discuss the changes that emigration brought about related to tifey, and the processes that determined these changes. Tifey is a Haitian drink prepared by soaking Artemisia absinthium and other plants in rum or aguardiente. It probably had its origin in the adoption of the absinthe-based liquor used by French settlers and troops during the colonial period. Haitians progressively added culturally relevant flavorings and medicinal plants to this drink, and differentiated its production and use for medicinal, medicinal food, ritual (religious and social), and economic purposes. When Haitians migrated to Cuba, they brought tifey with them, but over the course of the twentieth century its use declined and its composition changed due to sociocultural factors such as the dissolution of Haitian settlements, and to ecological factors such as difficulty in cultivation and/or procurement of A. absinthium in the new environment.